With artisanal flours, custom-made ovens and full-time bakers, restaurants are turning the pre-dinner breadbasket into an indulgence in its own right
Parisian baguette An icewine-infused dough starter makes for tangy bread that’s full of holes. Biff’s Bistro, 4 Front St. E., 416-860-0086.
Fougasse J. P. Challet dresses up his Provence-style focaccia with savoury black olives. Ici Bistro, 538 Manning Ave., 416-536-0079.
French boule For years, Corinna Mozo tinkered with water, flour, yeast and salt to make her classic white bread perfectly moist and fluffy. Delux, 92 Ossington Ave., 416-537-0134.
Red Fife epi Ontario Red Fife wheat braids get a whiff of smoke from the restaurant’s maple-fuelled oven. Woodlot, 293 Palmerston Ave., 647-342-6307.
Rye with caraway Baker Nis’ku Closs arrives at 2 a.m. each day to get her dense, crusty ryes into the steam-injected oven. Splendido, 88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788.
Nodini Ridiculously addictive pizza dough knots are brushed with rosemary-infused olive oil and dotted with garlic. Ten balls $6. Buca, 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600.
Pretzel bread Cold fermenting and a pre-baking lye bath create an optimally crisp exterior and soft interior. Lucien, 36 Wellington St. E., 416-504-9990.
Pain au lait Enriched with milk, butter and eggs, pain au lait is the Veuve Clicquot of sandwich bread. Ici Bistro, 538 Manning Ave., 416-536-0079.
Focaccia Frank Parhizgar adorns his plump loaves with roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes and creamy burrata. Frank’s Kitchen, 588 College St., 416-516-5861.
Sweet potato buns Mashed yams and their roasted skins give these two-bite buns sweetness and smoky flavour. C5, 100 Queen’s Park, 416-586‑7928.
Brioche An obscene amount of butter goes into Lucien’s buns—they’re like Parker House rolls from heaven. Lucien, 36 Wellington St. E., 416-504-9990.
Rosemary batard Evan Desjardins named his sourdough starter Nancy, after his grandmother. It gives his crackling loaves a full-flavoured tang. Marben, 488 Wellington St. W., 416-979-1990.
(Image: Christopher Stevenson)
Rundles’ breads in Stratford rule!
March 1, 2011 at 7:30 am | by Claudia SmithWhat about the breads made at St. John’s Bakery? Good, good, good. And wholesome.
March 1, 2011 at 9:16 am | by Christina ArcherThe bread basket at Scarpetta is also to die for. It comes with several varieties and all are scrumptious.
March 1, 2011 at 12:10 pm | by Lynda TWhat a disappointment! Obviously, you failed to visit Le Comptoir de Celestin on Mount Pleasant!
March 1, 2011 at 9:29 pm | by EmDavid Wilson’s bread rules!
March 2, 2011 at 11:39 pm | by a chef