pick up site: Berkeley | website | @pandorasbread
A while back, I read an online blurb about a different kind of weekly food subscription, Pandora’s Bread Box, which is a bread-lover’s dream. I immediately sent an email requesting to be added to the waiting list and was soon signed up for the next round of the CSB (community supported baking). I get to choose from a variety of offerings which rotate each week and am enjoying a wide variety of delicious baked goods for $7 a week. Here’s what I’ve had so far.
Week One. I got a couple of Orange Hazelnut Biscotti that I enjoyed in the morning with a cup of coffee. The grated orange rind was richly aromatic and combined perfectly with the toasty bits of hazelnut in the crunchy dense biscotti.
The Anadama Loaf was a delight. It was dusted with coarse cornmeal and was surprisingly light in weight with a hard crust that didn’t give much when I picked it up in my hands.
The bread had a fantastic fine interior with a delicate crisp crust that was sublime toasted and slathered with butter and jam. This was one of my favorite loaves so far.
Dutch Crunch Rolls, soft inside with a delicate crackly crust. I couldn’t help myself and bit into the roll before I remembered to take a picture…
Week Two: Baguette, Bagels and brownies bakesale for Haiti. I got two baguettes and a variety of bagels and no brownies. The sweet baguette had a lovely crisp crust and soft yielding interior, and was so good smeared with sweet butter.
On her blog, Julia posted about difficulties she had with flattened bagels, but had worked the kinks out by the time I picked up my breadbox. I got a variety of toppings: sesame seeds, poppy seeds and everything bagels, which were the boiled kind. Dense and chewy – just the way I like them.
Week Three: the Oat Currant Scone was the best scone that has passed my lips ever. I’m serious! I wished I had more of them, and am considering going another round of the CSB just for these…
not that there was anything wrong with the Multi-grain Batard. Look at this gorgeous rustic crust.
This was peasant bread, heavy and dense. The interior was filled with small airy pockets and seeds throughout. I loved it toasted with peanut butter.
The Potato Rosemary Roll was soft and fragrant, perfect for a burger.
Week Four: Focaccia and cranberry walnut bread, but I opted for just focaccia. It was really lovely with fresh herbs and sundried tomato. Some came with slices of briny olives.
It was fantastic toasted and I especially loved it dipped into roasted garlic infused olive oil with a bit of balsamic vinegar (Julia suggested this preparation, and I recommend it too)
Here’s a shot of the woman behind this wonderful labor of love, Julia A, taking out a batch of biscotti fresh from the oven. She is a genius with dough and every week I look forward to picking up my bread, especially because her kitchen smells heavenly. She continues a family lineage of baking and said that she was inspired by her grandmother who was famous for her home made breads. Don’t miss the next SF Underground Market where perhaps I can find more of those sublime scones, as she said that the last one was the bomb. Besides Pandora’s Breadbox, you can find her spreading Indian tikka taco love at the indilicious cart, (follow them on Twitter @indiliciouscart) and is exploring her options in developing the Algarden Lunch Café, an exciting new venture with PatriciaA of foodscaping.
I ditched work last Monday to attend the Winter Fancy Food Show for the afternoon, which was epic and enormous, taking up both halls of the Moscone convention center. It would be impossible to see everything even in a single day as it is the largest marketplace for the specialty food industry on the West Coast. I focused on the north pavilion which featured 600 exhibitors specializing in natural and organic products.
