Kneadful things: a guide to the best restaurant bread in town
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!
What about the breads made at St. John’s Bakery? Good, good, good. And wholesome.
The bread basket at Scarpetta is also to die for. It comes with several varieties and all are scrumptious.
What a disappointment! Obviously, you failed to visit Le Comptoir de Celestin on Mount Pleasant!
David Wilson’s bread rules!