Bread. Its origins have been traced back as far as the Neolithic era; nearly every civilization since has made bread a staple of its diet, and often, its cultural and religious rituals. To bite into a piece of fresh, hand-made, artisan bread is not only proof that its preparation is indeed an art form — it is also an explanation of why bread is known as “the staff of life.” Here are some great places to find your daily bread in Calgary.
Manuel Latruwe
With Bernard Callebaut forced out of his own company and left to start from scratch, Manuel Latruwe has taken the reins as the Belgian to see in Calgary for authentic fare. His bakery’s breads, baguettes and viennoiseries (French for “Viennese specialties”) are baked fresh daily, and creative specialties like the rye walnut blue cheese and sourdough kalamata olive highlight a huge selection of delicious dough. 1333 1 St. S.E., 403-261-1092.
Sidewalk Citizen Bakery
Aviv Fried started his booming bread biz a little more than two years ago. With a loaded-up bicycle cart, he’d ride through the downtown core, stopping by office buildings and homes to sell his naturally fermented sourdough and Levain breads, hand-to-hand. The Israeli baker’s refreshingly old-school method of moving his artisan loaves and scones, bolstered by his scholarly approach to bread — Fried has a Master’s degree in biomedical engineering — has seen Sidewalk Citizen Bakery carried at some of Calgary’s hippest cafés and shops. Fried’s delivery schedule and ever-changing selection of breads can be found on his blog, and you can place an order for your office or home by emailing him directly.
Rustic Sourdough Bakery
Swiss master baker Jos Rehli’s Rustic Sourdough Bakery specializes in sourdough (obviously), a type of bread often made to taste sour by using emulsifiers and flavour enhancers. Rustic Sourdough doesn’t use any chemicals or preservatives to achieve its markedly authentic sourdough flavour: Each loaf is mixed from scratch, hand-turned and left to settle for just the right amount of time to give it a crisp, chewy, and legitimate sourdough taste. 1305 17 Ave. S.W., 403-245-2113.
Urban Baker
Urban Baker uses only organic ingredients, and all of its hand-shaped loaves are slow-proofed (the dough is left to rest before it is baked). A diverse selection of fresh breads — including apple flax, red pepper and cheddar, and chocolate cranberry — makes this bakery by the Bow River the perfect place to drop by before preparing almost any meal. 802 Edmonton Tr. N.E., 403-266-3763.
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Image courtesy of surlygirl.
Calgary Bread on the Rise
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