I was stuck in a bread rut, always going back to Swiss Bakery’s par-baked baguettes. Great baguettes with an almost-thin but robust crust and (on a good day) a crumb with great varied crumb structure and deep, complex, satisfying flavour with a hint of natural sourdough tang. I said “on a good day” because some batches seem to be deeper and richer than others. I’m not sure what magical yeasty voodoo happens in the back room at Swiss Bakery, but sometimes when I buy their par-baked baguettes (either from Swiss Bakery themselves or at Les Amis du Fromage), they taste a bit flat and one-note, but other times they’re a gorgeous, sweet, rich, multi-sensory experience.

Well, anyways, I’m now on the lookout for another bread experience that really hits my bread button. So after buying chocolate from East Van Roasters, I came across Nelson the Seagull, which is a cafe in Gastown that also bakes their own bread. Continue reading What Does an $8 Sourdough Loaf Taste Like? Nelson the Seagull in Gastown →