New York City has some of the best breads in the country. We can say that with confidence because we've eaten a LOT of bread in other parts of the country, baked a ton of bread (that was subsequently eaten), and studied bread in culinary school.
Carbs are a quintessential part of our diet.
Sure, Cali has sourdough bread, which is pretty darn dope, but a lot of breads from the rest of the country just don't have the crust and crumb as a good Italian loaf from a seasoned brick oven like Parisi's.
NYC is synonymous with outstanding bread, bagels, and pizzas (which are pretty much just manipulated bread doughs).
Some people say that the water composition in NYC is different than the rest of the country, and that explains why our breads and bagels are more superior than the rest of the US of A.
While that may or not be a contributing factor to the prestige of NYC breads (this has been a long ongoing debate throughout the bread making community for years), we do know one thing as a general population: NYC breads, in fact, are unbelievable.
We've put together a list of the best breads in the city. Because you're too adult to be eating Wonder Bread on a daily basis.
1. Amy's Bread (various locations)
3d6___0111 #3D6inNYC Day 72 Mom's favorite π But it's too hard to have a bite for meπ οΌεε°θ¦γγ ΛγΛγγΛδΊε¦ο½οΌ
Amy Scherber opened Amy's Bread in 1992, and has been lauded with awards for her dedication to creating amazing breads with the finest ingredients. None of her bread contains additives or preservatives, and many of them have no fat.
The secret to her success is her use of traditional European bread methods and the use of pre-ferments. A pre-ferment (sponge, poolish, starter, etc.) is a batch of water, flour, and yeast.
[anad]
It's a living organism unto itself that requires feeding (water and flour) to slow or speed up the fermentation of the yeast. Essentially, it gives the bread a lot more flavor, with a crisp crust, and a moist crumb (that's the interior of the bread).
We highly recommend that you visit one of her locations to try her signature "Semolina with Golden Raisins and Fennel", or the french baguette.
2. Parisi Bakery (various locations)
Parisi's bread is outstanding. They've called Little Italy home for 100 years. They've passed down their old world recipes and methods for three generations.
Their secret is the fact that they are one of the last bakeries in NYC that still use a brick oven. They have two HUGE rotisserie brick ovens that impart a hard, crisp crust while keeping the interior light, moist, and chewy.
Essentially, we've used their bread as a high standard to compare other breads to. In short, there aren't many that can compete with Parisi's standards. Even Frank Sinatra frequented Parisi just for their excellent bread.
3. Orwasher's Bakery (308 East 78th Street)
Orwasher's describes itself as "New York's Original Artisan Bakery," and we definitely agree.
They've been baking in the Upper East Side for almost 100 years. They are committed to baking with local ingredients and collaborating with local artisans.
[anad2]
Bread is a temperamental thing. We know, we've definitely lost our temper and swung a baguette like a baseball bat across a bake shop once... don't tell Chef. Orwasher's does everything by hand, which definitely adds to the mental and physical stress of baking, but we can certainly taste the difference.
Try their "Cabernet Rustica." It is made with a starter made with fermented cabernet grapes to impart a slightly sour flavor to the loaf.
4. Silver Moon Bakery (2740 Broadway)
If you want to visit a joint that bakes 44 different kinds of breads on a rotational basis, you need to check out Silver Moon Bakery.
They shape all of their breads by hand and in small batches with no additives or preservatives.
Silver Moon even offers a presentation challah that weigh up to 12 pounds. Thats basically double the size of an infant child. We're kind of in awe of how they handle and braid 12 pounds of challah dough.
We're big fans of their specialty breads like their "Fig and Pepper Bread," but be sure to check out their calendar to know when they'll be baking your favorites.
,5. Balthazar Bakery (80 Spring Street)
townandcountrymag The boulangerie where everybody knows your name. 2 pistachio donuts please! π· @mell0wfell0w
Once upon a time, people lived in communities that had a shared oven that was manned by one person and only lit once per week.
In those days, people would shape large loaves of bread (also known as miches) that would stay fresher for a longer period of time. People would often score (or cut) a design into their miche in order to differentiate it from their neighbors.
[anad]
Balthazar Bakery was inspired by those rustic traditions, but have modernized their menus to appease the desires and demands of today's clientele.
Try their "Cranberry Raisin Pecan Batard," but make sure you also grab one of their amazing croissants, because after all, it is a French bakery.
6. Arcade Bakery (220 Church Street)
ayakombooo Love this idea πππππ©πͺ Arcade Bakery in TriBeCa #arcadebakery #isa #bread #bakery #tribeca #earlybird
As you walk down Church Street, and sniff some deliciously fresh baked bread, but can't seem to find the origin, you're probably passing Arcade Bakery.
This place is probably one of the most unique spots in our list. It's in the middle of an office building. They make some amazing pizzas and sandwiches and laminated treats (think croissants and danishes), but their breads steal the show.
We'd recommend trying their "Whole Rye with Sunflower Seeds" or their "Onion Caraway Rye."
7. Grandaisy Bakery (various locations)
"All we kneed is love." That's their slogan. Fans already? We are.
Although Grandaisy was founded in 2006, it was opened by Monica Von Thun CalderΓ³n, Jim Lahey's former partner at Sullivan Street Bakery. Lahey kept the name, Monica kept the location, and they shared the bread recipes. It's was a "conscious uncoupling" in the bread world.
[anad2]
Since it opened, Grandaisy has experimented with flavors and ingredients to make some amazing breads, including their healthy "Sette Grani," or "seven grains," which is a 100% whole wheat bread with toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. That's what we're recommending to you.
8. Bien Cuit (120 Smith Street- Brooklyn)
biencuitnyc We Miche everyone in our neighborhood! Our repairs are going splendid & we'll be reopening on August 31st. See you Monday! #biencuit #biencuitnyc #miche #bread #bakery #instafood #foodporn #foodstgram #foodienyc #nyceats #brooklyn #π
Bien Cuit, like others, use a small batch approach that allows bakers to focus on each individual loaf. You're probably realizing that most of these bakeries do the same, which is part of the reason why they made our list (because it makes their bread awesome).
What separates Bien Cuit from the rest, is that they use a slow fermentation technique. That means that their bread loaves are given a fermentation time of 16-68 hours.
They also use a three-day process for their breads. That means they take three days from the time they mix their bread doughs to the time they bake their shaped loves.
These breads are definitely unique and delicious. They offer some of the best breads NYC has to offer. Try their "Olive Bread" (sourdough loaf speckled with Sicilian olives) or their "Broa de Milho," (corn and wheat flours fermented with milk).
Check out 7 Bakeries To Overindulge Your Pumpkin Pie Cravings at in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy of Instagram]

