The Cities’ Best Loaves

Six not-to-be missed breads made in the Twin Cities

Rustica, Sun Street Breads and Patisserie 46 do bread the best.

Image credit: Photo by Tate Carlson

Recommended by the Editor

Food and Drink: Know Your Dough

Recipe: Lunch Box Bread

By: Mecca Bos |   November   |  From the print edition

METRO's November issue explores what makes a great load of bread. We asked three top Twin Cities bakers to give us their secrets, and offer this bake-it-yourself recipe for those who find themselves inspired. Here, we list some of our favorite slices. 

+ Rustica Levain, Levain is a triple-fermented sourdough, and this one is Rustica’s true labor of love. Its crust is so blistered, it’s like it was baked on the sun.

+ Rustica Multigrain, This is the one you want in your pack if you get lost in the woods for a week. There’s a whole world in that loaf, or at least an entire prairie.

+ Patisserie 46 La Miche, John Kraus’s personal favorite bread, Miche dates back to the times when a family would purchase one loaf to last a week. The sourdough acts a natural preservative, and the size of this loaf (five pounds of dough) also protects it from the elements. If you’re not feeding a crowd, Patisserie will gladly sell it by the quarter loaf.

+ Patisserie 46 Spiced Rye, This bread elevates the grilled cheese to fine-dining territory. Add caramelized onions and Emmental to this raisin-studded wonder and watch eyes widen with every bite.

+ Sun Street Breads Baguette, Put simply: a great baguette. It has a deeply malted flavor (not unlike beer) and a flaky crust that doesn’t fight you when you chew it.

+ Sun Street Breads Sourdough, One of the best breads I’ve ever eaten, with a subtly acidic crumb that almost feathers beneath your fingers and a crust that’s addictive as potato chips.

+ Read more from METRO's resident foodie Mecca Bos here.