Bakery counter
Laminated pastry, cookies, bars and four loaves a day, baked from 4:40 am until it sells out.
The short version, and the long one
The bakery is the oldest part of the business. Before there was a dining room there was a bench, a deck oven and Rosalind Achebe selling croissants out of the front window on Saturday mornings.
We laminate three days a week, mix bread doughs daily and bake cookies twice a day so the afternoon case is not a graveyard. What is left at close goes to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, not the bin.
- 1Nothing is par-bakedNo frozen dough arrives at this building. If it is in the case, it was mixed on our bench.
- 2Twice-daily bakesCookies and bars go in again at 1:30, so a 2 pm visit is not a consolation prize.
- 3You can reserve a loafTell us at the counter or call before 10 am and your bread waits with your name on it.
What comes with it
- Laminated doughs made in-house on a three day schedule
- A second cookie bake at 1:30 pm so the afternoon case is not picked over
- Loaf reservations held at the counter until 2 pm, no deposit
- Whole cakes with two weeks notice through the custom cake form
- Everything unsold at close goes to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf
- Nut-free days on the first Monday of every month, posted in advance
The bakery counter list
Two bakers, one deck oven and a laminator. Everything in the case was made in this building within the last eighteen hours.
Laminated
Baked at 4:40 am and again at 10:15. When they are gone they are gone.
Butter croissant★
$4.50Three days, twenty-seven layers, European butter.
Morning bun★
$5Croissant dough, orange zest, cinnamon sugar, rolled and baked in a tin.
Cardamom knot
$5Hand-tied, cardamom sugar, pearl sugar on top.
Almond croissant
$5.50Yesterday's croissant, frangipane, sliced almonds, powdered sugar.
Ham & gruyère croissant
$6.50Béchamel, shaved ham, gruyère, baked to order in the morning.
Cookies, bars and cake
Maple oat cookie
$3.50Brown butter, oats, dark amber maple, flaky salt.
Double chocolate rye
$4Rye flour, two chocolates, a dense chewy middle.
Lemon bar
$4.50Shortbread base, lemon curd, powdered sugar.
Cake by the slice
$7Whatever is on the stand: olive oil, carrot, or chocolate malt.
Bread, baked daily
Loaves come out at 9:30. Reserve one at the counter and we hold it until 2 pm.
Country sourdough
$918-hour bulk ferment, dark crust, 900g loaf.
Seeded rye
$10Caraway, flax, sunflower and sesame.
Milk bread pullman
$8Soft, square, makes the best toast in town.
How it gets made
Four steps, in order, every day. Nothing here is a secret.
- 1
Day one, the détrempe
Flour, water, salt and yeast are mixed and rested overnight. No shortcuts, no improver.
- 2
Day two, lamination
A butter block goes in and the dough gets three folds with a rest between each. That is where the twenty-seven layers come from.
- 3
Day three, shape and proof
Croissants are cut, rolled and proofed overnight in the retarder at 38°F.
- 4
4:40 am, the bake
Deck oven at 400°F with steam for the first four minutes. The first tray is on the counter before 6:30.
What changes the price
Sample pricing for a demo site. Add-ons and swaps are listed so there are no surprises at the register.
| Option | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pastry box of 6 | Baker's choice, good for an office | $28 |
| Pastry box of 12 | Baker's choice, two of each | $54 |
| Whole layer cake | 8 inch, two weeks notice, tasting included | from $85 |
| Loaf reservation | Held at the counter until 2 pm | No charge |
Bakery counter, asked and answered
On a Saturday, usually by 10:30. There is a second smaller bake at 10:15, and weekdays generally hold until noon.
No. Our bench is covered in wheat flour and we would rather say no than say maybe. Gluten-free sandwich bread is available.
Yes, through the custom cakes page. We ask for two weeks and the price starts at $85 for an eight inch two-layer cake.
It goes to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf at close, six days a week. Nothing edible gets thrown out.
Get it on the shelf before you arrive
Order bakery counter ahead for pickup at any of the three cafés. Hot food takes eight to twelve minutes, drinks and pastry take three to six.
Sample pricing. Pickup is ready in 8 to 12 minutes at all three cafés.