Sourdough bakery and pastry kitchen
Bread that takes its time, pastry made this morning.
Levain bakes naturally leavened loaves after a 36 hour ferment, laminates croissant dough by hand, and opens the counter at seven with everything still warm.
First loaves out of the oven at 6:40. Counter open Tue to Sun.
Loved by early risers on Example Street
36 h
Cold fermentation for every country loaf
4
Heritage grains milled within 80 km
On the counter this week
Loaves, laminated pastry and a few sweet things
Everything is baked in the room behind the counter, in small batches through the morning. When a tray is gone, it is gone until tomorrow.
Browse the full range
Cakes and tarts
Summer Berry Tart
EUR 5.20 slice, EUR 34 whole
Crisp sweet pastry, vanilla bean custard and whatever berries the farm stall had that morning.
Cakes and tarts
Dark Chocolate Layer Cake
EUR 6.40 slice, EUR 48 whole
Three layers of cocoa sponge, salted ganache and praline, finished with a glossy mirror of dark chocolate.
Cakes and tarts
Vanilla Celebration Cake
From EUR 42
Soft vanilla sponge with whipped mascarpone and a fruit compote of your choice. Decorated simply with fresh flowers or fruit.
Seasonal
Spiced Apple Tart
EUR 4.90 slice, EUR 32 whole
Thin apple slices fanned over almond cream on puff pastry, brushed with cider caramel. Our autumn favourite.
How a loaf is made
Three days from flour sack to bread board
We work on a slow rhythm so the dough can do most of the work. Here is what happens to a country loaf before it reaches the counter.
01
Feed the levain
Our starter has been going since the bakery opened. It is fed twice a day with stone-ground rye and kept warm until it doubles.
02
Mix, fold and shape
Dough is mixed by hand in the afternoon, folded four times over three hours and shaped into linen baskets before dark.
03
Rest cold overnight
Baskets go into the cold room at four degrees for a long, slow proof. This is where the flavour and the open crumb come from.
04
Bake on stone at dawn
At five the deck oven is at 250 degrees. Loaves are scored, steamed and baked dark, then cooled on racks before the doors open.
More than a bread counter
Stay for breakfast, or take a cake home
The cafe opens with the bakery. Custom cakes and catering are planned with you and baked the morning you collect.
Cafe
Morning plates, soups at noon and good coffee all day
Toast from yesterday's loaves, eggs from a farm down the road, seasonal soup and a short list of sandwiches on our baguette.
See the cafe menu
Custom orders
Celebration cakes
Birthdays, small weddings and naming days. Five days notice.
Plan your cake
Catering
Breakfast and lunch catering
Pastry boxes, sandwich platters and bread for offices and gatherings.
Ask for a quote
Grain and flour
Flour from a stone mill an hour up the road
We buy whole grain from a small mill that works with four farms nearby. It is ground slowly between stones, so the germ and bran stay in and the flour tastes of the field it came from.
Wheat, rye, spelt and an old landrace wheat for weekend loaves
Delivered fresh every two weeks in paper sacks
No improvers, no added enzymes, no shortcuts
80 km
From field to our flour bin
5:00
When the first oven is fired
Country sourdough
Butter croissant
Seeded rye
Berry tart
Levain baguette
Cardamom knots
Pain au chocolat
Country sourdough
Butter croissant
Seeded rye
Berry tart
Levain baguette
Cardamom knots
Pain au chocolat
Country sourdough
Butter croissant
Seeded rye
Berry tart
Levain baguette
Cardamom knots
Pain au chocolat
Country sourdough
Butter croissant
Seeded rye
Berry tart
Levain baguette
Cardamom knots
Pain au chocolat
From the queue
What our regulars say over the counter
A few kind words collected on paper slips by the till. We pinned our favourites to the wall.
The country loaf has ruined supermarket bread for our whole family. We pick one up every Saturday on the way back from the market.
AK
The country loaf has ruined supermarket bread for our whole family. We pick one up every Saturday on the way back from the market.
AK
The country loaf has ruined supermarket bread for our whole family. We pick one up every Saturday on the way back from the market.
AK
The country loaf has ruined supermarket bread for our whole family. We pick one up every Saturday on the way back from the market.
AK
The country loaf has ruined supermarket bread for our whole family. We pick one up every Saturday on the way back from the market.
AK
From the journal
Stories, recipes and notes from the bakehouse
How we bake, who grows our grain, and a few recipes scaled down for a home oven.
Read the journal
What we bake when the days get short
Apples, spice and the first stollen of the year. Our autumn and winter menu, and when each bake arrives.
Why our loaves take 36 hours
Time is the one ingredient we never cut. Here is what happens to a country loaf between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.
A simple focaccia for home ovens
No starter, no special tools, one large tray. Our weekend focaccia adapted for a home kitchen.
Good to know
Questions we hear at the counter
Still wondering about something? Send us a note and one of the bakers will reply within a day.
Do I need to order bread in advance?
Not for everyday loaves. If you want three or more of the same loaf, or a specific bread on a Saturday, send us a message the day before and we will set it aside.
Do I need to order bread in advance?
Do I need to order bread in advance?
Do I need to order bread in advance?
Do I need to order bread in advance?
Open Tuesday to Sunday from seven
Come early for the warm loaves
12 Example Street, Example City. Bread until it runs out, coffee until close.