Bakeshack is a new bread baker that has been setting up shop at farmers markets in the OC, and now is coming to the Playa Vista farmers market. They sell big, chewy loaves that are unlike almost any other bread in LA. In fact, it’s really almost a ripoff of SF’s Tartine.
This is some seriously great bread. It tastes like they just followed Chad Robertson’s directions in his Tartine cookbook. A sourdough that is not very sour. A crust that is charred but not tough or crisp. Moist chewiness is the signature here, with a bit of sour and a bit of salt.
They also feature some pretty fun variations in addition to the basic sourdough. There is a multigrain, with wheat, spelt, kamut, rye, barley, quinoa, and oats, for the hippies among us. There’s a wonderful rosemary bread, and a variation with rosemary, garlic, and polenta. There is a chocolate bread, that is closer to a dessert. And then this carrot bread we got:
The color is beautiful, but the carrot flavor is not gimmicky and overly pronounced. The carrots add a bit of sweetness and a hint if carrot flavor. The walnuts add a nice crunch.
This is seriously good bread. Worth making the trek out to Playa Vista to get. The loaves are also kind of massive, so you will want to plan your meals around them. This week, I sliced and toasted the rosemary, garlic, polenta bread and added arugula, fried egg, and Niman Ranch bacon for a homemade version of the Huckleberry breakfast sandwich. It was awesome.
I don’t know much about these Bakeshack guys yet. They just started their Facebook page in July 2013, and just started showing up to Playa Vista a month or two ago. I asked them about Tartine, and they claimed to not be ripping off the recipe. They mentioned that they were using a 200 year old Italian starter. I can’t verify any of this — I’m going to continue to think of them as people baking from the Tartine book until I am convinced otherwise.
Bakeshack
At the Playa Vista farmers market on Saturdays from 9-2
6400 S Seabluff Dr, Los Angeles, CA
Updated with a couple photos of the rustic loaf, just like the basic Tartine loaf. Really great.
I concur. This bread is GOOD!