One of the few positive effects of the coronavirus has been a renewed interest in bread. If you spend time on social media, you've seen the photos from your stuck-at-home friends, proudly displaying their adorable home-baked loaves, garnished with a sprig of rosemary, if they're making an extra effort.
Baking bread has become a big distraction, to such a degree that there've been shortages of yeast. People, stop hoarding. But if this national nightmare puts a damper on the gluten-free trend, then it has done something good.
Baking at home is a wonderful project, something to do with the fam — but Dallas has professionals. Even better, Dallas has bakeries that ordinarily service the restaurant industry who have begun selling directly to the public as a way to keep their doors open.
La Francaise, a bakery in Garland that supplies restaurants, launched retail sales a few weeks ago, which has entailed a major shift from selling massive quantities to individual items.
"We're still working out what we should sell and how to do it, but we're learning with every market we've held," says owner Chris Alves.
Below are both the area's best bakeries and some wholesale operators now selling bread to the public. Think of it this way: Driving to the bakery is another fun family project (as long as only one person gets out of the car to make the buy).
Here's the list:
Bresnan Bread does sourdough in about 5 variations including basic sourdough plus options such as green chile cheese, seeded multigrain, olive walnut, and "Everything Bagel" spiced. Get on their email list for the weekly menu and a link to online ordering via bresnanbread@gmail.com. They do curbside pickup once or twice a week on Tuesdays and/or Fridays, at Brown Bag Provisions at 150 Turtle Creek Blvd. in the Design District from 8:30-11 am.
Eatzi's has a limited menu baguettes, rolls, loaves, and sliced sandwich bread, in flavors such as sourdough, whole wheat, cornbread, and silver dollar rolls. Their online portal for ordering is open 10 am-7:45 pm everyday, while the stores have their own hours: Oak Lawn 8 am-9 pm, Lovers Lane and Grapevine stores 10 am-9 pm, and Preston-Royal, Plano, and Fort Worth 10 am-8 pm. Upon arrival, call the location for curbside delivery.
Empire Baking Company is doing curbside pickup at its Inwood Village location at 5450 W. Lovers Ln. Call to place and pay for your order, and they’ll bring it out. Their breads include whole wheat farm, Jewish rye, raisin pecan sourdough, pane paisano, hippie health, jalapeno cheddar, kalamata olive, and molasses wheat, plus sandwiches, plus seasonal specialties such as flourless chocolate cake, macaroons, and hot cross buns. Call 214-350-0007.
Kuluntu Bakery, the home-based bakery in Oak Cliff from baker Stephanie Leichtle-Chalklen, is doing a menu of sourdough breads, plus scones and other items, for Tuesday and Thursday pickup. Orders 48 hours in advance for bread, 5 days in advance for all other baked goods via this form, emailing kuluntubakery@gmail.com, or calling 469-933-4960. Pickup is near Bishop Arts District, or they'll deliver for an additional fee based on location for minimum orders of $15.
La Casita Bakeshop in Richardson has two sourdoughs — country and spicy — in addition to their croissants and other pastries. Order by Wednesday on their website for a pickup at their bakery the following Saturday, when they do curbside pickup from 11 am-3 pm. You text them your name plus the make/model of your car.
La Francaise Bakery has retail history: They started out as bakery in Lake Highlands before switching to wholesale sales. They are now back in the retail game, doing a drive-up curbside market at their Garland headquarters at 201 Gold St., #300 every Tuesday and Friday, weather permitting. Their menu includes Pullman loaves in rustic white, wheat, oatmeal health nut, and sourdough plus croissants, muffins, and cinnamon rolls. Pre-order by 3 pm two days before (on Sunday and Wednesday), via email orders@lafrancaisebakery.com or call 972-485-4400. When you arrive, drive up and they'll bring your order to your door.
La Spiga Bakery in Addison has been supplying many restaurants with bread and bakery items for many years, but also sells to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To pre-order, call by 9 am the day before, although they often have leftover loaves for walk-ins. Their breads are depicted on their website, sortof, under wholesale and include sourdough, baguettes, seeded rolls, focaccia, ciabatta rolls, plus flavors such as jalapeno cheddar. They also have sandwiches and cafe foods from 11 am-2 pm, plus curbside pickup of heat-and-serve meals Wednesday-Saturday 12-4 pm. Order online or call 972-934-8730.
Candor Bread is now available by order through Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters' new CliffMade Pantry concept, which lets you order their sourdough in wheat or white today to pick up tomorrow. Order and pay online and they'll send you an email letting you know it's ready for pickup, which is from 6 am-5 pm the next day.
Ravelin Bakery in Denton is still open with sourdough, French baguette, epi, and hearty 5-grain loaves plus rotating flavors and seasonal specials such as hot cross buns for Easter. They've taken measures such as pre-slicing bread, shutting down their coffee and sample stations, and requesting that only one person per party comes in for pick-ups, from 6:30 am-5:30 pm. Call ahead to place your order at 940-382-8561.
San Martin Bakery at 3120 McKinney Ave. in Uptown has its full selection of breads and pastries, plus they're also doing "take-and-bake" bread. You can try calling 469-802-6652 to order, but they recommend you just come in or else order via Favor. Their cafe also has sandwiches and other takeout plus ready-to-bake dishes such as lasagna.
Signature Baking, which supplies bread, buns, and rolls to restaurants like Keller's Drive-In and Snuffer's, plus facilities such as American Airlines Center, has added a monthly subscription service with one loaf per week for $20 a month. Laid-off workers from Twisted Root and Truck Yard are making the deliveries, with the $4.99 going straight to those drivers to help support them during COVID-19. The menu includes light, medium, and dark wheat, plus challah, multi-grain, rye, brioche, plus Pullman loaves, baguettes, and a whole range of dinner rolls. Deliveries are on Tuesdays and Fridays; order by 2 pm the day before online.
Village Baking Co. Boulangerie is still open and selling bread at its East Dallas location at 1921 Greenville Ave., but at limited hours of 8 am-5 pm, and only two people are allowed in the store at one time. You can call and put on hold sourdough, whole wheat, multi grain, rolls, croissants, and pastries, or just stop in the store.
