A Taste of Wave Hill Breads
15 Apr 2012 4 Comments
in Around Town, Bake, Gourmet, Interviews, Photography, Serendipitous Adventures Tags: Bread, pain de campagne bread, wave hill, Wave Hill Bread
Photo Credits: Pamela Einarsen Photography
The first time my lips locked onto the crispy crust, teeth sinking into the pillowy like pain de campagne bread loaf, I melted like butter on warm bread. How’s that for an up close and personal introduction to Wave Hill Breads.
Photo Credits: Pamela Einarsen Photography
Many Connecticut locals are familiar with these iconic bread makers, whether they’ve stumbled upon them through the local farmers market, or sampled then quickly purchased a loaf at Whole Foods Market, or were regulars from their previous location in Wilton. There’s no denying the constant craving you’ll develop for this delicious carbohydrate. All the breads are handmade by the traditional techniques in small-batches that are long-fermented and blended with wheat, spelt and organic rye flours. It’s the inspiration that has driven the talented duo Margaret Sapir and Mitch Rapoport to begin making bread.
Photo Credits: Pamela Einarsen Photography
With the opening of their new location at 30 High Street in Norwalk, Connecticut and the growing appetite for their artisanal fare, they’ve added two new and impressive culinary talents. Seasoning the café menu with his culinary talents is Mike Devlin, (formerly Executive Pastry Chef at Universal Studios and the Dressing Room) who also manages the catering. While pastry chef Matt Kirshner, (formerly at The Essex House Hotel and Russian Tea Room in NYC), creates visions of the most exquisite sweets.
Photo Credits: Pamela Einarsen Photography
I spent the afternoon at the new café with my in-laws, eating and sampling much of the menu. We lunched on Leek, Potato and Ham Soup, coupled with several sandwiches that were piled high, like the Tuna with Capers and Lemony Fennel layered atop of Multigrain Bread, a Grilled Poblano with Cheese on Three Grain French Bread, and a Smoked Turkey, Avocado and Bacon on a Bun with Balsamic Caramelized Onions. Our lunch was pure heaven. We sampled Bread Pudding, Almond and Chocolate Croissants and stocked up on bread, desserts and the French Energy Muffins to fill our pantries at home. I personally devoured the Triple–Nut Glazed Brownie, though I recommend buying two, you may, like me be eating one for dinner as well. Though, the Coconut Meringue Clouds are quite dreamy, too.
Photo Credits: Pamela Einarsen Photography
While we were lunching I had the pleasure of getting to know Margaret, which is what inspired this interview today…
GC: Give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started Wave Hill Breads?
WHB: My husband and I were in Stowe, Vermont having dinner at the Blue Moon Cafe about 10 years ago and loved their bread. We found out where we could buy it in the area and did so for a year or so. Then, we tracked down the baker, Gerard Rubaud, and visited him in the middle of the night, when he came down from his apartment above the bakery to begin baking. We talked a long time about bread, baking, philosophy of baking bread… Soon after, we trained with him. We went to Vermont, sometimes with our middle school-aged son, to learn from scratch the steps to making traditional French bread. We would then go home and practice until the next session, often calling with questions in between. When we were making consistently good loaves, we brought them to nearby stores to see if they would carry our bread. The Village Market in Wilton and other stores wanted it immediately. (That was the extent of our market research, perhaps a thin sampling for two MBAs.) We set about to find a location. It wasn’t easy. Ridgefield Health Department wouldn’t let us use wooden implements, which we had been trained to use – wooden proofing boards and wooden cooling racks. Our home is in Wilton and we were lucky to find a place there. By the way, the name “Wave Hill Breads” comes from Wave Hill, a botanical garden in The Bronx, on the Hudson River, (in Riverdale) where my husband and I were married over 30 years ago.
GC: What inspired you to open a Bakery?
WHB: My husband wanted his own business and we thought that Fairfield County needed good, French bread. After five years of making only one type of dough, we are now making several excellent varieties. We deliver to around 17 restaurants and 30 stores and participate in 20 farmers’ markets in New York and Connecticut. We recently opened our Bakery Cafe and Local Food Market.
GC: What’s your idea of the perfect meal?
WHB: I like variety and foods from many cultures like, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, Indian… as well as a Wave Hill Breads baguette with some great cheese. I’ll never turn down good pasta dish, of course.
GC: If you could apprentice with any baker, who would that be?
WHB: I am very glad we apprenticed with Gerard Rubaud. I never really had a mentor in all my years in business and now I feel I do. In addition to being a meticulous baker, he has a lot of business experience. (He ran Roussignol Skis in the U.S. for many years and has the tenacity of the athlete he was.)
GC: Describe Wave Hill Breads in 5 words?
WHB: Excellence, great team, enthusiastic fans.
GC: Lastly, any words of advice for aspiring bakers?
WHB: In order to be successful, you have to make the best product you can. With bread, it’s not just the recipe, but also the time, the temperature, and the touch. It’s a challenge to make a business out of the art and science of making bread. You have to think about the costs of production, and the timing, and distribution. We are now running several businesses at once: wholesale bread and pastries, retail bread and pastries, cafe (with soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas). Our challenge is to market each business successfully.
Photo Credits: Pamela Einarsen Photography
The secret is out… I think Wave Hill Breads is the next best thing since sliced bread.
To find out hours of operation, rotating menu selection and catering needs visit the website at Wave Hill Breads 30 High Street, Norwalk, CT (203) 762 9595
A great big Thank you to Pamela Einarsen who is a fine art portrait photographer that seeks to capture the essence of a person and their places. You can see the more of her collection on Wave Hill Bread: A Slice of Life at Pamela’s site.
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Peasant Boule #Baketogether
11 Jan 2012 14 Comments
in #baketogether, Bake, Gourmet Tags: #baketogether, boule, Bread, homemade bread, peasant boule
There is something simply wonderful about the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven…. then the breaking of the bread… and finally slathering butter all over… its pure heaven. If you haven’t done this, well, then you must!
Peasant Boule and Orzo Soup
I grew up eating homemade bread, like this “Rustic Village Bread“. So when I read that Abby’s #baketogether challenge for January was a Peasant Boule I immediately gathered the ingredients and began making this delicious – oh’ so tasty bread.
I followed Abby’s “Peasant Boule” recipe step by step since this was my first attempt at this bread and I’m happy I did.
Here’s what you need…
Makes one 8-inch round loaf or two 4-inch round loaves
3 – 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 – 1/4 ounce package instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 – 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 – 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 – 1/3 cups very warm water, should register on a thermometer between 115 and 125 degrees
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon toasted onion, dry herb mix
Making dough for Peasant Boule
In a large bowl whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking powder. Clip the bowl into the mixer stand and fit the mixer with the dough hook.
Check that the water temperature registers about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
With mixer on medium-low speed, slowly pour the water into the flour and mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl, about 6 minutes.
Scoop up the dough and shape it into a ball. Lightly grease using some of the melted butter the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl and pop the dough back into the bowl. Cover the top securely with plastic wrap. Let the covered dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. I use a blanket or towel to cover the entire bowl to keep warm.
Using some of the melted butter, generously butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, there’s no need to flour—the dough is soft but not sticky, and press to deflate it. Shape the dough into a 7-inch-wide round and place it, like Abby’s recipe with smooth side up, in the center of the prepared pan. Generously brush the top and sides with some of the melted butter.
I made two small 4-inch-wide round loaves, placing them on a buttered baking sheet. Using a knife make 3 diagonal lines across the top of loaves, these will spread open, letting you know when the dough has risen.
Allow the dough to rise, there’s no need to cover it, keeping in a warm spot until doubled in size for about 25 minutes. If using a 8-inch pan, it will fill the pan. If using the baking sheet the slits you made atop of loaves will spread open.
I brushed one loaf lightly with the melted butter. The second loaf I added some dry toasted onion sprinkled on top and brushed remaining butter generously all over.
Peasant Boule with Onions and Butter
About 15 minutes before the dough is ready to bake, position a rack in the middle of the oven and the oven to 375 degrees. When the dough has risen to about 2 inches above the edge of the pan, bake until the boule is well browned and sounds hollow when tapped about 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and tip the baked bread onto a rack and remove the pan. Set it right side up and let cool completely.
Soup & Bread
I served this with a Orzo Soup and Jeff and I ate one entire loaf for dinner.
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Rustic Village Bread
03 Dec 2010 5 Comments
in Bake, Food, Gourmet, Greek Dishes Tags: baking bread, Bread, Dough, Dry Yeast, Flour, peasant bread, rustic bread, yeast, yia yia
My First visit to Greece was when I was seven years old and I remember everything like it was yesterday. It was so exciting to see this foreign land my parents spoke of so fondly in stories of their childhood memories.
Yia Yia Angelikoula Rooftop
Upon arriving I was immediately immersed into their storybook life, enamored by the cobblestone streets, stone mason buildings, farm land and animals. We harvested the olives, milked the goats and on occasion rode the very temperamental donkey. My most cherished memories are of my grandmother; Yia Yia Angelikoula and how she began her daily ritual creating generous feasts for us.
Making Retsina Wine
I loved my grandparent’s house with its pure white walls and bright blue trim sitting at the peak of the hill. At the rooftop terrace with its sprawling grapevines offering shade to our afternoon siestas while watching the Ionian Sea views as a mesmerizing lullaby.
Papou Micahel Grandfather
Inside the house the floors were lined with old wooden planks that my grandfather made and stone carved stairs painted in a chalky white that would leave residue on your bare feet. At the foot of the stairs lied that magical charred brick oven where my grandmother produced banquets that would anoint us with our daily bread.
Farm Goat Herding
Here I learned to make bread along with my Yia Yia Angelikoula, my mother, my sister and cousins.
Yia Yia Angelikoula & Georgie
We gathered together each taking part in the sacrament of making and breaking bread.
Mama Bessie, Papou Michael & Thea Kannellio. A sketch by Georgie 98
Rustic Village Bread
Rustic Village Bread
350 – 45 minutes – loaf pan or circular cake pan. Makes 2 loaves
Here’s what you’ll need… 2 – 10 x 5 Bread pans, Oven Temp: 350 degrees, Bake time: 45 minutes. This recipe makes approximately 2 loaves of bread.
5 – Cups of Flour (overflowing)
3 – Cups of Warm Water
1 ½ – Table spoon of Dry Yeast
1 – Teaspoon salt
¼ – Cup of Olive Oil
In a bowl add yeast and warm water mixing well until yeast has completely dissolved. Mix the salt with flour and add to water mixture.
Begin kneading using the heels of your hands pushing down on the dough with your hands. Fold and turn the dough while kneading adding the olive oil until dough no longer clings to hands. When you have reached this consistency of no sticking – your dough is ready to be set aside to rise.
Place in a bowl and keep in a warm spot at room temperature keeping covered with a cloth during the entire rising time. Dough rising is based on temperature and time can vary from 1, 2 or even 3 hours to rise. Your dough should have double in size is when it’s ready.
Knead the dough once again, then separate in half and put into two loaves – you can use any baking pan rectangular or circle – cover and let raise double its size again for approximately one hour. Place in oven at 350 for 45 minutes until bread has a golden shade.
Village Bread
