Is it bad to eat nothing but bread for lunch? And for dinner too? This is what happens when you get a loaf of bread from Manresa, a Michelin two-star restaurant in Los Gatos, California.
Dubbed the Manresa Bread Project, they’ve been selling their restaurant bread at the Campbell farmer’s market. And they recently opened up a booth at the California Avenue Palo Alto farmer’s market. I’ve seen the long lines and thought “What’s that all about?” But loaded down with fruit and veggies for the week, I had no desire to wait in line to find out.
Then, one fine morning, I happened to be in front of the booth without such a line. Now’s my chance to see what’s all the fuss. All of their bread is vegan except for the brioche and obviously, anything with cheese.
I got the pumpernickel rye for 8 bucks. Taking the paper bag, I was surprised at the hefty weight (1 pound and 8 1/2 ounces). Looking into the bag, it’s not a large loaf by any means, only 4 x 4 x 4 inches. Hmmm, it seems to be quite heavy for its size, I hope I didn’t just spend 8 dollars on a brick.
I heaved the loaf home and have a slice. Packed full of seeds, as you can see, but it’s not dense tasting at all. In fact, it’s flavorful and delicious. I may be biased though as rye is my favorite type of bread. I thought I would make sandwiches but it’s good just by itself all on its own. Hence, lunch and dinner.
P.S. I had a slice as a snack too.
We just went to Manresa the other night, and OH MAN the bread!! Definitely must go up the street to Cal Ave very soon.
Oh my gosh. This is my kind of bread. Yums. Lucky you!
I can totally see this happening. Bread that good deserves an honored place at the table.
Wow, that is an expensive loaf. I’m glad to hear it was worth the extra though – rye bread is always a thing of wonder. Did you eat it plain, or put it to work in sandwiches? Have you tried any of the other loaves since?
Pumpernickel rye is my favourite bread too! I don’t get a good quality at my local supermarket though and it’s always got a hefty price tag at the health store. But I think for time to time it’s ok pamper yourself! :)
Hell no, bread is absolutely yum for any time of the day. Back in Paris, we snack on fresh baguette and seeded bread few times a day with all sorts of things from veggie soup to a lovely creamy tahini-based hummus. Yum, I adore all sorts of rye bread and the seedy ones, but that photo you took of looks utterly flavorsome! Hope you had a festive holiday, m’dear!