Julia Child was once quoted as saying, “How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?” Preach, Julia. Happily, there are plenty of bakeries in our area doing their part to make America great—turning out addictive, crusty, flavorful loaves that will reaffirm your love of carbs. And suffice to say they are well worth the extra detour beyond the grocery store. Put these stops on your shopping route.
Bread & Water
If you haven’t hoovered a hunk of Markos Panas’ famed “M” bread, you’re missing out. It’s an “artisan, rustic, chewy and ‘holey’ table bread,” Panas explains, “reminiscent of sourdough with a beautiful, dark and flavorful crust. Great to mop up sauce and soups, goes great on the grill and makes sandwiches extraordinary.” (Given the bread’s confirmed cult following, it’s fair to say others agree.) Last February, the Alexandria-born bakery opened a third location in Pentagon Row, where other choice selections include multigrain and sourdough loaves and brioche rolls. If you’re feeling extra decadent go for the over-the-top Christmas stollen made with Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Makers Mark, holiday spices, Traverse City, Michigan cherries, apricots, nuts, butter and almond marzipan. Oh my.
1201 S. Joyce St., Arlington (Pentagon City)
Northside Social
Starting this week, head baker Bridie McCulla will be offering three house-made loaves for retail sale at Northside Social’s Arlington and Falls Church locations: a signature nine-grain baguette, Italian feather bread (ideal for garlic bread or sandwiches) and a Pullman loaf that toasts up nicely for breakfast or makes a killer grilled cheese.
3211 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon)
205 Park Ave., Falls Church City
The Swiss Bakery
Reto Weber’s grandfather was a baker in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, and today those family recipes live on in the two Northern Virginia bakeries Weber owns and operates with his wife, Laurie. A particular fan favorite is the seeded wurzelbrot rustic (translation “root bread”), so named because it resembles a twisted root, with a hearty, crusty texture that pairs nicely with raclette or sausages. Its cousin, wurzelbrot dark, is seedless and better suited for cubing and dunking in cheese fondue. For a basket of hard rolls to complement your dinner spread, try the brochten or burli. “They are both made with the same dough,” explains general manager Mary Pat Stanesa, “just baked at different temperatures and with different steam amounts so the texture turns out completely different.”
5224 Port Royal Road, Springfield
9536 Old Keene Mill Road, Burke
Le Pain Quotidian
If happiness, in your mind, is a fresh, warm baguette, this Belgian boulangerie has your number. Its baguettes are partially baked ahead of time and then finished up on demand—meaning that if you’re willing to wait five minutes, you’ll be rewarded with a piping hot baton of that French staple, perfect for serving with your favorite soft cheeses and charcuterie (although good luck getting it home without eating half of it en route). Other bestsellers at the chain include whole wheat (great for pairing with soups and omelettes), a gluten-free super-seed bread (available by special request) and a five-grain raisin bread. Challah is available on Fridays.
2900 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington (Clarendon)
8296 Glass Alley, Fairfax (Mosaic District)
1961 Chain Bridge Road, Tysons
Best Buns Bakery
This Shirlington baking emporium provides all of the bread for the Great American Restaurants family of restaurants, including Carlyle next door, as well as NoVa favorites Coastal Flats, Sweetwater Tavern and Artie’s (among others). Everything in the Best Buns repertoire is baked on-site daily, including its ever-popular two-raisin-pecan, chocolate-cherry bread and baguettes. Christmastime also brings a traditional stollen and a panettone made with brioche dough. Bonus: they bake up homemade dog biscuits, too.
410 Campbell Ave., Arlington (Shirlington Village)
Junction Bakery & Bistro
It’s well worth a pilgrimage to Del Ray to experience executive pastry chef Jonni Scott’s crusty, aromatic, satisfying breads fresh from the oven, although you will also find a limited selection of them (namely baguettes and boules) at Arrowine in Arlington, The Organic Butcher of McLean and Unwined in Alexandria’s Bradlee Shopping Center, just a stone’s throw from Shirlington. Speaking of Junction’s baguettes, Scott take things up a notch, using a blend of white, whole wheat and rye flours for a more complex flavor profile. Other bestsellers include ciabatta (also available in mini ciabattinis) and the pain de campagne, a rustic, French country bread with a sourdough base. The holiday season also brings a special cherry-pecan bread on weekends.
1508 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria (Del Ray)
Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe
At Wolfgang and Carla Büchler’s Bavarian bakery, a local go-to since 1975, customers routinely stop by for traditional German favorites such as a Black Forest sourdough rye—“a wheat bread with a nice crust and neutral flavor that goes with everything” Carla says—and a six-grain bread made with barley, oats, corn, millet, rye and wheat. The latter is a dense and grainy loaf with a stronger, heartier flavor. Both are great for toasting, sandwiches, or served alongside soups, stews and grilled sausages. Heidelberg’s Parker House rolls are also a reliable favorite, as are its pretzel breads.
2150 N. Culpeper St., Arlington (near the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center)
The Happy Tart Bakery
Can’t do wheat? Neither can Emma Cech, head baker and owner of The Happy Tart. Which is exactly why the trained pastry chef founded a bakery specializing in gluten-free goodies—including bread options such as baguettes, brioche, English muffins, rosemary dinner rolls and more. All of her breads use a millet blend in place of wheat flour. Some items, like brioche and Christmas stollen, also incorporate almond flour. Proof that gluten-free doesn’t have to mean no fun.
410 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church City
2307A Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria (Del Ray)