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“Bakers are fighting to keep really good bread alive.”
-Max Blachman-Gentile

If carbo-loading is your favorite past-time, then pay close attention. This week, I’ve rounded up bread recommendations for you to try around New York City and beyond. First, Max the Head Baker from our recent Torst documentary shares his top bread picks around the world, selecting loaves that have informed and inspired his own in-house bread program. Next, a local list for people in the New York City area. These are bread selections that I return to again and again, not all of them are traditional loaves. However, I wanted to build a list that would be worth hunting down, taking you to different corners of the boroughs to enjoy high-quality, handcrafted bread from various cultures, that you can eat alone with your favorite spread or build into sandwiches. Just to be fair, I didn’t name any of Max’s creations on my list as my video story about his nano bread program says everything you need to know about how much I adore his craft.

11 Best Breads Around the World Not to Miss
via Max Blachman-Gentile, Head Baker, Torst

Spelt Loaf – Babette’s Artisan Breads (Denver)
Red White & Rye – The Mill (San Francisco)
Sourdough – Jane the Bakery (San Francisco)
Porridge Bread or Ancient Grain of the Day – Tartine (San Francisco)
Sesame Loaf – Bub and Grandma’s (Los Angeles)
Stockholm Loaf – E5 (London)
Peckham Rye – Brick House Bread (London)
Pain des Amis – Du Pain et des Idee (Paris)
Flax Seed Baguette – Forn du Pa Baluard (Barcelona)
Smoked Pumpkin Seed – Sandholt (Reykajvik)
Relæ Sourdough – Mirabelle (Copenhagen)

11 Best Breads In & Around NYC
via Liza deGuia, Chief Storyteller, Food. Curated.

House Sourdough Bread & Butter – Razza Pizza Artiginale (Jersey City)
Rustic Baguette – Silvermoon Bakery (Upper West Side)
Chardonnay Miche – Orwasher’s (Upper East Side)
French Baguette – Arcade Bakery (Tribeca)
Oland Wheat Bread – Restaurant Norman (Greenpoint/Brooklyn)
Fresh Pita w/Za’atar – Damascus Bread & Pastry (Brooklyn Heights)
Everything Bagel – Absolute Bagels (Upper West Side)
Bread Service – Mission Chinese Food (Chinatown)
Sake Kasu Challah w/Raisin Butter – Shalom Japan (Williamsburg/Brooklyn)
Gobi & Spinach Paratha, Specialty Roti – Tawa Food (Jackson Heights/Queens)
Georgian Khachapuri – Toné-Café Georgian Bread Bakery (Brighton Beach/Brooklyn)

Finally, I wanted to re-introduce a good buddy of mine who I featured on food. curated. over a year ago, Ron Arazi, the founder & chef of New York Shuk Harissa . Ron is one of my most bread obsessed friends, who also spends much of his spare time kneading dough and testing different flours and bread recipes in his home kitchen. He wanted the opportunity to share his love of bread in my round-up, so enjoy his picks below too:

11 Best Breads from Israel & Brooklyn
via Ron Arazi, founder/chef, New York Shuk

Mica Bread w/Grains – Saraghina Bakery (Brooklyn)
Sourdough Bread – BK17 Bakery (Brooklyn)
Fresh Pita – Victoria Bakery (Tel Aviv/Israel)
Stuffed Fried Bun – Fricasse (Ramle/Israel)
Georgian Bread – The Boucharian Bakery (Ramle/Israel)
Yemenite Pita – Tsanani Bakery (Gedera/Israel)
Burekas – Dilex Turkish Bakery (Tel Aviv/Israel)
Rye w/Nuts – Breads Bakery (Tel Aviv/Israel)
Challa & Focaccia – Bar Lehem (Tel Aviv/Israel)
Nelson Bread – Lahmanina (Tel Aviv/Israel)
Sourdough – Elchanan Bakery (Haifa/Israel)

If you have any opinions on these, or if you’d like to submit a few of your favorite loaves around the country, or in your area, please share your picks in our comments section below. I’d love to know about them and put them on my long-standing wish-list of places to visit. Thanks again for stopping by!

Eat more stories. Enjoy!