No Mac & Cheese Scones Here

On Sunday The Dulcinea and I wandered over to the Batch Bakehouse to check out what the folks behind Ian's Pizza had come up with. I had braced myself for mac & cheese baguettes and stir fry cookies and so I was pleasantly surprised to find none of the crap they use to ruin the good name of the pizza present at the bakehouse.



Instead there was a quartet of breads as well as cookies, scones, and other pastries. I was surprised by the paltry selection. There were a mere two wire shelves laden with the goods.





The gentleman behind the counter was friendly and a lovely young lady smiled from the back as I snapped pictures. We departed with our bounty which consisted of a small loaf of ciabatta (at least I think it was), a couple almond croissants, a cheddar croissant, a morning bun, and a vanilla swirl.

My cheese-laden pastry was devoured before we had made it home. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The cheese and the butter colluded to make one very tasty and very rich palate pleaser. Once back in our abode, we laid out the goods and sampled. The vanilla swirl is a bit like a morning bun but has a texture that leans slightly towards elephant tracks. Our morning bun was quite excellent because it wasn't drowning in some kind of frosting or glaze, a sin many bakeries commit. Thusly it wasn't cloyingly sweet. The D was especially pleased with the almond croissant and I thought they were good as well with a filing that reeked of almond extract.

On the savory side was my bread, which was about the size of a large soft pretzel. When I pulled it out of the bag, it was still slightly warm and the aroma of rosemary permeated my nose. In addition to the herb, there were also sun-dried tomatoes in it. It was soft and chewy – just delectable.

While I can certainly see myself heading over there on a weekend morning for some sweets, I was rather hoping that Batch would be a full-fledged bakehouse that could meet all of my bakery needs. From what I've read, I assume that their selection is biased towards what they can sell to restaurants. It would have been nice to be able to buy our weekly loaves of rye and whole wheat as well as things like hot dog buns within a short walk of my house but, alas, it was not to be. (I'll note that Nature's Bakery is also fairly close but that their rye is severely lacking.)

Despite my finding the selection wanting, what Batch Bakehouse does offer is quite tasty indeed.