Sourdough is a cult. But of all the cults, sourdough is the best one.
You probably already know a sourdough person; someone who keeps a weird jar of bubbling, growing starter on the countertop. It’s alive. Sometimes it’s a decades-old starter with roots in California. Sometimes it’s a homegrown one that evolved last week. Typically, it’s added to bread recipes, and it functions a lot like yeast, yielding a tender, chewy loaf with just a tangy hint that betrays its origins.
That said, Crust X Crumb seems to be putting the starter in everything. And it’s time to join its cult; the bakery will make you a sourdough believer too.
Crust X Crumb has been making the rounds at north-end farmers markets this season. And while the bakery’s fare includes handsome, fresh-baked classic rounds of sourdough bread, you’ll also find a host of baked goods where sourdough elements might be less expected.
Case in point, the Chocolate Chip Tahini Spelt Cookies. To be honest, the chocolate chips loomed largest, but all the other ingredients were on the radar. It was only in retrospect that we realized sourdough was in the mix too. Given the collection of unusual additions, you might expect something weird. Expectations met: it was weirdly good. It’s not quite like regular chocolate chip cookies, it’s softer. But its heavy, quality chocolate presence defines every blessed bite.
The cookies, though, are overshadowed by a particular Cardamom Orange Bun. While choosing something chocolate was compelling, this choice was more random, as cravings for cardamom are few and far between. That is, until this bun: Cardamom marries so nicely with orange, giving it just a touch of addictive mystique. The orange-y bits are enveloped in a tender swirled bread that embraces the fragrant orange accent with all of its being.
Of course, these goodies are just the tip of Crust X Crumb’s sourdough iceberg. The selection expands to include granola, waffles, brownies, baguettes and more variations than can be listed.
Find out more here: crustxcrumb.com.