Lo mejor de lo mejor
Fotografía de Sarah Banks, estilismo de Charli Ornett
Talentosos productores de carbohidratos en la Ladera Frontal están elaborando croissants coloridos, pan de masa madre de origen sustentable y bollos de queso. Aquí te ofrecemos un resumen numérico del panorama.
300: Acres de terrenos agrícolas regenerativos en Colorado respaldados por Dry Storage. En el molino de cereales de la compañía en Boulder, profesionales transforman en harina para negocios tandas de trigo ancestral cultivado sustentablemente y comprado a través de productores locales. Entre esos negocios se incluye la propia panadería de Dry Storage, Arapahoe Avenue, la cual produce baguettes de masa madre con una corteza gruesa en el estado y más allá.
40: Minutos que cada una de las amarillas barras de pan de cúrcuma se cocina en el horno móvil a leña de Funky Flame, en la esquina de W 44th Avenue y Zuni Street en Sunnyside. La propietaria-chef Allison Declercq Steiner sazona cada pieza con ajo asado y agrega una gruesa capa de semillas de ajonjolí para darle un acabado impresionante.
2,750: Libras de mantequilla francesa usadas para laminar los croissants que Hearth vendió durante la temporada de mercados de agricultores en 2022. En septiembre, el dueño y panadero principal Matt Quinlisk debutó una panadería y cafetería en Curtis Park, donde produce varias improvisaciones con la masa, incluido un arrolladito mezclado con chiles verdes y queso cheddar.
8 a.m.: Hora del día en que Babette’s Pizza & Pane en Longmont saca charolas de pizza bellamente ampollada (junto con un desfile de croissants de almendra, bollos daneses con fruta y otras delicias). Las pizzas estilo romano usan un pan de masa madre para producir una base liviana y crujiente con ingredientes como salchicha italiana, calabaza pequeña y polen de hinojo.
5: Variedades rayadas y coloridas de croissants rellenos disponibles en Black Box Bakery, una panadería con un diseño espacial en LoDo. Los colores de los panes, disponibles para entregarse a domicilio o en locales temporales, con frecuencia dan una pista de lo que hay adentro: el de fresa, por ejemplo, tiene capas de masa roja como indicación de su relleno de mermelada.
Una rebanada de cielo
Prepara tu propio pay de crema de coco con la ayuda de Shamane’s Bakery & Cafe.
Solo para el fin de semana del Día de Acción de Gracias, la tienda con 19 años de antigüedad en Boulder produce más de 1,000 bellezas redondas, con rellenos como el crujiente de manzana y caramelo, pacanas y otros rellenos dulces, al igual que galettes y variedades saladas. Las opciones llenas de crema, como con mousse de chocolate o con lima, son favoritos eternos, dice la repostera y dueña Shamane Simons, pero últimamente más clientes han estado gravitando hacia el pay de crema de coco. Usa su siguiente receta para preparar el tuyo.
Pay de crema de coco
Para dos pays de 9 pulgadas
2 tazas de leche 100 por ciento de coco
4 onzas de azúcar granulada
1.5 onzas de almidón de maíz
1 yema de huevo
1 huevo entero
1 onza de mantequilla (opcional)
2 masas de 9 pulgadas para pay*
1.5 tazas de crema batida fresca
3 cucharadas de azúcar glas/impalpable
½ cucharadita de vainilla
¾ de taza de coco rallado
Prepara el relleno:
- Mezcla la leche de coco, el azúcar y el almidón de maíz en una olla pequeña. Cocina los ingredientes a fuego lento o medio, mezclándolos con frecuencia, hasta que estén a punto de hervir.
- Mientras tanto, mezcla la yema de huevo y el huevo entero en un tazón mediano. Cuando la leche se espese ligeramente (alrededor de 10 a 15 minutos), vierte la mezcla lentamente en los huevos mientras sigues mezclándola hasta que se combinen los ingredientes. Regresa la combinación de leche y huevos a la olla.
- Mezcla la natilla a fuego medio hasta que empiece a burbujear y se espese (mézclala continuamente para asegurar que no se pegue al fondo de la olla).
- Cuela el relleno sobre un tazón ancho y poco profundo y agrégale la mantequilla, mezclándola. Cúbrelo con papel de repostería o film plástico y déjalo enfriar por 24 horas.
Forma los pays:
- Hornea las masas de cada pay. Déjalas enfriar.
- Mezcla la natilla de coco ligeramente hasta que quede pareja y llena las masas con la natilla hasta justo abajo del borde.
- Bate la crema fresca hasta que se formen picos suaves. Agrega el azúcar glas y la vainilla (también puedes usar la parte interior de media vaina de vainilla) y sigue batiendo hasta que se formen picos casi duros. Usa una manga pastelera para poner la crema encima de la natilla y espolvorea coco tostado. Deja que todo se enfríe durante mínimo dos horas antes de servir.
Hogar dulce hogar
En House of Bread, la familia Torosyan promueve la conexión mientras la gente disfruta bocadillos de Armenia y otras partes del mundo, incluido el yojik, un pastel relleno de natilla.
Cuando Jack y Mary Torosyan llegaron a vivir a California de Armenia en 1990, rápidamente conectaron con otros inmigrantes en panaderías de la costa oeste. Pero en 2009, cuando se mudaron con su familia a Colorado, encontraron una comunidad armenia menos establecida. Para llenar el vacío, abrieron su propio lugar para que la gente se reuniera. House of Bread, la única panadería armenia en la Ladera Frontal, es un espacio sencillo en un centro comercial al aire libre donde los Torosyan han estado preparando recetas de familia (café turco, pastelillos de la era soviética, almuerzos armenios) desde finales de 2020.
Traducción de Alejandra X. Castañeda
Pan del día
Una guía para disfrutar con cada comida la barra de pan tipo croissant de Poulette Bakeshop.
Los pasteleros profesionales Carolyn Nugent y Alen Ramos forman una pareja habilidosa. Por ejemplo: el matrimonio-equipo, propietarios de Poulette Bakeshop en operación desde hace un año en Parker, reúnen y guardan los restos de la masa hojaldrada europea enriquecida con mantequilla francesa. Luego hornean lo que en otra ocasión no se usaría para formar barras de pan, los cuales equivalen a 10 croissants cada una. Esta guía para cada comida asegurará que uses por completo estas maravillas esponjosas y hojaldradas antes que se pongan viejas.
Desayuno:
Corta el pan en rebanadas gruesas para preparar tostadas francesas (French toast, en inglés), un platillo que Nugent recomienda completar con manzanas acarameladas y pecanas tostadas; crème fraiche batida y mantequilla de calabaza o manzana; o, Nutella, avellanas tostadas y naranja cubiertas de azúcar. “Las rebanadas deben ser gruesas, alrededor de 1.5 pulgadas, para que absorban al máximo la natilla”, dice.
Almuerzo:
Trozos generosos son una excelente base para preparar un tartine: un sándwich abierto relleno con ingredientes dulces o salados, desde jamón, queso y salsa bechamel, hasta mantequilla de almendras y frutos frescos. Nugent dice: “Lo más fácil de hacer es pan tostado con aguacate”.
Cena:
Dora los cuadrados en el horno para hacer crutones y usarlos en ensaladas o transformarlos en la mejor guarnición durante la temporada de fiestas. “Lo que realmente sería extravagante”, Nugent dice, “sería hacer el relleno con un consomé realmente bueno, cebolla, apio y especias”.
Pie
Whip up a coconut cream pie with the help of Shamane’s Bakery & Cafe.
For Thanksgiving weekend alone, the 19-year-old Boulder store produces more than 1,000 crusted beauties—starring apple caramel crumble, pecan, and other sweet fillings—as well as galettes and savory varieties. Cream-laden options such as chocolate mousse and Key lime are perennial favorites, owner-baker Shamane Simons says, but lately, more customers have been gravitating toward the coconut cream. Use her recipe below to craft your own.
Coconut Cream Pie
Yields two 9-inch pies
2 cups 100 percent coconut milk
4 oz. granulated sugar
1½ oz. cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
1 oz. butter (optional)
29-inch pie crusts*
1½ cups fresh whipping cream
3 Tbs. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ cup toasted shredded coconut
To make the custard:
- Whisk the custard over medium heat until bubbly and thickened (stir continuously to ensure it doesn’t cook onto the bottom of the pan).
- Strain the filling over a wide, shallow bowl and whisk in butter. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill for 24 hours.
To assemble the pies:
- Bake the pie crusts. Let cool.
- Whisk the coconut custard slightly until smooth and fill the pie shells to just under the rim.
- Whip the fresh cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla (you can also use the innards of half a vanilla bean) and continue whipping until nearly stiff peaks form. Pipe cream on top of the custard and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Let everything chill for at least two hours before serving.
Bonus: Simon’s Sweet Pie Crust
Yields two pie crusts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
4–6 oz. room temperature butter
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
- In a mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and mix until slightly combined. Add eggs and mix until a dough forms. Wrap and chill for at least three hours.
- Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork or docker to prevent air bubbles (Simons recommends docking diagonal lines to make a flower pattern in the pan). Bake at 350 until deep golden brown. Cool.
Pasaporte pastelero
No necesitas comprar un pasaje de avión para saborear tartaletas de huevo estilo Hong Kong, cannoli de Sicilia o pan dulce mexicano. Encuéntralos, y otros pastelillos típicos de otras partes del mundo, en nueve panaderías que ofrecen un verdadero sentido del entorno en el área de Denver.
Francia
En Parker, el propietario-chef de La Baguette de Normandy Michael Dupont crea especialidades francesas de su país natal. El Paris-Brest, nombrado por la carrera de bicicletas de larga distancia con 131 años de antigüedad entre esas dos ciudades, es una delicia en forma de rueda hecha con dos capas de masa de hojaldre pâte à choux con un centro de crème praline mousseline batida (natilla de mantequilla a la vainilla mezclada con pasta de praliné).
Estados Unidos
Con una verdadera mezcla de culturas, Thoa Nguyen combina ingredientes de fusión asiática con técnicas francesas y estadounidenses en Bánh & Butter Bakery Café en Aurora. Para hacer su pastelillo ube, Nguyen agrega jarabe simple y papa dulce morada en forma de extracto y polvo a una mezcla de pastel de mantequilla, y luego crea cada una de las bases húmedas, esponjosas y sabrosas con una crema chantilly de color lavanda.
Turquía
Entradas, platos fuertes y postres con influencias del Medio Oriente y del Mediterráneo, como el baklava remojado en miel, por mucho tiempo han atraído a los comensales al casual y rápido Jerusalem Restaurant en el vecindario de la Universidad de Denver. Termina tu comida con un nido de pájaro, cuyos pistachos tostados se anidan en un aro de masa hojaldrada glaseada con mantequilla y un jarabe simple de limón.
China
Adentro de la diminuta y sencilla Celestial Bakery en el Far East Center sobre South Federal Boulevard, el mostrador está lleno de delicias chinas, incluidas las supercrujientes jian dui (bolas de ajonjolí) y las doradas youtiao (tiras de masa frita). No dejes de probar las tartaletas de huevo: charcos de delicada natilla amarilla en una cuna creada por minicaparazones de masa hojaldrada y presentados en envolturas para pastelillos.
México
Desde el mercado con una fachada naranja de la Panadería Contreras en el corazón de Westwood, los panaderos preparan exquisiteces mexicanas de toda forma y tamaño. Aunque los pasteles de tres leches y churros están fácilmente disponibles, una vitrina llena de pan dulce ofrece opciones de autoservicio para todos los gustos. Consiéntete con una concha de color pastel: este pan estilo brioche está adornado para parecerse a una concha de mar y bañado con un polvo de galleta.
Italia
Pasa a visitar Gallo Italian Supper Club and Bakery en la calle South Broadway en Englewood para disfrutar de algunos de los mejores cannoli en Denver, diseñados por las manos maestras de Gaspare Licata, el panadero y copropietario nacido en Sicilia. Los tubos de la crujiente masa de hojaldre frita se rellenan con una mezcla de ricota cremosa y están disponibles en versiones como la clásica de vainilla, chocolate y verde pistacho.
Etiopía
HiRa Café & Patisserie en Aurora es una carta de amor a las cafeterías de Addis Ababa, la capital de Etiopía, donde el propietario-chef Hiwot Solomon aprendió sobre la tradición poscolonial del pastel rebanado con café. Disfruta de una taza de café etíope de un solo origen con un pedazo del pastel Black Forest, cuyas delgadas capas de chocolate esponjoso se rellenan con una crema batida al licor de cereza y se decoran con delicados rizos de chocolate rallado.
Argentina
Maria Empanada, con locales en Highland, Platt Park y Stanley Marketplace en Aurora, hace empanadas rollizas para cada comida del día. La mayoría de sus creaciones son saladas, pero la dulce Banatella—rellena con una mezcla de Nutella, plátano y chocolate—es maravillosa acompañada de una taza de yerba mate, un té herbáceo popular en Sudamérica.
Vietnam
En 1980, la familia Huynh transformó la atmósfera sandwichera en la “Ciudad a una milla de altura” con el debut del bánh mì en la popular Vinh Xuong Bakery, la cual ahora tiene sucursales en el Far East Center y en West Alameda Avenue en Valverde. Los restaurantes también ofrecen una variedad de postres vietnamitas como el bánh da lợn, un pastel al vapor deliciosamente pegajoso compuesto de capas amarillas y verdes con almidón de tapioca, leche de coco, pandán (o pandano) y pasta de frijol mungo.
Connecticut
Neil’s Donuts, Wallingford
Residents of Wallingford love Neil’s Donuts and their wide range of options. In addition to the dozens of filled doughnuts, crullers and coffee rolls, Neil’s also offers breakfast sandwiches, muffins, Danishes, rolls and other pastries. If you don’t have time to make it out to Connecticut, make this heavenly cheese Danish recipe.
Florida
La Segunda, Ybor City
One of the oldest bakeries on our list is La Segunda, currently in its 104th year. The bakery was founded by a Spanish soldier who discovered delicious local breads while stationed in Cuba. He brought the recipes with him to Ybor City and it is still family-run today. Must-tries include the Media Noche bread, tres leches cake and Cuban sandwiches.
Georgia
Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe, Multiple Locations
There are some truly stunning treats at Sweet Hut! The Asian boutique bakery and cafe offers baked goods and snacks including Swiss rolls, hokkaido cupcakes and matcha cookies. If you’re looking for something on the savory side, try their bulgogi cheesesteak or curry chicken bun.
Hawaii
Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop, Lahaina
This casual bakery and restaurant has everything: sandwiches, burgers and all kinds of pies. Some of the tasty offerings at Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop include savory mushroom hand pies, turkey pot pie and sweet pies, of course! We’re dying to try the pineapple macadamia nut, Olowalu lime and rich cream pies.
Idaho
Flight of Fancy Bakery, Donnelly
Illinois
Weber’s Bakery, Chicago
Whether it was for a birthday, christening, graduation or anniversary, just about everyone who’s grown up in Chicagoland had a cake from Weber’s at some point. The bakery has been a staple since it opened in 1930 and serves up irresistible kolacky, cake doughnuts, coffee cake, a banana split torte and much more. Check out our best recipes from Illinois, including beef sandwiches, giardiniera and pizza.
Indiana
Marilyn’s Bakery, Hobart
This family-run bakery has been open since 1986 and makes about 70,000 pies a year! Fans of Marilyn’s Bakery love the friendly staff and inviting bakery. And they really rave about the pies, like the sweet-tart Key lime pie. They still use the pie recipes created by their grandmother Marilyn, who started it all. Here are grandma’s favorite pie recipes.
Iowa
Deluxe Cakes & Pastries, Iowa City
The owner of Deluxe Cakes & Pastries takes her bakery business very seriously. Already a popular spot for wedding cakes and sweets, owner Jamie Powers expanded to offer lunch and Sunday brunch. She also trained for a week in Washington, D.C., with master bread makers and now bakes artisan baguettes fresh daily for scrumptious French sandwiches.
Kansas
Augustine’s Bakery, Hays
We heard about Augustine’s Bakery from Hays resident Allison Ochoa, who loves the cinnamon rolls and scones. Bakery staffers offer breakfast and lunch, and create customer cakes as well. Most intriguing are the delicious German specialties on the menu like kuchen, spitzbuben and savory bierocks. Cook up these traditional German recipes at home.
Bagels
Upgrade your slice-and-schmear routine with these crave-worthy versions, courtesy of Mile High City bakers who are elevating and embellishing the breakfast standby.
Jewish Bagel
At 37-year-old Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, a haunt off South Holly Street for latkes, blintzes, and challah French toast, co-owners Beth Ginsberg and Joel and Max Appel (who recently bought the business from founder Gerard Rudofsky) offer traditional Jewish bagels in eight flavors, including onion and pumpernickel. Every day, up to 300 of the circular indulgences are shaped, boiled, and baked to yield the style’s signature thick crust and dense texture. Order the lox melt—which features cream cheese, lox, onion, tomato, capers, and melted pepper jack cheese—on your favored variety.
Turkish Simit
Marla Celik’s three-year-old Istanbul Café & Bakery is a Washington Virginia Vale staple for specialties such as Turkish baklava and coffee. But Celik also makes three types of bagels from her homeland, including the simit, a take that’s lighter than its New York–style counterparts. The hand-size rings are composed of two strands of twisted dough and baked to golden brown for a crispy exterior with a toothsome center; sides of soft feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives make for a perfect savory counterbalance.
A comer pastelillos, se ha dicho
5280: ¿Cuál es el proceso creativo detrás de tus bocadillos con nombres divertidos?
Angelia Han: Me gusta tomar sabores nostálgicos de mis bocadillos de la infancia y cosas como esas y recrearlos con un estilo más asiático. Uno de mis sabores favoritos, Cookiesz N Bae, es ube con ajonjolí negro y Oreo, así que es como mi propia versión asiática de las galletas con crema.
¿Qué hace que NYMC sea diferente?
Si vas a un supermercado o a una panadería estadounidense, los dulces son muy dulces porque son postres occidentales, y por eso quería ofrecer una alternativa. A mis clientes que nunca antes han probado nuestros pastelillos les digo que no serán para nada tan dulces como otro pastelillo que hayan probado antes.
¿Por qué sigues horneando?
Creo que mis pastelillos ayudarán a reducir obstáculos y facilitarán las conexiones en la mesa porque la marca y todo en ella es intercultural. Mis reacciones favoritas de las personas que prueban nuestros pastelillos son: “Oh, también tenemos eso en nuestra cultura.” O, “Esto es algo que comía en mi casa o en mi infancia”.
Louisiana
Julie Anne’s Bakery & Cafe, Shreveport
The baking begins before dawn, drawing customers in with the scent of fresh breads, pies, custom cakes and sweets. Julie Anne’s Bakery & Cafe also has a full lunch menu with hot and cold sandwiches, and a Balkan dish called cevapcici. One of the owner’s favorite dishes while she lived in Sarajevo, it’s homemade sausage served on flatbread with onions and a sour cream sauce. They have 27 varieties of king cake for Mardi Gras, too. Take a look at our list of king cake recipes.
Massachusetts
Chmura’s Bakery, Indian Orchard
A bakery with a rich history, Chmura’s Bakery has been serving its community since 1902. It started as a Polish bakery, and with a change of ownership in the ’80s began offering Portuguese baked goods as well. Find a wide variety of goods there, like the best seeded rye bread, ciabatta, fruit squares, babka studded with raisins and pastel de nata, a Portuguese pastry you definitely have to try
Michigan
Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Ann Arbor
Minnesota
Isles Bun & Coffee Shop, Minneapolis
You may find a line out the door, but trust us—it’s worth the wait! Isles Bun & Coffee has been part of this Uptown neighborhood for over 25 years, and it’s a favorite gathering spot for coffee and outrageously good pastry. The best-seller might be Puppy Dog Tails: sweet dough twisted with cinnamon and sugar, topped with a lemony frosting.
Mississippi
Le Bakery, Biloxi
After Hurricane Katrina devastated the town of Biloxi, Le Bakery was one of the first businesses to reopen—and helped hold together the fragile community. It is a French-Vietnamese bakery and family-run since 2002. There are plenty of sweet pastries and cakes here, but also savory favorites like banh mi sandwiches, known locally as Vietnamese po’boys.
Missouri
Missouri Baking Company, St. Louis
Located in the Italian neighborhood known as The Hill, Missouri Baking Company was established in 1924 by the Gambaro brothers. It is still family-run today, making traditional Italian cookies, several varieties of butter cakes and desserts like tiramisu. Capture the taste of St. Louis butter cake in these gooey butter cookies.
Montana
Black Cat Bake Shop, Missoula
Jack and Christy Wich started Black Cat Bake Shop in their basement, selling their breads at local farmers markets and enticing the neighbors with all the delicious aromas wafting from their home. Now Black Cat has a storefront—head over to get flaky croissants, bear claws, strudels, macarons and quiches. You can make macarons at home—we’ll show you how.
Nebraska
Rabbit Hole Bakery, Lincoln
Perhaps the most whimsical place on the list is the Rabbit Hole Bakery. True to the name, the bakery is decked out Alice in Wonderland-style. It opened in 2016 and favorite bites there include Lemon Meringue Tarts and Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake. It’s great for special occasion cakes or to stop for tea and sweets. It might even inspire you to host your own fanciful tea party!
Nevada
German Bread Bakery, Las Vegas
New Hampshire
Polish Princess, Lancaster
New Jersey
L & M Bakery, Delran
This bakery has been in operation for 55 years, meaning generations of New Jersey families have enjoyed L & M Bakery cakes at weddings, birthday parties and celebrations. They still make great custom cakes layered with a famous buttercream frosting. Their fans also rave about the doughnuts, cupcakes, pastries and stunning babkas. Here’s how to make a chocolate babka.
New Mexico
Golden Crown Panaderia, Albuquerque
We heard a lot about this bakery from R.D. Stendel-Freels of Albuquerque, especially about their green chile bread. There is so much to try at the Golden Crown Panaderia: They’re known for authentic breads and cookies of Mexico and the Southwest. Their empanadas come in surprising varieties like pumpkin and cherry. And they make a Thanksgiving turkey bread sculpture!
New York
Noble Pies, Warwick
If I saw a sign that said “Turn Back for Pie,” I know I’d hit the brakes and swing that car around! Well, that’s how Noble Pies began when Leslie Noble sold them roadside with her kids. Now she has a sweet pie shop, and people still turn back for her delicious pies (like Butterscotch Cream!) made from her grandmother’s recipes. Check out these classic recipes from our readers’ great-grandmas.
North Carolina
Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies, Mount Airy
Find this pink shop for fresh pies filled with fruit from the owners’ own U-pick orchard. Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies is famous for their Moonshine pies, and Alex Barnett of Forest, Virginia says they also make a wonderful peach crumble pie. There are other treats too, like brownies, muffins, cakes and ice cream.
North Dakota
Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe, Fargo
Billing itself as the only French cafe in Fargo, Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe offers beautiful sweets and breads. Head chef Nichole Hensen grew up on a farm before attending the Culinary Institute of America. Her hand-crafted creations include chocolate caramel tarts, cheesecakes, eclairs and savory quiches. Definitely a taste of Paris! Or, try your hand at making these French-inspired recipes.
Ohio
Presti’s Bakery, Cleveland
This is a true Italian bakery that’s been open in Cleveland since 1903. Cleveland natives remember their parents bringing them to Presti’s Bakery to choose a freshly made cannoli from the case. Find great Italian bread here, along with many other pastries and sweets—like pine nut-studded pignoli cookies and cassata cake made with a citrus-ricotta filling.
Oklahoma
Ingrid’s Kitchen, Oklahoma City
Oregon
Depoe Baykery, Depoe Bay
Enjoy the beautiful views of the Oregon coast as you devour the baked goodies from Depoe Baykery. Owner Ray Degele has 25+ years of baking experience and even spent some time selling doughnuts door-to-door! There is a huge array of treats here: cookies, breads, quiches and baked goods made with the Oregon favorite, marionberries.
Pennsylvania
Flying Monkey Bakery, Philadelphia
A favorite stop in the Reading Terminal Market, Flying Monkey Bakery is a great spot to grab a sweet treat on the run. One in particular that they’re known for all kinds of whoopie pies, which are handheld cake sandwiches with a creamy filling. Here, they come in wild flavors like lemon-lavender, Fluffernutter and Mango Passion. Here are our best whoopie pie recipes.
Rhode Island
Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery, North Smithfield
Farm wife Claire Boudreault made her delicious baked goods using milk at Wright’s Dairy Farm, and they proved so popular that the family added a bakery to the business. Today you can still find “Claire’s Classics” and dozens of other hand-crafted bakery treats. I can personally attest to the scrumptiousness of the eclairs and the zingy limoncello cake! You can tour Wright’s Dairy Farm & Bakery and other family farms, too.
South Carolina
Benjamin’s Bakery & Cafe, Surfside Beach
When you’re heading to work or heading to the beach, this is the place to stop. Benjamin’s Bakery & Cafe has been baking fresh bagels, breads, muffins, sweets and pretzels for 25 years on the Grand Strand. Those fresh breads and bagels are used for tasty breakfast sandwiches and lunches. Start your day off with one of these quick breakfast sandwich recipes.
South Dakota
Tyndall Bakery, Tyndall
This local bakery has been open in Tyndall for over 100 years. Though the ownership at Tyndall Bakery has changed a few times, the original recipes have been carefully passed on and are still made today. Some of the favorite items there are Czech pastries like kolache and kuchen, and there are plenty of rolls, doughnuts and fritters to be enjoyed as well. You’ll love these homemade old-world Bohemian recipes.
Tennessee
Muddy’s Bake Shop, Memphis
“Life is short, enjoy the cupcake.” That’s one of the mottos of Muddy’s Bake Shop, opened in 2008. Memphians embraced the shop and the business has grown to two locations plus a studio. We love the playfulness of the staff, decor and the sweet treats, too. Check the daily specials for creations like the Frankly Scarlett (red velvet) Cupcake and the Coco Chanel (chocolate chess) Pie. Memphis inspires great music and great food.
Texas
Mi Tierra Café y Panadería, San Antonio
Step into Mi Tierra Café y Panadería and be dazzled by the radiant color and the pinatas, papel picados banners and lights hung everywhere. Then go to the bakery case and be dazzled by all the Mexican dulces you find there: cinnamon bread with fruit filling, sweet breads topped with sugar, empanadas and churros to name only a few.
Utah
Parson’s Bakery, Bountiful
The owner of Parson’s Bakery learned everything he knows from his father, who began the bakery in 1945. His father gathered many of the popular recipes from friends and neighbors, and they’re still used today. Pies and breads (like these Parker house rolls) were popular then and still are, along with cookies, pastries and beautiful party cakes.
Vermont
Mirabelles Bakery, South Burlington
Stop by this cozy, chef-owned bakery just off US Route 2 for some truly amazing pastries. Mirabelles offers a wide range of baked goods, cakes, macarons, plus seasonal and daily specials. In addition to more savory breakfast and lunch options, Mirabelles also has take-and-bake croissants, pie crust, pot pies, and family dinners so you can always have a special treat on hand. Check out these other easy freezer meals.
Virginia
Paul’s Bakery, Fredericksburg
This Fredericksburg bakery celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. Paul’s Bakery was opened by Paul Glancy and is now run by his son, with other family members helping out, too. Doughnuts have become a favorite treat at Paul’s, but they have lots of homemade goodies like pumpkin bread, coffee cakes, napoleons and cream horns. Browse our favorite pumpkin bread recipes.
Washington
Sluys Poulsbo Bakery, Poulsbo
This nomination for best bakery came from Elizabeth Bramkamp of Gig Harbor, Washington, and we agree. Sluys Poulsbo Bakery has been family-run since the early 1960s, making all of their breads and pastries in small batches by hand. Their intriguing breads include Norwegian Black and Cardamom Orange. They also hold a doughnut-eating contest—the doughnut dubbed “King Olaf” weighs three pounds!
West Virginia
Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery, Shepherdstown
Back in 1982 when this shop first opened, it was focused on artisan breads. Over the years, Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery expanded the menu to include more bakery staples. Their menu today includes muffins, pastries, cookies, hand pies and a classic West Virginia recipe: pepperoni rolls.
Wisconsin
Bittner’s Bakery, Lake Geneva
Bonnie Hawkins of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, says that Bittner’s Bakery has fresh butter delivered DAILY. That’s some serious baking, and they’ve been doing it since 1946! They make gorgeous cakes at Bittner’s and it’s also a great place to stop for Chocolate Drop Cookies, kolaches, cupcakes and paczki, fruit-filled doughnuts.
Wyoming
The Bunnery Bakery & Restaurant, Jackson Hole
What began as a small operation in 1975 has become a favorite local restaurant. The Bunnery Bakery keeps its quality baked goods at center of everything they do, especially with wholesome breakfast items to fuel customers on their way to work or to hit the slopes. Customers love the sticky buns, croissant breakfast sandwiches and Danish. Next: Find the best doughnut shop in all 50 states.
Cupcakes
5280: What’s the creative process behind your playfully named treats?
Angelia Han: I like to take nostalgic flavors from childhood snacks and things like that and re-create them with more Asian flair. One of my top flavors, Cookiesz N Bae, is ube with black sesame and Oreo, so it’s like my take on an Asian cookies and cream.
How do you keep them so moist?
We actually freeze our cupcakes immediately after we bake and decorate them so that they retain the moisture. Our frosting is made with a whipped cream base instead of a buttercream.
What makes NYMC stand out?
If you go to the grocery store or an American bakery, the sweets are very sweet because they’re Western desserts—so I wanted to offer an alternative. I let customers who have never tried our cupcakes know that they’re not going to be anywhere near as sweet as any cupcake they’ve had.
Why do you keep baking?
I believe my cupcakes will help bridge barriers and facilitate connections at the table because the brand and everything within it is cross-cultural. My favorite reactions from people who try our cupcakes are: Oh, we have that in our culture, too. Or, This is something I had back home or when I was a kid.
Los mejores de su tipo
Los skoleboller (traducción: bollos escolares) rellenos con crema de Ana Fanakra son un bocadillo típico de Noruega para quienes aman el pan dulce a cualquier edad.
Ana Fanakra, nacida en Noruega, proviene de una larga lista de reposteros: su madre y sus abuelas fueron pasando sus recetas entre una generación y otra, y su padre se despertaba temprano todas las mañanas para hacer rollos de canela. Pero no fue hasta que perdió su trabajo en recursos humanos durante la pandemia que la experiencia haciendo bocadillos de su familia se convirtió en el elemento esencial de la panadería de Ana, Norwegian Bakeri, en Centennial.
Ubicada entre dos talleres mecánicos, el cartel adornado con un duende de la panadería es el único indicio de lo que encontrarás adentro: un local brillantemente iluminado con adornos verdes azulados, amueblado con banderas noruegas y mostradores llenos de tentadores bocadillos. Los rollos de canela del padre de Fanakra, con cuatro pulgadas de ancho, son esenciales, pero los skoleboller—un nombre que hace referencia a la frecuencia con la que se incluyen en los almuerzos escolares—es lo que nos hace regresar una y otra vez.
“Las personas los preparan en sus hogares para celebraciones”, dice Fanakra, quien inmigró a Estados Unidos para ir a la universidad en 1999. El pan ligeramente dulce con una chispa de cardamomo es “oh, tan suave” y tiene un hueco en el centro relleno con una crema amarilla sabor vainilla. Una cubierta de glaseado con hojuelas de coco agrega un aroma tropical y algo crujiente. “El bocado perfecto es una mezcla de todo eso”, dice, una hazaña más fácil de lograr al arrancar un poco del bollo externo para usar como cuchara y sacar el delicioso relleno cremoso.
Croissants & More
Talented carb-slingers on the Front Range are churning out colorful croissants, sustainably sourced sourdough, and cheesy rolls. Here, a by-the-numbers snapshot of the scene.
300: Acres of regenerative farmland in Colorado supported by Dry Storage. At the company’s grain mill in Boulder, pros transform batches of sustainably grown heirloom wheat purchased from local growers into flour for businesses—including Dry Storage’s own Arapahoe Avenue bakery, which produces thick-crusted sourdough baguettes—in the state and beyond.
5: Brightly striped varieties of filled croissants available from space-themed Black Box Bakery in LoDo. The colors of the pastries, available for delivery and at pop-ups, are often a clue to what’s inside: The strawberry, for instance, is streaked with layers of red dough that hint at its jammy center.
40: Minutes each yellow-tinted turmeric loaf spends cooking in the Funky Flame’s mobile, wood-fired oven at the corner of 44th Avenue and Zuni Street in Sunnyside. Chef-owner Allison Declercq Steiner seasons each boule with roasted garlic and adds a thick coating of black sesame seeds for a dramatic finish.
2,750: Pounds of French butter used to laminate the croissants Hearth sold during the 2022 farmers’ market season. In September, owner and head baker Matt Quinlisk debuted a bakery and coffeeshop in Curtis Park, where he makes multiple riffs on the pastry, including a spiral-shaped pinwheel laced with green chiles and cheddar cheese.
8 a.m.: Time of day Babette’s Pizza & Pane in Longmont puts out sheet pans of gorgeously blistered pizza (along with a parade of almond croissants, fruit Danishes, and other goodies). The Roman-style pies use a sourdough crust to yield an airy, crispy-bottomed base for toppings such as sausage, acorn squash, and fennel pollen.
$15: tour of Rebel Bread, Zach Martinucci’s bakery and bread school on South Broadway. During the events, guests get a peek at the production facility—where more than , including rectangles of olive rosemary ciabtta, are baked annually for area restaurants, including Whittier’s Point Easy and Stoic and Genuine, and retail sale—and leave with their own sourdough starter.
Un proyecto de amor
Matt Dulin está enamorado del cheesecake, y después de probar su versión vasca en GetRight’s tú también quedarás enamorado.
El secreto de los cheesecakes vascos de Dulin, con el usual queso crema, huevos, azúcar, harina, sal y crema para batir, es que los saca del horno unos minutos antes, cuando el centro todavía está blando. (Dejarlos en el horno por más tiempo resulta en una textura más granular, estilo Nueva York.) “Esto asegura un interior muy cremoso, exquisito y natilloso”, dice. Pasa a buscar el tuyo a GetRight’s, donde Dulin también tendrá otros pastelillos dignos de una canción de amor, como pain au chocolat, canelé de Bordeaux (pastel de natilla con ron) y tartaletas de cítricos.
Bagels renovadas
Mejora tu rutina de rebanar y untar con estas versiones dignas de un antojo, cortesía de panaderos en Denver que están elevando y embelleciendo este elemento tradicional para desayunar.
Bagel judía
Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, en funcionamiento desde hace 37 años, es un lugar favorito en South Holly Street para disfrutar de latkes, blintzes y tostadas francesas (French toast, en inglés) con pan estilo challah. El dueño, Gerard Rudofsky, ofrece bagels tradicionales judías en ocho sabores, incluidas con cebolla y pan de centeno. Todos los días, hasta 300 de las exquisiteces circulares se forman, hierven y hornean para crear la típica corteza gruesa y la densa textura del estilo. Pide el derretido lox, el cual incluye queso crema, cebolla, tomate, alcaparras y queso pepper jack derretido, en tu variedad favorita de bagel.
Simit turco
Istanbul Bakery & Café, con tres años de antigüedad y propiedad de Marla y Soner Celik, es un lugar esencial en Washington Virginia Vale para comprar especialidades como baklava y café turco. Pero los Celik también preparan tres tipos de bagels de su país natal, incluido el simit, una versión más ligera que su equivalente estilo Nueva York. Los aros del tamaño de una mano están compuestos de dos hebras de masa torcida y horneada hasta tomar un color marrón dorado para ofrecer un exterior crujiente con un centro al dente; acompañamientos de queso feta suave, tomates, pepinos y aceitunas ofrecen un perfecto balance salado.
Cookies
5280 December 2022
More From The Issue
Classics
The Dirty Islander
Last April, Isla and Alexander Thomas started selling New York–style cookies (inspired by Isla’s stint as a college student in the Big Apple) at local farmers’ markets and online. Chocolate-chip devotees shouldn’t miss the Mum, I’m Preggo—an oversize, cakelike monstrosity studded with gooey chunks of European chocolateAs part of its zero-waste mission, the bakery donates all leftovers to people experiencing homelessness
Stroopwafels
Colorado Stroopwafels
Online
When Yolande Schmitz moved from Amsterdam to the Front Range in 2018, she missed the fresh-made, syrup-filled waffle cookies synonymous with the Netherlands. To satiate her cravings, she baked her own. Schmitz’s crisp, delicate exterior layers are made with mostly local ingredients and give way to a caramelly molasses interior. Hot tip: Warm the treats by resting them atop a cup of coffee.
Lunettes
Victory Love & Cookies
West Highland
Kristy Greenwood Bortz found purpose in baking after being diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and now crafts decadent cookies out of the kitchen at Denver Bread Company (which she owns with her husband, Greg Bortz). Her melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies are seasonally inspired, and creations include lavender-cherry and thyme-, lemon-, and black-pepper-infused bites.
Biscotti
Dolce Sicilia Italian Bakery
The menu at this-year-old pastry palace includes espresso-kissed tiramisu, tricolor rainbow cookies, and pistachio-encrusted cannoli. But don’t miss the more than half-dozen flavors of biscotti, including chocolate and hazelnut, gingerbread, and our go-to, cinnamon almond. The sturdy, ready-to-dunk biscuits are studded with nuts and scented with warm baking spices
Tea Cookies
Gateaux Bakery
Golden Triangle
At Gateaux—which has stocked its cases with fondant-shrouded cakes, glossy fruit tarts, and other beautifully decorated goodies since 1999—tea cookies are a canvas for the changing seasons. For Christmas and Hanukkah, look for Santas, trees, and dreidels, all of which come dressed in the bakery’s hand-piped secret-recipe icing.
Iced Cranberry & Oat Cookies
The Urban Cookie
Cheesman Park
Baker Denon Moore’s dried-fruit-bejeweled, frosting-drizzled wonders are so popular they earned her Cake Crumbs Bakery an appearance on a holiday episode of the Today Show in 2015. Although Moore sold that Park Hill eatery in 2017, she added the crowd-pleaser to her lineup at nearly two-year-old Urban Cookie, where she now sells a variety of big, chewy beauties influenced by nostalgic flavors.
Make It at Home
Urban Cookie’s Oat and Cranberry Recipe
Yields about 24, one-ounce cookies
1¼ cup all-purpose flour (bleached or unbleached)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup dried cranberries (sweetened or natural)
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. Saigon cinnamon
½ cup softened butter ( room temp)
2/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
¾ cup pure cane cugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
- Preheat a convection oven to 325˚ or a conventional oven to 350˚.
- Combine the flour, oats, cranberries, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and mix again until fully incorporated and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla. Slowly add the flour/oats mixture until just incorporated (be sure not to over mix).
- Scoop the cookies with a one-ounce scoop/melon baller or tablespoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer until set (a couple hours) or for up to three months.
- When you’re ready to bake them, place the frozen cookies far enough apart from each other so there’s room for them to double in size (12 per sheet is best). Bake for eight to 12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Cool on the cookie sheet for several minutes after removing them from the oven.
- Drizzle with your favorite vanilla buttercream or royal icing (or don’t—they are perfectly delicious without).
Pastries
You don’t have to book a flight to savor Hong Kong–style egg tarts, Sicilian cannoli, or Mexican sweet breads. Find them—and other staples from across the world—at nine Denver-area bakeries offering true senses of place.
France
In Parker, La Baguette de Normandy chef-owner Michael Dupont crafts French specialties from his home country. The Paris-Brest, named for the 131-year-old long-distance bicycle race between those two cities, is a wheel-shaped indulgence made of two layers of pâte à choux pastry dough sandwiched around a whipped praline crème mousseline (vanilla buttercream mixed with praline paste).
United States
In true melting pot fashion, Thoa Nguyen combines Asian fusion ingredients with French and American techniques at Bánh & Butter Bakery Café in Aurora. To make her ube cupcake, Nguyen adds simple syrup and purple yam in extract and powder form to a pound cake batter and then crests each moist, deeply flavorful base with lavender-hued chantilly cream.
Turkey
Middle Eastern– and Mediterranean-influenced appetizers, entrées, and desserts—like honey-soaked baklava—have long drawn diners to fast-casual Jerusalem Restaurant in the University neighborhood. Finish your meal with a pistachio bird’s nest, whose toasted nuts are nestled in a ring of phyllo dough that’s glazed with butter and lemon simple syrup.
China
Inside tiny, no-frills Celestial Bakery in South Federal Boulevard’s Far East Center, the counter is loaded with Chinese goodies, including shatteringly crisp jian dui (sesame balls) and golden youtiao (fried dough strips). Don’t miss the egg tarts: puddles of smooth, sun-colored custard cradled by mini puff pastry shells and presented in cupcake wrappers.
Mexico
From Panaderia Contreras’ orange-fronted mercado in the heart of Westwood, bakers prepare Mexican delicacies of all shapes and sizes. Although tres leches cakes and churros are readily available, a self-serve glass case of pan dulce offers treats for all palates. Indulge in a pastel-hued concha: The briochelike bread is patterned to resemble a seashell and showered with a cookie crumble.
Italy
Stop into Englewood’s Gallo Italian Supper Club and Bakery on South Broadway for some of Denver’s best cannoli, shaped by the masterful hands of Sicilian-born baker and co-owner Gaspare Licata. The tubes of crisp fried pastry dough are piped with a combination of creamy ricotta and come in versions such as classic vanilla, chocolate, and green-tinted pistachio.
Ethiopia
Aurora’s HiRa Cafe & Patisserie is a love letter to the cafes of Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, where chef-owner Hiwot Solomon learned about the postcolonial tradition of sliced cake with coffee. Enjoy a mug of single-origin Ethiopian java with a square of the Black Forest, whose thin sheets of chocolate sponge are layered with cherry-liqueur-infused whipped cream and decorated with delicate curls of shaved chocolate.
Argentina
Maria Empanada, which has locations in Highland, Platt Park, and Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, makes plump turnovers for every meal of the day. Most of the pastries are savory, but the sweet Banatella—packed with a medley of Nutella, bananas, and chocolate—is wonderful accompanied by a cup of the restaurant’s yerba mate, an herbaceous tea popular in South America.
Saborea sabiamente
Ya sea que prefieras tus galletas grandes y suaves o crujientes y glaseadas, las siguientes versiones son deliciosas hasta la última migaja.
Colorado Stroopwafels
En línea
Cuando Yolande Schmitz se mudó de Ámsterdam a la Ladera Frontal en 2018, extrañaba las galletas frescas estilo waffle rellenas de caramelo que todos asocian con Holanda. Para saciar su antojo, empezó a hacerlas ella misma. Las capas externas crujientes y finas que Schmitz hornea están hechas principalmente con ingredientes locales y sirven como envase para un relleno acaramelado de molasas. Consejo esencial: calienta los bocadillos poniéndolos encima de una taza de café.
Trompeau Bakery
Englewood
Trompeau ha estado deleitando a la gente de Denver con goûters franceses tradicionales (bocadillos para disfrutar por la tarde) durante más de 20 años. Entre las opciones reconfortantes de baguettes y brioches, las lunettes—dos galletas de mantequilla divididas por una capa de mermelada de frambuesa—son un lujo adorado. Con un nombre que significa “anteojos”, cada lunette tiene dos cortes en forma de flor para que los comensales puedan echar un vistazo a su interior.
Galletas glaseadas de arándano y avena
The Urban Cookie
Cheesman Park
Estas delicias adornadas con frutos secos y azúcar glas de la repostera Denon Moore son tan populares que resultaron en que su negocio, Cake Crumbs Bakery, apareciera en un episodio del Today Show durante la época navideña en 2015. Aunque Moore vendió ese negocio de Park Hill en 2017, agregó las populares delicias a su menú de Urban Cookie, el negocio que abrió hace casi dos años, donde vende una variedad de bellezas grandes y chiclosas con sabores nostálgicos.
Galletas de mantequilla de la estación
Victory Love & Cookies
West Highland
Kristy Greenwood Bortz encontró una meta en la repostería después de que la diagnosticaran con cáncer en 2006 y ahora crea exquisitas galletas en la cocina de la panadería Denver Bread Company (de la cual es dueña con su esposo Greg Bortz). Sus galletas de mantequilla se derriten en la boca y están inspiradas en las estaciones del año, con creaciones que incluyen lavanda y cereza, tomillo, limón y pimienta negra.
Galletas para el té
Gateaux Bakery
Golden Triangle
En Gateaux, una panadería que ha estado llenando sus estantes de pasteles con fondant, tartaletas de frutas y otros pastelillos bellamente decorados desde 1999, las galletas para el té son un lienzo que cambian con las estaciones del año. Para la Navidad y Hanukkah, encontrarás a Santa Claus, arbolitos navideños y dreidels (perinolas), todos bañados con el glaseado de receta secreta de la panadería.
Shortbreads
Ana Fanakra’s custard-stuffed skoleboller (translation: school rolls) are a quintessential Norwegian treat for pastry lovers of all ages.
Norwegian-born Ana Fanakra comes from a long line of bakers: Her mother and grandmothers passed down their recipes through the generations, and her father would wake up early to make cinnamon rolls. But it wasn’t until she lost her human resources job during the pandemic that her family’s treat-making expertise became the foundation for Ana’s Norwegian Bakeri in Centennial. Sandwiched between two auto service shops, the eatery’s troll-adorned sign is the only indicator of what’s found within: a brightly lit, teal-accented bakery furnished with Norwegian flags and display cases full of tempting comforts.
Fanakra’s father’s four-inch-tall cinnamon rolls are a staple, but it’s the skoleboller—a name that references the frequency with which they are included in school children’s lunches—that keep us coming back. “People would make them at home for celebrations,” says Fanakra, who immigrated to the United States for college in 1999. The lightly sweet, cardamom-zinged bread is oh-so-soft and has a hollowed-out center that holds a pool of yellow vanilla custard. A topping of icing and flaky coconut adds a tropical aroma and a bit of crunch. “The perfect bite is a mix of all of that,” she says, a feat best achieved by tearing off a bit of the outer bun for scooping out the decadent creamy filling.