We are very pleased to announce that our Popular White, Popular Brown and Popular Ciabatta breads are now available at Mountain View Market, 1300 El Paseo, Las Cruces, NM. We deliver Monday through Saturday, fresh baked daily to ensure you get the same quality product as at the Bakery.

Popular Sourdough: Our sourdough loaves are made in the traditional fashion without baker’s yeast, relying solely on a natural sourdough starter as the means of leavening. Popular Sourdough balances a mild sourdough with a substantial crust and an open, moist interior. Made in a round boule shape and a baguette. Ingredients: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, sourdough starter (unbleached wheat flour and water), salt.

Popular Brown: This levain bread (naturally fermented without baker’s yeast) is made in the style of French country brown breads and is available in baguettes, round boules and regular size batard loaves. This bread is suitable for sandwiches, toast and as a dinner bread made with a harmonious balance of white and whole wheat flours. Ingredients: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, unbleached whole wheat flour, water, levain starter (unbleached wheat flour, unbleached whole wheat flour and water), salt.

Rustic Baguette: A yeasted bread that is fermented overnight to develop rich, complex flavors without the tanginess of a sourdough. Also known as Pain Ancienne, this loaf is hand cut from the fermented dough and receives no further shaping, yielding its unique rustic appearance. A thin crispy crust and open crumb structure make this versatile bread for daily use. Ingredients: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, salt, yeast.

Ciabatta: Our version of this classic Italian loaf is a combination of a rustic country texture with a subtle buttery taste. It has a moist, very porous interior with a crisp floury crust. Ciabatta is excellent as a table bread served with olive oil or can be sliced lengthwise for a delicious sandwich base. Ingredients: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, salt, yeast.

Village Loaf: We named this large three pound loaf the “Village Loaf” to commemorate the large loaves made in the Apulia region of Italy known as Pagnota or Pane Pugliese. The top of this loaf is brushed with Extra Virgin olive oil and lightly dusted with salt to give it a unique flavor and texture. A softer crust than most of our breads makes this an excellent choice for sandwiches. Available in full, half or quarter loaves. Ingredients: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, salt, extra virgin olive oil, yeast.

Kalamata Olive Ciabatta: Our Ciabatta loaf laced with fragrant Mediterranean Kalamata Olives. Ingredients: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, Kalamata olives, salt, yeast.

There is no great mystery as to what is necessary for good bread. Most importantly good bread takes time and the use of methods that favor quality over speed of production; the finest ingredients; and, a great oven such as our Pavailler stone hearth oven imported from Valence, France. Artisan breads also require a thorough understanding of fermentation which turns the simple ingredients of flour, water, salt and yeast into something quite extraordinary—much the same as fermentation turns grapes and yeast into fine wine. Like a fine wine, a great loaf of bread cannot be made quickly-a long cold fermentation over several days is necessary to bring out the flavors, textures and character of the wheat flour. The great downfall of modern retail breads is the focus on speed of production which results in a tasteless, insipid starchy product with little or no character.

Bread is an ancient staple in man’s diet, and when properly made, contains complex carbohydrates and proteins, making it one of the most complete food products nutritionally. In recent times bread has gotten a bad reputation as being “fattening”-this reputation is justly deserved by most retail bread products that are loaded with sugar, dairy and fats, not to mention the chemical preservatives and artificial ingredients that are also used. With the exception of our Specialty breads which contain a very small amount of extra virgin olive oil, our breads are made with:

• NO sugar or sweeteners
• NO fats, shortenings or oils
• NO dairy products
• NO chemical preservatives or artificial ingredients

As such, our breads are great for those wanting a healthy low fat diet—our bread has real flavor and doesn’t need to be spread with butter to be very enjoyable as an accompaniment to a meal or a glass of wine.

There are two appliances that will absolutely kill a loaf of bread – the refrigerator and the microwave oven. Do not refrigerate as it will adversely affect the flavor. If wrapped in plastic the crust will soften but the shelf life will be extended to 3 or 4 days. The crust can be restored by heating in a 400 degree oven – do not use a microwave oven as it will ruin the crust and texture of the bread.