Someone who goes with a half a loaf of bread
to a small place that fits like a nest around him,
someone who wants no more, who is not himself
longed for by anyone else,

He is a letter to everyone. You open it.
It says, Live. — Rūmī

It seems my year in travel has been bookended by visits to a city I like so much, but still don’t have a good grasp of: Los Angeles. That first visit here was in January, after which I spent time in Turin, Bologna, Modena, London, and Lisbon in February and March, until the shit that was festering all around us turned into a full-blown pandemic.

Like much of the world my movements have been limited, but unlike much of the world, thanks to the inept response to covid in the US, I have been able to freely move around the country, often to my (and friends’) astonishment.

Much of this country is still incredibly boring to me (sorry), but I have been able to experience a lot of beauty in nature, and eat some darned good bread through my journeys. Now I am in Los Angeles, with access to some of the most diverse and incredible foods you could find anywhere in the world, and appropriately, for a city whose hideousness is often swept under the rug – so visible, yet hidden, out of sight – the divisive ugliness that allowed for this pandemic to become such an out-of-control mess here affects us all equally: for as much beauty as there is here, you can’t help but pay attention to the problems: this country’s social and economic structure is a precarious assemblage, and its fragility has never been more visible.

Now, bread.

Leo Loaf, Leo, Brooklyn (Jan)

Leo’s sourdough loaf is quite moist and airy on the inside. I’m a big fan of their deep crust, well-burnished with a beautiful chew. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite loaves from last year, the country loaf at Gjusta in Los Angeles.

At the small café in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg I typically end up getting their delicious meatballs ($14), and a side of bread and butter ($5). The Leo loaf is $8 for a medium-sized airy loaf.

Leo is in Williamsburg at at 318 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Country Sourdough, Gjusta, Los Angeles (Jan)

Gjusta’s country sourdough was one of my favorite breads from last year, as it is this time.

During our visit to Los Angeles, Emily and I also shared a bread and butter plate ($7), which came with slices of their country sourdough, olive, and pumpernickel, alongside a hefty serving of Rodolphe Le Meunier’s Beurre de Baratte. Delicious.

$9 for a medium-sized light loaf.

Gjusta is located in Los Angeles’ Venice neighborhood at 320 Sunset Ave, Venice, CA 90291

Organic Sourdough Boule, Friends & Family, Los Angeles (Jan, Dec)

Friends & Family’s sourdough boule is has a delicious crust, and a moist and airy crumb.

$8 for a medium-sized loaf.

Friends & Family is located in Los Angeles’ Little Armenia neighborhood at 5150 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Sourdough Batard, Clark Street Bread, Los Angeles (Jan)

Clark Street’s long sourdough batard is moderately dense with an airy crumb. The bread is very fragrant and the wheat is very flavorful.

$9 for a medium-sized loaf.

Clark Street Bread has a few locations in Los Angeles. I bought mine from the Echo Park location at 331 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Sourdough Boule, Hail Mary Pizza, Los Angeles (Jan)

An unexpected surprise, Hail Mary Pizza, in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village makes excellent slow-fermented sourdough.

$7 for a moderately dense, medium-sized loaf.

Haily Mary Pizza is located in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village at 3219 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

30% Rye, Bub and Grandma’s

Bub and Gradma’s 30% rye has a delicious, deep crust and a very wheaty, intense flavor. This is probably one of the tastiest loaves of bread I’ve eaten this year. Bub and Grandma’s doesn’t have a location of its own for retail, but their breads are available at a bunch of locations in Los Angeles. I bought mine at Cookbook in Echo Park.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the bread loaf!

Cookbook has a couple of locations in Los Angeles.

Cookbook Highland Park is at 5611 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Cookbook Echo Park is at 1549 Echo Park Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Pane di Monococco, Perino Vesco, Turin, Italy (Feb)

A simple table bread made using stone-ground wheat from Sicily.

Perino Vesco is a short walk from Turin’s Porta Nuova station at Via Cavour, 10, 10123 Torino TO, Italy

Pane di Segale, Perino Vesco, Turin, Italy (Feb)

Perino Vesco’s rye bread is made using organic rye flour from Tuscany made by Podere Peretto. The moderately dense crumb is moist and incredibly flavorful, as is the well-burnished crust.

€9.50/kilogram.

Perino Vesco is a short walk from Turin’s Porta Nuova station at Via Cavour, 10, 10123 Torino TO, Italy

Tumminia, Forno Brisa, Bologna, Italy (Feb)

Tumminia is a wheat varietal from Sicily. The one that Forno Brisa uses comes from Castelvetrano in the province of Trapani. The grain has a slightly sweet profile, and as is common in much of Italy, the crust is barely dark. €7/kg.

Forno Brisa now has multiple locations in Bologna. I normally get my bread from the Via Galliera location or the one on Via Castiglione.

Forno Brisa on Via Galliera is at Via Galliera, 34D, 40121 Bologna BO, Italy

Forno Brisa on Via Castiglione is at Via Castiglione, 43, 40124 Bologna BO, Italy

Round Table Bread, Today Bread, London (Mar)

Made with organic light and wholemeal wheat flour. £3.5 for a small loaf.

Today Bread is located in London’s Walthamstow Central at 6-10 Central Parade, 137 Hoe Street, London E17 4RT, United Kingdom

Hackney Wild, E5 Bakehouse, London (Mar)

E5 Bakehouse’s country loaf is made with a blend of heritage and modern wheat grains, grown and milled in the UK. Intensely fragrant, and a delectable wheaty flavor on the palate, I really enjoyed eating this with raw butter from Bungay.

£4 for a medium loaf.

E5 Bakehouse is in East London at 395 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH, UK

Pão de trigo, Isco, Lisbon, Portugal (Mar)

Pão de trigo or, wheat bread, at Isco is incredibly moist, has an airy and light-scented crumb. I ate it plain with butter, and sometimes with butter and canned sardines.

Isco was quite a great discovery for me in Lisbon. In addition to incredible breads and other bakes goods, Isco turns into a restaurant on most nights, and serves delectable food. €3.5 for a medium-sized loaf.

Isco is located away from the center, in north Lisbon’s São João de Brito, at R. José d'Esaguy 10D, 1700-267 Lisboa, Portugal

Pão Rústico, Cria padaria artesanal, Cascais, Portugal (Mar)

Ate with good butter (Échiré) and Satonnay aux fleurs, a French fresh goat’s cheese with edible flowers that I got from the delightful Fromagerie Maître Renard in Lisbon’s Campo de Ourique. The bread has a pronounced wheaty flavor and a strong caramelized flavor on the crusy.

€4 for a medium-sized loaf. When I visited the bakery in March of this year, they were cash only.

Cria Padaria Artesanal is located a short walk away from the water at R. José Florindo 523, 2750-675 Cascais, Portugal

Country Sourdough, Wilson’s Bread, Bovina, New York (Jul)

When I spent a week in Athens, New York, across the river from Hudson, I naturally looked up where I might find good sourdough in my general area of the “Catskills”, not realizing until after I had placed my order, that the Catskills are actually quite a large area. And so we found ourselves driving west, an hour and a half, to Bovina, New York, population 633. The drive to Bovina was through beautiful, windy roads, alternating between pastures and forests, Trump signs not uncommon.

Russell's General Store, where Wilson bakes and also sells his bread from, felt like a weird microcosm of Brooklyn within Bovina. You wouldn’t think you’re in rural New York state.

Wilson’s country sourdough is one of the tastiest sourdoughs I’ve had in the east coast. Mild, grainy, and very moist on the inside, with a delicious, dark brown crust on the outside. I really enjoyed eating this plain, with good butter.

Wilson’s Bread is sold at Russell’s General Store in Bovina, and you can order ahead of time online. $10 for a medium-large loaf.

Russell's General Store is at 2009 Co Rd 6, Bovina Center, NY 13740

Country Bread, Ibis Bakery, Kansas City, Missouri (Aug)

Messenger Coffee Co. on Grand Blvd. shares the space with Ibis Bakery, a bustling, large space (very large by New York standards) with an immaculate baking area, where you’ll some of the tastiest breads in the city.

Messenger Coffee Co. + Ibis Bakery is in the Crossroads neighborhood at 1624 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

Tori’s Country Sourdough, Bozeman, Montana (Aug)

Tori’s sourdough is made using freshly-milled grain using 20% whole grains. Tori’s sourdough is one of the tastiest breads I have had the pleasure of buttering this year – not just because she’s a dear friend, but because her’s is one of the few exceptional loaves that pays as much attention to the flavor of the grains as much as the bread making process.

I ate this plain with butter, sometimes with sardines, but my most pleasurable experience eating this bread was when we went camping in Bridger Range: Tori’s partner Josh and I went for a run and upon returning I made myself fried eggs that accompanied Tori’s sourdough, adorned only with butter.

Blackbird Bread, Blackbird, Bozeman, Montana (Sep)

Blackbird uses a Type 85 flour in their sourdough, baked in a brick oven. The resulting bread is a deeply caramelized, beautifully burnishes crust, with a light and airy, mildly flavored crumb. I really enjoyed this plain, with butter.

$8 for a large, airy boule.

You can buy Blackbird’s bread at Blackbird restaurant in Bozeman’s downtown at 140 E Main St, Bozeman, MT 59715.

Grist Loaf, Grist Milling and Bakery, Missoula, Montana (Sep)

Grist Milling and Bakery operates at the back of Missoula’s Black Coffee Roasting Co, purveyors of some of the best coffee I’ve had in the state.

$8.50 for a 32oz medium-dense loaf.

I bought Grist’s bread at Black Coffee Roasting Co. vibrant Spruce St. location at 525 E Spruce St, Missoula, MT 59802. They run out quick, so I recommend getting there early.

You can also find Grist bread at Orange Street Food Farm at 701 S Orange St, Missoula, MT 59801, and at the Good Food Store at 1600 S 3rd St W, Missoula, MT 59801

Sourdough Bread, Little Star Diner, Bozeman, Montana (SEP)

Little Star Diner in Bozeman, Montana makes from-scratch food using locally-sourced ingredients, many of which they grow themselves. It’s no surprise they bake their own sourdough bread that you can order as a side for dinner with cultured butter, cherry tomatoes and local manchego.

They sell whole loaves at the restaurant depending on availability. A medium-dense large loaf is $8.

We made a lot of sandwiches for lunch using this loaf, that stayed moist an impressive amount of time.

Little Star Diner is at 548 E Babcock St, Bozeman, MT 59715

Country Sourdough, Reunion Bread Co., Denver, Colorado (Sep)

Reunion Bread Co. is located at the same location Babettes used to be at The Source. Babettes seems to have moved on further north to Longmont, Colorado, but in its place we have another great bakery.

Reunion’s sourdough was very light and airy, with a light sourdough flavor. $8.50 for a medium-sized loaf.

Reunion Bread Co. is located inside The Source’s market hall at 3350 Brighton Blvd #140, Denver, CO 80216

Sourdough Pullman, Babettes Artisan Bread, Longmont, Colorado

Babettes used to be at The Source in Denver but now operates out of Longmont, Colorado. Their sourdough pullman loaf is moist, light and mild-flavored with a beautifully burnished crust on the top. $13 for a large loaf.

Babettes Artisan Bread is at 2030 Ionosphere St unit h, Longmont, CO 80504

Sourdough Bread, Fox & The Raven Bakery, Littleton, Colorado (Oct)

I can’t tell if Fox and The Raven bakery is affiliated with Corvus Coffee Roasters or if they are an independent bakery operating out of Corvus’ Littleton strip-mall location. Either way, Corvus’ Littleon location is a gem: not only do they serve incredible coffee, you can also get pastries made using organic grains, and… sourdough bread!

Fox & The Raven Bakery is within Corvus Coffee Roasters in an uninspiring strip-mall in Littleton at 1740 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210

Blonde Loaf, Nightingale Bread, Colorado Springs, Colorado (Oct)

Nightingale Bread, located in classroom no. 8 of what was Lincoln Elementary School, bakes some pretty good sourdough using house-milled, organic grains.

$8 for a medium-sized loaf.

Nightingale Bread is at 2727 N Cascade Ave #165, Colorado Springs, CO 80907

Pear Pepper Boule, Ihatov, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Dec)

Albuquerque’s Ihatov runs out of breads and pastries pretty quickly on weekends. We were lucky to snag this pear and pepper boule. This was wonderful toasted with bread. $12 for a moderately dense medium-sized boule.

Ihatov is located at 3400 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106