Washington, D.C
Sourdough Flies Off the Shelves at Maryland’s Buzziest New Bakery
Manifest Bread, a sourdough startup with a loyal DMV following, now has a brick-and-mortar bakery in Riverdale Park. And if early gross sales numbers are any indication, chopping carbs clearly isn’t a New Yr’s decision for a lot of Marylanders.
The natural bakery off the Route 1 hall (6208 Rhode Island Avenue, Riverdale Park, Maryland) made and offered round 400 cookies and pastries and over 250 loaves, baguettes, and bialys throughout opening weekend this month. Hours are Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Wednesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to five p.m.; and till 7 p.m. on Thursdays with Riverdale Park Farmer’s Market.
“Bread has been going quick. It takes three days [to] make what you see on the shelf,” says Rick Prepare dinner, who owns the fledgling bakery along with his spouse, Tyes.
The fine-dining restaurant vets began the grassroots enterprise out of their house in 2018, and pandemic demand for loaves helped Manifest change into a bonafide supply and pre-order operation.
Its word-of-mouth sourdough received an enormous break final fall with a distinguished placement on Michelin-starred chef Johnny Spero’s Basque-themed menu at Bar Spero, served with La Tur butter or by itself. Rick Prepare dinner beforehand cooked at Eric Ziebold’s now-closed CityZen, Blacksalt, Etto, and 2Amys, whereas Tyes managed operations at locations like Pearl Dive, Fiola Mare, Del Mar, and Obelisk.
Baguettes—cooked “daring and darkish like all of our breads”—are its most sought-after menu merchandise and might’t appear to remain in inventory, he says. They’re made largely with sourdough, a faucet of yeast, and “a very good measure” of freshly-milled blended natural grains.
A $60,000 fundraising effort helped the couple buy important gear like a stone mill made in Vermont that mills most of its flour in-house, a dough mixer, and big deck oven.
In the meantime, its cookies have confirmed “not possible to maintain up with demand,” he says. Three opening varieties embody chocolate chip walnut, ginger molasses, and oatmeal and date—its solely gluten-free providing as of now. Different profitable sweets out of the gate embody chocolate babka and pear jelly crumbles. Spicy candy potato focaccia by the slice persistently sells out “so shortly,” he provides. The sleeper hit is its “Bran-ana” muffin, which makes use of Manifest’s extra bran, ripe bananas, and buttermilk.
The tiny cafe with a walk-up counter carves out room for simply two two-top tables, a three-seat bar, and brass kick-rail stand to “slug a fast cortado,” he says. Beginning Thursday, January 19, wine on faucet and by the bottle will enter the fold, together with beer and cocktails in a while.
He hopes prospects keep affected person as Manifest finds its footing opening with a skeleton crew; “we’re on the lookout for good assist like everybody else,” he says. The couple’s 3-year-old and 11-month-old sons are holding them busy at house, too.
Manifest is presently hiring bakers, prep cooks, dishwashers, and a barista.