Sourdough bread is the most healthy and nutritious bread you could ever get your hands on, and this Iconic bakery makes it the best, Started and run by Chef Akshay Kering in November 2017, The Artisanal Baking Co. makes each of their loaves by hand.
The bakery produces a new and unique flavour of sourdough bread every week, which you can order by subscription. They make all their breads with the basics- flour, water, and salt but sans any preservatives, additives, or artificial flavours. The breads are made of locally-milled flour, and all-natural ingredients, normally sourced locally!
Each loaf has a distinct and unique taste. We sampled four types- a fig, fennel, and buckwheat sourdough, ‘Pain au Levain’ – traditional French sourdough, pumpkin seed and flax seed sourdough, and a finger millet (nachani) sourdough. Though all were delightful, the dark horse was their fig and fennel sourdough– a combination we never thought we’d like, but instantly loved. Sourdough can be eaten plain, toasted with butter, and even used for making a sandwich. It must be stored in an air-tight container and can last in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for even longer.
With each week’s loaf, you’ll get a little intro-card with info about its ingredients, health benefits, and even suggestions on how to use the bread – which we found both useful, and endearing. Subscribers get a fresh new loaf every week, either in full (800g) or half (400g) size. It’ll cost you INR 800 per month (4 weeks) for full-size loaves, and INR 500-INR 600 for half-sized ones. If you want to buy an individual or extra loaf, you must inform them at least two days beforehand, since it takes around 24-72 hrs to develop a dough. Sourdough bread
If you’re still unsure and would like to try a sample loaf, you can request one on prior order (INR 200 for a full loaf, INR 125 for half). They also make sourdough ciabatta and baguettes albeit on large-scale orders only. The Artisanal Baking Co. doesn’t have a retail outlet in Pune yet but if you want to pop into their working bakery, you can. Just be sure to give them an hour’s notice beforehand.