Dough Bakeshop
173 Danforth Avenue
416.465.2253
It was a pleasant surprise when I first found out that a new bakery had opened up on the Danforth. I took this as a warm welcome and a chance to see what new good eats they can offer this part of the neighbourhood.
When I first visited the bakeshop, it was a saturday afternoon. To my dismay, I noticed that the shelves were practically all empty except for the few loaves that had not been sold out for the day.
My original intention was to buy a dozen bagels. But with the bare shelves, I was a little disappointed in my selection, and almost left the store empty-handed. While stepping out of line, I perused the shelves behind the counter as I overheard what the next person in line had ordered. It was a walnut loaf. As soon as I heard that, I got back in line and ordered one for myself as well.
A few weeks later, I visited the bakery again, hoping to grab another good eat. This time, however, I went early on a Saturday, shortly after they opened for the day. According to their webiste, Saturdays is a sourdough day. Great! I love them sourdoughs.
However after entering and seeing that they had no sourdough loaves that day (starter didn’t work well that day apparantly), I was left a little disappointed yet again. Someone behind the counter, however, overheard my inquiry and kindly noted that they were in the midst of baking a herbed cornbread.
Herbed cornbread? Now that sounds like an interesting mix. It wasn’t going to be ready for another couple of hours, which actually worked well for me since I was on my way to dimsum that morning anyway.
Fast forward a couple hours later, and I find myself back at Dough. A moderate amount of people milling about, and the shelves were freshly stocked. I inquired about the cornbread, and sure enough, they were just coming out of the oven.
When inquired about the ingredients, she mentioned that it was a cornbread with a mixture of oregano and feta. A rather interesting combination, I thought. I’m all for trying new things out, so I got myself a freshly baked loaf, still piping hot in the bag. Added to that, I treated myself to two croissants, just to try them out.
I noticed that as soon as the croissants went in to the paper bag, the buttery goodness showed immediately. Good? Bad? Well, to each their own.
—
The walnut loaf I absolutely loved. The subtle flavour of the walnut and the sweetness of the innards was exactly how I hoped it would have been. It was a loaf that didn’t last very long on my countertop.
I had mixed feelings for the herbed cornbread. While I naturally like cornbread, I felt its presence in the loaf was too subtle. The dense texture was apparent, although a slight sourness in the dough (from what, I don’t know), and an even lighter flare of oregano and feta, left me wanting more of a solid cornbread aftertaste.
I tried lightly toasting the slices and as it turns out, I liked it much more this way with the light and crispy exterior, and the soft and moist innard.
And finally the croissants. Who doesn’t love freshly baked croissants from the oven? While I mentioned the buttery goodness of it, I’ve had croissants that were made with even more butter, aiding my justification on having this heavenly treat. Despite all the butter, it wasn’t too overbearing when you ate it. That bode well for me and my stomache. I found the exterior to lack the crunch that other croissants sometimes have. I actually liked it this way; the slight pull of the exterior and the soft and smooth innards were a combination I can have any day.
I’m happy to say that this is a very nice welcome to the neighbourhood. With its location right near the subway station, it’s convenient to go to. The people are friendly, and when you walk by, that aroma of freshly baked bread is enough to pull anybody away from the cold wintery chill.
Next up: bagels. At about $7 per dozen, I can’t wait to see how they’ll fare.
…now, if only they’d do something with their website. It just doesn’t serve their products any justice.
