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On my birthday this year a friend and I stopped in at the Ballard Great Harvest Bread Company. I think one of the friendly, pleasant counter persons offered us a slice of the Sun-dried Tomato... More
On my birthday this year a friend and I stopped in at the Ballard Great Harvest Bread Company. I think one of the friendly, pleasant counter persons offered us a slice of the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Bread, which was so good that I bought a loaf a moments later.
It was super-delicious, with large chunks of juicy, tangy, mouth-watering sun-dried tomatoes and swirls of pesto in light, almost flaky wheat-grain.
A month later I went back and got another loaf. This time I could barely taste the tomato. In fact, after finishing it, I asked myself: Why does this taste so different from the first loaf I had had of it? Then I recalled that something to be missing. After further rumination, I "hit" on it: the missing something were the juicy chunks of sun-dried tomatoes that burst open with flavor and combined with the swirls of pesto made it SO memorable.
The fact that the bread had been sitting around in a plastic bag also made the crust not much of a crust at all. It seemed more like a loaf of "Wonderbread" (sandwich bread).
In fact, I couldn't recall at all that there were any chunks of sun-dried tomato. I called them and explained my disappointment. I think the owner/baker explained that sometimes a loaf may not get very much of a particular ingredient (my paraphrase of his words) and that THAT is a rare event. He offered to let me try another loaf of the same, saying they stood by their breads.
Two weeks later, I stopped in and got a replacement loaf. This time I had the store clerk place it in a paper bag (they bag the loaves around 5:00 pm, I guess. I got there at least a couple of hours before they started to do this).
This time there definitely were some pieces of sun-dried tomatoes, but they were mostly "flakes," rather than chunks. It didn't have the richness and burst of flavor of the first loaf.
Nonetheless I do appreciate this establishment's sincere attempts to remedy the situation. I generally like breads that are either chewier and/or have some sort of crust. One would do best to get their breads --they bake once a day according to their staff--by early afternoon, when they are at their optimal freshness and are still sitting on racks (not bagged).
And they have a schedule of the different breads they do different days, which certainly makes for variety.
As an occasional change from the "hard-crust" breads of Macrina, or other artisan breads that can be purchased at PCC, etc., this can be a welcome change.
In fact, though this is not the kind of bread I would eat with cheese, it makes a nice accompaniment (spelt or honey wheat) with butter to spaghetti and other hearty meals. The bread reminds me the of the delicious home-made buns we used to in our school cafeteria decades ago when I was in elementary school.
There is a small, nice sit-down area in front (they serve coffee, etc.) and a few chairs outside. I have always enjoyed Ballard for its unpretentious, relaxed, close-to-the-Locks atmosphere. So I will undoubtedly occasionally drop in here again...
As I recall, the local supermarkets do not carry Great Harvest Bread. Hence, you have to go to one of the bakery/store outlets on Sandpoint Way, in Ballard, or in West Seattle. These are all franchises...
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There are a few brands of store-bought spelt bread that I like. But I'd rather buy it here. So soft and moist and perfect for sandwiches! They also have challah which is delish. The bread bunnies... More
There are a few brands of store-bought spelt bread that I like. But I'd rather buy it here. So soft and moist and perfect for sandwiches! They also have challah which is delish. The bread bunnies are funny too.
And how can I go wrong when they give me a free slice of bread when I buy something? YUM. The sandwiches are a bit boring, but it's the bread I'm there for anyway. Great peeps too.
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Warm bread, fresh from the oven, with high quality ingredients await you at the Great Harvest Bread Co. I love going to the one in Ballard on Fridays when my favorite bread, the sundried tomato... More
Warm bread, fresh from the oven, with high quality ingredients await you at the Great Harvest Bread Co. I love going to the one in Ballard on Fridays when my favorite bread, the sundried tomato pesto, is available. So spongy and tasty, it should be a dessert.
If you're looking for a healthy option for a sweet breakfast, try their coffeecake. However, I must warn you that it tastes best if consumed the same day. And it's rare the coffeecake makes it past day 1 for me.
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great harvest bread co. has something for everyone- they have many samples of every bread they are currently selling, their breads and pastries are always fresh-baked, and they are just plain yummy.... More
great harvest bread co. has something for everyone- they have many samples of every bread they are currently selling, their breads and pastries are always fresh-baked, and they are just plain yummy. their classic honey wheat bread is my personal favorite, and they always seem to have that. on other visits i have sampled all sorts of different breads, of which my favorite was a cinnamon roll bread, which was basically a slice of a loaf-shaped cinnamon roll. for your kids, they have free, scrumptious, kid-friendly breadsticks, frequent coloring "contests" where your kid can color a picture and then get a giant cookie when they turn in their artwork, which then gets posted in the bakery, and a basket of books and toys. If you are in the area, i suggest stopping by! they also sell some granolas and such, and i think maybe some jams and jellies.
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