Lodge Bread Company
I grew up surrounded by incredible cooks and family bakers. Their love of food and the art of cooking made me who I am today. Childhood memories of the smells coming from the kitchen make my mouth water, and I often long for the aromas of the cookies, cakes, and fresh-baked bread of years past. Fast forward to the year after High School, when I lived in Paris and worked at a famous boulangerie. This is when I truly fell in love with the perfect loaves of crusty bread, baguettes, and croissants that we created…I’ve been chasing the perfect loaf ever since.
But first, go for a run
You might want to burn a few calories before you visit the Lodge Bread Company so that there’s no inkling of guilt when you want to have a naturally leavened croissant or avocado toast with a side of hummus and pita at the restaurant. I will often drive up to LA on Saturday mornings to eat breakfast and to stock up on bread for the week. After you’re there, you’ll be hard-pressed to leave without taking something with you. Usually, I’ll leave with my arms or a bag full of sourdough, challah, rye, spelt, and maybe even a baguette. No shame here, this bread is to die for.
Casual, comfortable, delicious bread
All of the bread is amazing. It’s worth the drive to this small, humble, community-driven bakery in Culver City. The bakery specializes in whole grain sourdough breadmaking using flour milled in-house. The country loaf and seeded country loaf are almost always available. A staple for the bakery, the country loaf is their classic take on sourdough bread. Depending on how early you get here, you might be lucky enough to get certain varieties of bread, and the scarcity of the availability might lure you back in another week. For example, I’ve only seen the challah bread on the weekends. Pro tip: if you can snag some to-go, it makes incredible French toast.
Toast is my go-to
Whether you crave a more traditional toast with cultured butter and seasonal house-made jam, cinnamon sugar toast, almond butter toast, ricotta and jam toast, or avocado toast topped with thinly sliced radish, olive oil, and sea salt, you can’t go wrong with this on-trend staple. These are just a few of the offerings for this simple meal that’s quickly risen to the top of my selections when I visit Lodge Bread Company.
And the Shakshuka? Shut up!
Sometimes you need something a little more substantial. This is the best Shakshuka I’ve ever had. Eggs and stewed tomatoes served with Lodge’s Bread…it’s divine. What makes this particular version stand out is the use of bell peppers. It adds texture and rounds out the flavor, making it a notch above others of its kind.
A few honorable mentions
Though not in my top three, Lodge makes some other dishes that are worth trying:
Pizza. It’s flavorful due to the use of sourdough starter in their dough. The crust is fluffy with some nice charring. However, I prefer a crispier pizza.
Grandma slices. Think of this like a deep dish, fluffy pizza with a variety of seasonal toppings. It reminds me of a cross between pizza and focaccia.
Hummus with house-made pita. Though the hummus is pretty standard, the pita is what makes this dish shine. It’s flavorful and fluffy, and it’s not always available on its own, so you might have to get the hummus if you want to try it.
Cinnamon roll. Made from the sourdough starter, this roll is filled with a delicious cinnamon-sugar mixture and topped with a very light and delicate frosting. Whether you wrap it up for an afternoon snack, put together a doggie bag for your neighbor, or want to forget about cooking breakfast tomorrow, be sure to Bring. Some. Home.
I’m so happy I discovered this place, because it truly is a local gem!
