The Flaxette: There's a New Artisan Loaf in Town

Attention bread lovers. There's a new artisan loaf in town…"The Flaxette," a beautiful crusty, nutty bread featuring organic ground flax seeds and a marvelous chewy tender interior. The bread is made by a Michael Mordechai and his startup, The Fairfield Bread Company. 

A few months ago, we attended a gypsy dinner where we sampled "The Flaxette" for the first time. It accompanied a bread and cheese platter, and while the cheese was very good, it was the bread I couldn't stop eating. When I heard he had taken his bread on the road, I raced over to The Pantry in Fairfield to purchase the delicious loaf. Moments later I was ripping off the ends and hoping there was some left once I got home so I could sample the product with butter. Mind you..it's not a long drive. 

Why is this bread so darn good? 1. Michael has been baking bread for a long time. 2. Michael uses a three day fermentation process that he has developed over the last year and a half. 3. Michael knows his grains and uses really good ingredients.

And indeed the ingredients are simple and wholesome. The Flaxette features King Arthur flour milled from hard red spring wheat, grown in the Northern Plains and Canada. Whole wheat flour and organic ground flax seeds are the other key players. We have all heard about the health benefits of flax, but in "The Flaxette" it also adds a distinctive nutty, toasted flavor, and a slight crackle to the texture. The flavor develops through four proofing stages, then Michael bakes the hand-shaped loaves to create a caramelized crust with a tender, chewy interior. 

More good news: The shelf life of "The Flaxette" is longer than most breads. Day 2 still finds it wonderful "as is," but even better sprinkled with water and baked for 10 min. at 350. Day 3? The reviving process will yield an excellent bread. Or, toast and top with salmon, onions and capers; cut into croutons for soup or salad, or to snack on; made a killer chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce.  French toast? Yes! "The Flaxette" freezes extremely well in its fresh state wrapped tightly in foil or plastic, then unwrapped and baked frozen at 425 for 10 minutes.

Officially in business for 3 weeks, the client list is growing daily. Currently you can find this artisan loaf at The Pantry in Downtown Fairfield, and Spic N Span Market in Southport Center. Additional markets are being added every week and we will update you as more retail locations become available. 

Grab yourself a loaf and let us know what you think.