Grocery Store Baked Bread Sucks

It really does. And pastries should not have ingredient lists like this:

Apple Danish:
Enriched flour (wheat and malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin), apples, sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and cottonseed oils), corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, eggs, modified corn starch, water. Following ingredients 2% or less: mono- and diglycerides, yeast, salt, cellulose gum, brown sugar, cinnamon, dextrin, lemon juice, lecithin, beta carotene, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (preservatives), dried apples, glyceryl lactoesters of fatty acids, propylene glycol monoesters, polysorbate 60, yeast, dextrose, nonfat dry milk, soy flour, apple juice concentrate, pineapple juice concentrate, propylene glycol alginate, agar, xanthan gum, gelatin, natural and artificial flavors, calcium sulfate, wheat gluten, sodium stearoyl lactylate, citric acid, annato extract (color), l-cysteine, ascorbic acid, corn flour, calcium carbonate, tapioca dextrin, carob bean gum, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, maltodextrin, mono-calcium phosphate, sodium caseinate, carrageenan, spice, gum tragacanth, corn starch.

Cinnamon Roll:
Enriched wheat flour [with malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2)], partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed), nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar, egg whites, whole eggs, dextrose, cinnamon, yeast, salt, water, soy flour mono- and diglycerides, tapioca dextrin, corn flour, dextrin, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, cellulose gum, succinylated monoglycerides, maltodextrin, lecithin, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium sulfate, wheat gluten, sodium acid, pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, modified corn starch, monocalcium phosphate, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice, ammonium sulfate, citric acid, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, 1-cysteine, annatto extract (color).

FYI, these are McDonald's pastries, but the list reads similar to what you'll find from most commercial and grocery store bakeries.

Clark County is a wasteland if you're looking for good, fresh, honest bread and pastries. BUT there IS one little bakery on the inner east side of Vancouver that offers the real deal. Julia Bakery.

For a little over a year now, the folks at Julia have been quietly turning out wonderful fresh baked goods and luckily for me they're within walking distance of my house. I was a little embarassed this morning when I realized that I've been posting to this blog for over a year and I've never really talked about Julia bakery. Julia Bakery is (to the best of my knowledge) the only organic bakery in Clark County and they make wonderful rustic breads as well an ecclectic assortment of sweet and savory treats. The owner is from Croatia and worked at New Seasons in Raleigh Hills as the bakery manager for 6 years. He is passionate about organic food and is a wonderful baker. He also sells at the Vancouver Farmers Market every Saturday and Sunday.

Did I also mention they have good coffee, a little loft area where you can put your feet up, and free wifi? Well they do.

They open a little later than I would like (I'm one of those people who would love to swing by the bakery at 5am on my way to work) and you'd best get there early in the day for the best selection. Julia is not exactly a secret anymore and they do tend to sell out of many items by lunchtime. So if you think that grocery store baked bread sucks (it really does) or if you're still in a funk from the closing of Main Street bakery (Julia Bakery is much better), you know where you need to go.

Julia Bakery
2614 Ft. Vancouver Way
360-993-0505, right behind the St. Johns Grocery store and about 2 blocks from the corner of 4th Plain and Ft. Vancouver Way.
Open Monday-Thursday 7:30am-5:30pm, Friday 7:30am-6pm, and Saturdays 9am-3pm
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