The wall behind the register is lined with assorted loaves (the bakery is called Breads, after all). There’s something for every whim—crusty baguettes, dense Danish ryes, and ornate challahs. For those with a sweet tooth, a lacquered marzipan-stuffed braided specimen, dotted with sliced almonds. For the showoffs, an even more elaborate woven challah paved with sesame, nigella, and poppy and flax seeds, with serpentine curls of dough cradling small ceramic dishes—vessels for your dip baked right into the loaf.
The particular mix of baking traditions (Israeli, pan-European, American) represented at Breads Bakery is a reflection of its founder, Uri Scheft. The Denmark-born, Israel-raised baker mastered his trade in Europe, Israel, and the U.S. “I learned so many things in so many places, I didn’t want to be identified as a French baker or Danish or Italian,” says Uri, whose accent sounds like a mix of Danish and Hebrew. “I wanted to make the best of what I learned around the world.”
