We believe great baking starts with tradition, patience, and ingredients that speak for themselves. It makes sense, then, that we feel such a kinship with Matt Rodbard, founding editor of TASTE and host of the This Is TASTE podcast. Matt has spent decades spotlighting the artisans, chefs, and makers who make food culture vibrant and have a passion for what they do. So, when Matt chose three Bakehouse items for a special collection of his favorite Zingerman’s items, we were understandably thrilled. Here’s what made the cut:
Magic Brownie & Black Magic Brownie: One with nuts and one without.Matt says: “Not all brownies are created equally … the high extraction flour gives the brownies such a great texture—and yes, they are rich.”
Better Than San Francisco Sourdough Bread: This has been one of our most popular breads since we opened in 1992! This all-American sourdough bread has a beautifully thin, blistered crust and a remarkably tender crumb thanks to the high percentage of starter in the recipe compared to other naturally leavened breads.
And outstanding brownies and bread are just the beginning. Matt hand-picked a few other favorites (that just so happen to all pair perfectly with our sourdough—think fennel-kissed salami, smoked whitefish spread, cave-aged cheddar cheese…) and tucked them all into a special, limited-edition box. It’s a love letter of sorts to the foods that shaped Matt’s palate and the kinds of details that matter when you care deeply about how food tastes and how it’s made. As he puts it, “Zingerman’s taught me to love quality food.”
Ready to taste Matt’s favorites?
Visit our Bakeshop for a fresh loaf and a brownie or two (or order them online for pickup)
Lindsay-Jean Hard's passion for sustainability and education at the University of Michigan went on to inform and inspire her in many ways from going to extreme lengths to recycle at a post-college job to creating her cookbook, Cooking with Scraps, a labor of love inspired by her Food52 column of the same name. Today, she strives to convince everyone she meets to try eating banana peels and works to build and connect new communities as a marketer at Zingerman’s Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
