BEST BREAD
MONTCLAIR BREAD COMPANY RETURNS
dining
BEST BREAD
Jed Arkell , a 50-year-old Australian transplant to Montclair , spent most of his life making art — video , music , written , performance , sound . Like many artists , to support his career , Arkell worked in bars and restaurants . Today , his art supports him and his young family . And you needn ’ t be a collector to appreciate it or wealthy to buy his work . You just have to love really good , wonderfully made , perfectly airy … bread . Three years ago , Arkell and his wife , Jennifer Friede , launched JED ’ S BREAD , a small , artisan bakery that expanded from offering delicious breads only to include delectable pastries as well . Jed ’ s Bread has no storefront ; Arkell ’ s creations are sold only at the farmers markets in Montclair and Jersey City . His baked goods are unfailingly scrumptious ; just try to keep your eyes from closing when you bite into his extraordinarily flakey , melt-in-your-mouth buttery , oh-so-subtly sweet croissant . And yet , it ’ s his breads , especially Arkell ’ s sourdoughloaf — tangy , chewy , crispy , airy , heavenly — that are the most addictive .
Arkell and his wifedecided to launch abread bakery “ on awhim ,” he says , just as COVID hit . He had gone to culinary school in Sydney , his hometown , but never really used his skills officially until he came to visit Friede , whom he met in Australia some 21 years ago . They married in 2016 , and soon after Arkell put on his chef ’ s hat , and started working at Clementine , a bakery in Brooklyn , and then the Great Northern Food Hall , world-renowned Danish cook Claus Meyer ’ s food hall in Grand Central Station , and Wells & by Durst , Michelin-starred chef Charlie Palmer ’ s food hall in the former Conde Nast building in Manhattan .
Friede dropped some samples of Arkell ’ s breads with the powers that be of the Montclair Farmers Market — and two weeks later , they began selling breads there . “ Within 90 minutes , we were sold out ,” Arkell says .
For his pastries and breads , Arkell uses local whole-grain organic flour , high-quality French butter , French chocolate Valrhona , Maldon artisanal sea salt and fruits and vegetables from nearby farms . His light and fluffy Mitake mushroom focaccia sport farm-fresh hen-of-the-woods mushrooms and caramelized onions ; another focaccia wears sweet local cherry tomatoes and from-the-farm slightly pungent basil . His almond croissants are filled with so much creamy almond custard , it may be difficult to justify them as abreakfast treat , but they ’ re too good not to eat anytime of the day . Ditto his lush Danish with vanilla custard cream .
He does his baking now at a storefront in Bloomfield that he ’ s renting . It is , unfortunately , too small to be a full-service bakery . Jed ’ s Bread is available at Montclair Farmers Market during winter months .
• jedsbread . square . site
MONTCLAIR BREAD COMPANY RETURNS
MONTCLAIR BREAD COMPANY isn ’ t new ( it opened in 2012 ) but it is under new ownership with a new — make that , original — name . The popular shop , which started out as a bread shop but ended up as a wildly popular doughnut shop under its founder and chef , Rachel Wyman , is now owned by real estate broker and entrepreneur Wesley Berghahn , a Jersey City resident . He not only brought back bread “ pretty quickly ,” but brought back the business ’ birthname .
Wyman , author of Will Run for Doughnuts : The Montclair Bread Company Cookbook ( she is an avid marathon runner ), is now on the faculty of her alma mater , the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park , New York . A year ago Wyman , who Berghahn credits with building a great brand and product , renamed the shop Rabble Rise Doughnuts , eliminating lunch sandwiches and grain breads and , according to Berghahn , inadvertently confusing customers . “ A lot of people thought it was closed ,” Berghahn says . Berghahn , who had been searching for a business to buy , sampled Wyman ’ s doughnuts — and didn ’ t hesitate . This past summer , he became its owner .
He has invested in new equipment , hired a few new people , rearranged pick and pack processes and bumped up production by more than 40 %, the latter to help avoid running out of doughnuts , a perennial happening at the shop . In the past , customers frequently lined up early in the morning to up their odds of not leaving empty-handed . Breads are now availableevery day of the week , he says , with the most popular by far being the sourdough . “ On the weekends alone , we sell 50 loaves of sourdough , 20 of ancient grain and 30 baguettes ,” he says .
As for doughnuts , you can count on the same quality , Berghahn says , noting that the Boston Cream , filled with custard and dipped in dark chocolate glaze , is still the best seller . The s ’ mores is abig hit , too . And the apple cider doughnut ?“ I was looking to season it out ,” he says . “ But it sellssowell , I ’ m leaving it alone .”
• 16 Label St .; ( 973 ) 509-2525 , rabblerise . com ■
DOUGHNUTS : MICHAEL KARAS ; BREAD : COURTESY OF JED ’ S BREAD
16 HOLIDAY 2023 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE