Dutch Delicious, if you can't tell by the name, is a Dutch bakery (with some European and German…read moreinfluence) that dabbles in a bit of everything: fresh bread, deli meats, cheeses, pastries, coffee and imported products. I've actually been into their shop once before but having just ate lunch, ended up just browsing.
Well, I was surprised but happy to accept an invitation from DD for a peek inside their shop and bakery where all the magic happens. I met Siebe, owner of Dutch Delicious along with one of his bakers, Elien. Both are very friendly, humble, down to earth individuals that have a huge passion and joy for baking.
One thing that Siebe kept on stressing was the fact that they use real butter, whipped cream and butter cream. You know a place means business when they use quality ingredients. Best quote of the night goes to Elien - "bad for the hips, good for the lips."
One really cool thing I learned was baking cultures. There was a white one (containing 10% rye). Dutch add them into their breads to give it a more complex, nuanced flavour. The other one was rye and had been cultivating for about 8 months. It smelled absolutely amazing. I'd buy a bottle...
We moved outside to the main counter where you can see some of their bread offerings. It was end of the day so only a few loafs remained. We sampled:
- 5 grain bread. Light, airy, this is bread that you're normally acquainted with/used to.
- Dark rye was a completely different beast. Much "heavier" and you really have to chew it. Goes well with cheese. Another great quote - "there's nothing like a good aged cheese with artisanal bread". Preach, sister, preach.
- This one was my favourite: I believe it was the Canadian raisin bread. GET IT.
Moving on to the pastries, there is a lot of options to choose from. They also have cakes if you're looking to satisfy that sweet tooth. What I took home from talking with Sieb - everything is made fresh, in-house with real ingredients. No shortcuts are taken. They make sure things are done the "right way" which results in everything being quite labour intensive. The saying's true - hand made always tastes better.
Non-pastry related but I also got to sample (last one I swear) one of their sausage rolls. Nice and flaky, again, you can taste the butter. The meat even had a nice je ne sais quo that I couldn't quite pinpoint until Siebe told me the secret ingredient. Yum.
At this point, the tour was wrapping up but I was gifted a nice little to go package of goodies. Such a kind gesture. I had soccer practice to attend but checked afterwards to see what was in the box.
- Ouwe Jongens cheese. I'm by no means a cheese connoisseur but this is a old style, strong flavoured hard cheese. This will likely last me awhile.
- Raisin bread. Bring me back to my childhood, except I wish I was eating Dutch's version instead of Sun-Maid's crappy raisin bread.
- The rye bread comes whole. Make sure you have a hefty bread knife to cut this bad boy. Otherwise, you'll be getting a good arm workout.
Where to start? If you like pastries, you'll be in heaven. What I liked best was how everything tasted fresh and creamy without being too rich/sweet. I felt like I could eat another pastry right after devouring the first one.
- Cream pastry ($2.89) - the cream pastry was delightful. Light and airy, the filling was just divine. Don't make me choose but I think this was my favourite.
- Apple slice ($2.69) - another winner was the apple slice. Reminded me of a turnover but sooo much smoother. The addition of raisins gave it the perfect balance of sweetness.
- Vanilla slice ($2.69) - vanilla slice, my mom thought this was like a mille feuille. Incredibly light, creamy, this is one of their most popular for a reason.
- Mocha cake square ($2.49) and marzipan cake square ($2.49) - seriously, sooooo goood. I preferred the mocha over the marizpan square.
Can't wait to go back and try a slew of new things next time. Thanks again Dutch Delicious and crew for the treats, hospitality and insight!