On a recent trip to New York, I felt compelled to try out a couple Scandinavian bakeries that had been on my list to try. I mean, I love me some baked goods, and I’ve gotta get back to my roots somehow, right?! I’d been following Fabrique Bakery, in particular, on social media for a while, and always drool at photos of their freshly baked cardamom buns and housemade sourdough bread. I hope to one day visit their Stockholm location, but since New York is much easier to come by these days, I jumped at the chance to check it out! Upon entering the cute café on 14th St, the warming smell of cardamom and cinnamon immediately flooded my senses. After deciding on Fabrique’s signature cardamom bun, the sweet lady behind the counter asked me if I was going to be eating it right away. When I said likely so, she asked if I had a couple minutes to spare because she thought a fresh batch was just coming out of the oven. Would I be interested in waiting a few minutes for a warm one? Umm yes, absolutely! How thoughtful!? I’m so glad I did, because I hardly made it out of the bakery before tearing into the bag, and devouring the bun in a few short minutes. The doughy cardamom goodness was all just too delicious. It took everything in me not to turn right back around to pick up another (plus a loaf of sourdough), but alas, I was in a hurry to head to the airport. Nonetheless, Fabrique will definitely be on my list of regulars whenever I’m back in the city.
meyer's bageri
Meyer's Bageri is a cute little Danish bakery in Williamsburg that turns out some truly delectable baked goods. Danish culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer is behind it, along with new restaurant Agern and Great Northern Food Hall in Grand Central Terminal. Although the bakery started as just a pop-up, their popularity soon became clear, and Meyer's returned as a full-time brick and mortar a few months later. They offer several traditional Danish pastries like kanelsnurre (cinnamon swirl buns), spandauer (round puff pastries with fillings), and tebirkes (poppy seed danishes), and also bake hearty loaves of bread daily. Ølandbrød, a native speciality made from heirloom whole wheat flour which they will mill in house, is a definite must-try.
I'm a huge cinnamon-lover, so my order always involves kanelsnurre. The morning buns, marbled with rye and topped with sunflower seeds, are chewy and delicious as well, and even better topped with avocado or hummus. On another trip I got to try the beet & cassis muffin and raspberry pop tart. These creative takes on classics blew me away- the muffin was slightly earthy and not too sweet, with a moist crumb and crunchy streusel topping, while the pop tart had a perfectly flaky crust. I'm excited to return soon to devour the new, seasonal danish: pumpkin spice spandauer with brown butter glaze and pepita brittle! Yum!
