Local bread on the rise

Half a loaf is better than none, right? Currently turning out 600 loaves a week, Brian and Lisa Rubin Woods of Beach Lake Bread are potentially making 1200 people very happy. Provenders of what is arguably the best bread available here or anywhere, Brian and Lisa have recently added fruit pies (traditional apple, apple crumb, and blueberry) to their menu and they are building a small barn to accommodate the three state-of-the-art steam tube ovens necessary to meet the demand for their wares.

	Contributed photo The fresh-baked products of Beach Lake Bread. (Click for larger image)

The 600 loaves per week, delivered warm to a variety of outlets on Fridays and Saturdays, are the culmination of a weeklong process of expert preparation. Using unbromated, unbleached flour, without adding chemicals or preservatives, the pair makes the dough for Friday’s deliveries on Monday but retards the fermentation of the sourdough starter, thus improving the flavor of the finished loaf with each passing day. Up at 3:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, they bake 64 (soon to be 96) loaves per batch of six varieties: French baguette, rustic country, whole-wheat boule, Italian seminola, Old World rye and challah.

Lisa, self-described as “always a baker,” met Brian when he relocated to Manhattan. Professionally trained in Manchester, England, Brian was working primarily as a test baker and representative for Rondo of Switzerland, the biggest name in pastry ovens. Permanent residents of the river valley since 1988, the couple had a previous business called the Catskill Cookie Company, but decided to concentrate on the staff of life. They first retailed their crusty, flavorful, traditionally made bread at Clearwater Seafood in Honesdale, where it sold out within hours of its appearance in the store. In the three years since, they have won the devotion of the general public and restaurateurs alike, adding several outlets and drop sites on both sides of the river.

Beach Lake Bread sells locally at Steve’s Country Store, Dave’s Big Eddy Diner (Narrowsburg), Lander’s River Mart (Callicoon), Milanville General Store, Oelker’s Grocery (Barryville), and elsewhere. It will soon be retailed on the Beach Lake premises.

Loaves sell for $2.50 (challah $3.50) and pies for $7. Pumpkin and cranberry breads are also available seasonally.