Styling and Photography by Devorah Applegrad
Food Prep by Leah Hamaoui

WHO
Mr. Chaim Lieff

WHAT
Specialty breads and pastries

WHERE
Brooklyn, NY

WHEN
9 years ago

WHY
To provide their customers with delicious, wholesome baked goods

As soon as we began discussing this column, a memory immediately sprang to my mind — a Shabbos afternoon conversation with my cousin Simi from Flatbush. I was visiting my brother’s house, and Simi was telling us all about the incredible smell that wafts along Avenue M when the famous apple bread is being baked. And so, I immediately gave her a call, hoping to prod her memory and clarify the where’s and what’s of the heavenly bread she had been referring to all those years ago. Well, I didn’t need to prod at all; Simi knew exactly what I was talking about and happily shared this hidden gem. And I am likewise happy to pass it along to our readership!

Breadsmith, a kosher bakery that is part of a national franchise, is located on Avenue M, in Brooklyn, NY, between East 18th and 19th Street. I contacted the bakery’s owner, Mr. Chaim Lieff, for some background history and more information. As Mr. Lieff explained, the franchise started in Wisconsin about 30 years ago and spread across the nation; the bakery in Flatbush opened nine years ago and has, baruch Hashem, seen much hatzlachah. (A few locations of the franchise are kosher; this one is under the hashgachah of Rabbi Yechiel Babad.) All the bakeries officially have the same menu but they don’t all create the same products every day. As he explained, “In Texas, the consumer demands will be different than in Brooklyn.”

When questioned how this bakery is different from other bakeries, Mr. Lieff offered his take. Breadsmith creates artisanal breads, challah, specialty breads, and hearty pastries such as scones and healthy muffins in the time-honored traditional way. It also produces breads for high-end weddings and for restaurants, in addition to the goodies that get baked for the store. It’s famous for pretzel breads and buns, as well as its fabulous cinnamon and chocolate buns made from a heavier dough (they’re not fluffy, puffy, and yeasty) that are simply out of this world.

Breadsmith places an emphasis on wholesome baking without additives and preservatives. Breads are baked using unbleached flour, in a five-ton, European hearth stone oven. Made entirely from stone, brick, and/or clay, a European hearth-style oven features a flat baking surface, curved walls, and a beehive-shaped domed roof. To heat the hearth oven, a wood fire is built in the baking chamber and left to burn for several hours.

The bakery runs on a solid 24-hour schedule; the ovens work nonstop, around the clock. By 3:00 a.m., the morning breads are baking, and then the oven continuously turns out steaming loaves and all types of delicious products right up until 3:00 a.m. the following day, at which time the cycle begins again. This schedule sure brings the idea of fresh to its true meaning!

Getting back to the apple bread — well, if I thought I could run in and pick up a loaf to sample, I was mistaken. Mr. Lieff explained that this bread is a seasonal item, not necessarily available all year, although an order in advance would likely be filled. (And that’s actually what he did for me, way back in the middle of the summer.) He then generously shared his very unique method for this amazing bread that is just so perfect for this Yom Tov season (see recipe below).