New bakery in Edgewater specializes in laminated doughs
CHICAGO (WLS) -- There are so many bakeries in Chicago, but our Hungry Hound says each one tends to focus on a couple of things.
Inside a new Edgewater bakery, the focus is on French baguettes and croissants, made in-house each day.
The space pHlour Bakery occupies has been a bakery before, but the family now occupying it is using those ovens to bake a number of laminated doughs, like croissants, as well as freshly-baked French baguettes, that aren't as easy to find as you'd think.
Even more enticing, a number of sandwiches that rely on the freshly baked ciabattas and multigrains that emerge from those ovens each morning.
The mantra inside Edgewater's pHlour Bakery and Cafe is pretty simple.
"Laminated doughs, sourdough starters, naturally growing yeast, wild yeast," said co-owner Robert Wongkamalasai.
That results in breads - and pastries - with more complexity, more chew and more flavor.
Up in the front case, you'll spot a few scones, and some decadent pecan buns or cinnamon rolls, as well as a wall of bread; you can get those loaves to-go, or have them deployed in the service of making you a sandwich. A classic bread that works well with just about anything is the French baguette. They're made throughout the day, scored, proofed and baked to perfection.
You'll also see a number of laminated doughs - flaky, tender items like pan au chocolat, a sugary kouign aman or even a simple French croissant, which begins with dough that is run through a sheeter several times, then cut by hand into triangles, rolled-up and left to rest before baking off.
"Basically you're folding the dough on a sheeter - or you could do it at home - typically we do it on a sheeter, and you're laminating with butter, flipping it in as they call a book, the pages, you're laminating on top of each other," said Wongkamalasai.
pHlour Bakery & Cafe
1138 W Bryn Mawr Ave
(773) 293-6135
