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Eat Local Bread!
Flour. Water. Yeast. Salt. This handful of ingredients makes up the base of bread dough, from baguettes to brioche, and while it seems simple enough, the factors that influence a great loaf of bread are myriad.Available in northern California Farm Boxes.
When graduate students Trudy and Mo Kalisky relocated to Davis, California from New York in 1970, it wasn’t long before they realized a great loaf of bread was hard to find in their (then-rural) new home town. Mo took matters into his own hands and began baking French-style baguettes in his home kitchen. He brought his own scientific approach to the process, spending years refining formulas, processes and techniques.
In the mid-1980s, the Kaliskys rented a small production facility and started delivering their handmade, artisan breads to restaurants and retailers in Davis and the greater Sacramento area. Henceforth, the Upper Crust Baking Co. was born. The factor that sets The Upper Crust Baking Co. apart from many other local bakeries is their commitment to the communities that support them - a "farm-to-oven" bakery. The Kaliskys proudly report, “For us, local food is not a movement; it's a way of life. And it has been ever since we opened for business 30 years ago.”
Their flours are grown in the Sacramento Valley and milled just up the road in Woodland. Their loaves are studded with nuts grown by Mariani Nut Company in Winters and seasonal produce from several other local growers. Even their sourdough levain (or natural leavener) is a pure strain of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis sourced from the UC Davis Food Science and Technology department.
As the bakery’s following has grown, so has their menu. Their offerings include delectable desserts like the traditional French Apple Tart: the perfect not-too-sweet dessert made with a cookie crust and topped with fresh granny smith apple wedges; Farm-to-Oven Oatmeal Cookies in four different varieties; and Babka: a sweet, dense bread — almost a cake — that hails from the Eastern European Jewish tradition.
The Kalisky family has just one request for you: Eat Local Bread. Check out our selection of their small-batch sweets and hand-made breads—including their award-winning Birdseed loaf, a dark, whole-wheat bread packed with walnuts, raisins and nine whole grains—when you customize your box. You can also find them at our annual farm festivals, or one of more than 40 farmers markets they participate in year-round.
How To Add Upper Crust Acres Products to Your Delivery: CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 10 p.m., 2 days before your scheduled delivery day. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood.
Header image photo credit: Upper Crust Baking Co.
