Owner and head baker Ryan Morgan’s journey from mechanic and engineer to artisan baker shapes Sixteen Bricks, a Cincinnati bakery and wholesaler serving chefs and discerning customers. The bakery handmakes each loaf after a slow natural fermentation, using a restrained formula centered on wheat flour, water, salt and sometimes yeast. Its work also supports second chances and community partnerships, tying breadmaking to a broader purpose in Cincinnati.
Bakehouse Bread & Cookie CompanySince 1997, family-owned Bakehouse Bread & Cookie Company has been hand-shaping artisan breads and baking pastries and cookies daily in downtown Troy, Ohio. Founded by Margaret Begg after training at the Culinary Institute of America and apprenticing under a French master baker, the bakery now operates under her son Bryan Begg, continuing its whole-food approach with naturally leavened breads that take up to 72 hours from start to finish. Its bakery café also serves fresh breakfast, lunch, and catering for the local community.TROY, OH
Bien CuitSince opening in Brooklyn in 2011, Bien Cuit has built its name on dark, deeply caramelized breads and pastries made with old-fashioned care. Chef-owner Zachary Golper’s bakery mixes small batches, shapes loaves by hand, and uses slow fermentation lasting up to 68 hours before baking daily in Brooklyn. Its regional flour sourcing and distinctive approach have earned recognition including five James Beard Outstanding Baker finalist nominations and a Bon Appétit nod for its baguette.BROOKLYN, NY
Mancini's BakerySince Italian immigrant James Mancini began baking in 1926, Mancini’s Bakery has made Pittsburgh bread, including its trademark hand-twisted Signature Twist. Still family-owned and operated, the McKees Rocks bakery uses many of the same old-world techniques while baking around the clock and producing more than 10,000 loaves a day with a team of 48 Pittsburghers. The bakery also runs a retail shop in the Strip District and supplies local retailers and restaurants.MC KEES ROCKS, PA
Athens Bread CompanyFounded in Athens, Ohio, in 2014, Athens Bread Company is a bakery where Pastry Chef Carly Willison and Dane Waller handcraft breads and pastries using traditional techniques. Carly, who previously worked at the bakery, now leads its baking with recipes shaped by years of experimentation and ingredients sourced as locally as possible. The bakery also donates extra loaves and pastries each week to United Campus Ministry and works with nearby farms and food businesses.ATHENS, OH