One of the best things I’ve gleaned from working with the organizational ecosystem metaphor over the last few years is the reminder that everything impacts everything else. Which, in turn, I’ve been reminded of again by the arrival in the ZCoB of the Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter (now available at the Roadhouse, Bakehouse, and Deli). The butter is so good that it has me thinking anew about a whole host of dishes I want to revisit, but this time, with butter. Last week I wrote about one of them—the spelt chocolate chip pancakes at the Roadhouse. This week it’s another—the upcoming Special Bake of Somodi Kalács!

The name, if you don’t yet know it, is pronounced sho-MO-dee-ka-loch. If you’re not yet familiar with it, it is a particularly tasty cinnamon swirl bread that’s made in the tradition of the Transylvanian town of Torockó. The town’s website says, “‘Somodi’ is the pride of Torockó gastronomy.” Amy Emberling, long-time co-managing partner of the Bakehouse and co-author of the books Zingerman’s Bakehouse and Celebrate Every Day, shares that,

Somodi Kalács originated some 400 years ago, when the village of Torockó was a prosperous iron ore and gold mining town. The lucrative metals trade gave villagers the means to afford cinnamon and sugar, which back then were a big luxury. It was, and continues to be, served for Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, and until the 20th century, it was the customary wedding cake.

Made with organic wheat flour, Michigan honey, fresh eggs, and a sweet, buttery, cinnamon sugar swirl, the smell is amazing. The taste is even better. Sophia Gottfried, writing last fall, talked about her first trip to Transylvania:

It was easy to fall in love with Transylvania. From the moment I clambered off the small, tinny plane from Budapest at the small regional airport in Marosvásárhely, I was taken by its beauty. Rows and rows of golden sunflowers, framed by the verdant hills and rugged peaks of the Apuseni Mountains rolled by as we headed for our bed and breakfast. … I wasn’t really focused on dessert. … That is, until I tried a pastry called somodi kalács … it’s as if cinnamon-raisin bread and babka had a baby. While every meal served by our grandmotherly hosts left us stuffed, I loved the folded bread so much that our guide got the inn to pack us a honey-glazed loaf to go.

It’s much the same story all the way here in Ann Arbor. Many customers tell me they buy two—one to eat a large part of in the car on the way home, the other for the family. The Kalács is wonderful ripped right off the loaf and enjoyed with coffee. The Kalács make a killer French toast. Or I guess we could call it Transylvanian toast. The Somodi Kalács will be available at the Bakeshop, Deli, and Roadhouse this coming weekend! Like I said, they sell quickly so hop on one of the websites or pick up the phone and place your order ASAP! The Somodi Kalács is particularly appropriate this weekend for Easter. As food writer Anna Howard Shaw says, “No Hungarian Easter is complete without Kalács!”

Dinkelbrot isn’t Zingmerman’s Bakehouse’s best seller, but it might have some of the most loyal fans. And for good reason—it’s a terrific, very traditionally made bread. As it would be in the best bakeries in Germany, it’s made using freshly milled heirloom grains! In its homeland, Dinkelbrot would likely be found in every good bakery; here in the U.S., it’s a rare and special treat!

While most of the breads we know from French tradition are primarily made of wheat, German baking relies much more on other grains. The colder, darker, damper climate in most of what is now Germany is more conducive to rye, barley, and spelt. (Remember that Germany as it exists today dates back only to 1871—before that, it was, like most of the world, made up of a series of smaller independent and semi-independent principalities and kingdoms.) These grains typically have more fragile gluten as far as baking goes; so, breads made with them tend to have shorter fermentation times and benefit from the souring process. Dinkelbrot is a showcase for this traditional way of making bread.

Here at the Bakehouse, we make to the specifications we learned from Elisabeth Kreutzkamm-Aumueller and head baker Tino Gierig at the Dresdner Backhaus in eastern Germany. We use organic spelt—grown in Michigan or a neighboring state—that’s milled fresh on-site and leavened with our rye starter, which also features freshly milled grain and a pinch of yeast. We add a bit of mashed potatoes for moistness, spelt flakes and sunflower seeds for extra nuttiness and crunch, honey and malt for sweetness, spices for liveliness, and dress the whole loaves in a coat of even more sunflower seeds. Dinkelbrot is a delicious loaf.

It’s got a big, full flavor; a firm, chewy texture; and a subtle touch of sweetness in the finish. It would be terrific underneath some of the many great sardines we have on hand at the Deli. I love it toasted with Creamery Cream Cheese, then sprinkled with some of the amazingly aromatic wild cumin we get through Épices de Cru in Canada. At our house, we simply spread it with the Vermont Creamery cultured butter that’s been winning raves on the Bakehouse bread service at the Roadhouse (yes, we sell it by the piece for butter lovers who want to take it home). It’s terrific with butter and smoked salmon as well. A taste of German tradition here in Ann Arbor.

P.S. Want to make Dinkelbrot at home? The write-up is on pages 199 and 200 in the Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook.

P.P.S. Want to ship it to San Antonio or South Carolina? You bet!

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