The Old Fashioned European way
In September 2004, Sherman and Franke took over the space of a former bakery in a strip mall that features restaurants like Islands and the International House of Pancakes. Like its immediate neighbors – a deli and a karate studio – StoneGround is nearly undistinguished in the row of retail businesses. But Sherman and Franke weren’t thinking small when they planned the business. Like any retail bakery, they wanted to feature a case of mouth-watering pastries and racks of delectable breads. But the pair also patterned their layout after up-scale restaurants with open kitchens, so customers are able to watch young bakers rolling out the pie crusts and shaping bread dough.
In their wholesale area, the space is crammed full of racks of beautiful golden breads waiting to be shipped to a variety of natural and specialty grocers. StoneGround Bakery was first approached by Whole Foods to produce kosher breads for their shelves and then added Trader Joe’s as a client. Other markets that carry StoneGround include Gelson’s, Bristol Farms, Lassen’s and Malibu’s PC Green. “These stores are carrying more kosher products today,” Franke said.
As patrons sipped coffee and devoured pastries on the bakery’s small patio, Franke took a moment out of his hectic schedule to sit down. But within a few minutes, he bolted out of his chair and darted back inside to supervise the removal of freshly baked pumpkin and blueberry pies from an industrial oven. When he returned, he held a piece of sugary crust and revealed it was made without sugar.
It’s a challenge to make sugar-free products that don’t skimp on flavor. Not to be outdone, Franke returned into the bakery and returned with a sourdough roll. He pulled off a piece, eager to demonstrate its intense sour taste. “The bad sourdoughs have an unpleasant aftertaste. We played around until we were happy with the flavor. Since we don’t use preservatives, we add honey to the dough to preserve the bread,” he said.
Franke is enthusiastic about being able to mill his own flour. He invites customers in to admire his authentic 30-year-old stone mill. He turned on the mill and demonstrated how his flour still contains all parts of the wheat. In traditional bakeries, mills leave elements on the floor that carries healthy benefits. At StoneGround, nothing goes to waste. “Very few
bakeries actually have a stone mill,” he said, beaming with pride.
The bakery produces a variety of breads, including Nine-Grain, Rosemary Rye, Sunflower and many types of Challah; including a whole-wheat, a chocolate chip, a water, and a jalapeno version, just to mention a few.
