Freedman’s Bakery. Belmar, New Jersey. Photo by Hoola Frank of Ocean Grove, undated.
To the Editor:
One of the many pleasures of summer in Ocean Grove is the corn rye bread sold at the OG Bake Shop and baked by Freedman’s in Belmar. It was the real deal: dense; thick, chewy crust; and full of rye flavor. So imagine my disappointment when we bought our first loaf this morning only to discover that the company that bought the recipe is not making the same bread.
The new corn rye is bloated (it doesn’t even fit in our over sized bread box), cottony, thin crust and with a vaguely rye flavor. I don’t like to criticize unless a resolution is available. Obviously, the old corn rye, reminiscent of our childhoods and the Jewish bakeries that dotted every Long Island town, could be made again. And the recipe exists.
The owner of the recipe just needs to learn the proper technique. And he or she needs to know what they are going for (had they ever tasted the original?) Maybe with a posting on the Blogfinger, they will be prompted to make the changes necessary to create that heavenly rye bread again.
MARYBETH ROBB
Ocean Grove, N.J. July 4, 2014
Remembering old Jewish recipes: KLEZMER CONSERVATORY BAND with “A Freylekhe Nacht”
Rye bread fans may also want to check out the Russian Rye sold at the ShopRite in Neptune….I think it’s even better than the Pechter’s bread at Wegmans
Thank you, both for posting the plea for an authentic Rye and for the tip on Wegmans! Now, if I could only find a really good hard roll. The Long Island bakeries and delis have them, but since my last Kneip’s kaiser roll, I have not had a great one.
When we interviewed Mark Freedman, the 5th generation baker who was presiding over the closure of that landmark, we discussed all those old-world Jewish (i.e. Eastern European) unique baked goods that they sold; he told me that he was trying to sell or give his recipes to other bakers. He specifically mentioned their Kaiser rolls, but we remember fondly their challah breads, babkas, Danish and other delicious items.
Here is the link:
http://blogfinger.net/2013/09/26/freedmans-gone-not-so-fast-we-have-news/
However, Wegmans (Ocean) carries the famous Pechter’s Jewish rye bread from Harrison, NJ. It is wonderful, and you can get it with those dark seeds or without. If you go to the bakery at Wegmans, and facing their display of rolls, turn around and you will find those rye breads. They are the best!—-Paul