Our favorite recipes have been handed down from generation to generation. Using the finest ingredients, we make artisanal bakes, emphasizing flavor and beauty.

Selling at the Rappahannock County Farmers Market, at local events, or at our Bakeshop by appointment. Call or email to order ahead.

Breads

Challah

  • The challah recipe is from my cousin Betty, which I adapted by adding in a touch of whole wheat flour. I can’t resist topping it all off with a selection of seeds. In 2001, while living in Albuquerque, on a whim, I took the bread to the New Mexico State Fair, where it won two ribbons—one of the blue.

Sourdough Rye

  • Doug developed the sourdough starter for this rye during the U.S. Government shut down in 2018, when he was briefly sent home on furlough. He’s always loved a good rye, and after years of fine tuning his craft, this bread checks all the boxes—flavorful and crusty, with a great “ear.”

Marbeled Wheat

  • A whole wheat with coffee and molasses dough is swirled with an enriched white dough—boosted with wheat germ, resulting in a complex, full-flavored loaf.

Bagels

  • These are classic bagels, boiled and then baked, for a deliciously chewy bite. In plain or seeded.

Specialties

Mini Babkas

  • Like a traditional babka, this starts out with the thinnest possible roll-out of our buttery yeasty dough. We then slather on honey, and either jam, cinnamon-raisin-pecan, or a rich chocolate filling, then tightly roll it all up. The final step is to cut through the roll to reveal the beautiful, filled layers, and then to watch it rise as it bakes.

  • The dough is Ida’s Yeast Dough, from my grandmother’s childhood friend, Ida.

Rugelah

  • My mother Ruth’s favorite! These elegant and delicate pastries are filled with meringue or jam, then rolled into lovely crescents. The yeast dough is rich with butter, cream cheese, and sour cream.

  • Our family calls these Gert’s Yeast Cookies, from my grandmother’s younger sister, Gert Perlin Slotin, who was born in 1909.

Florentines

  • A snappy almond toffee, infused with orange zest, dipped in dark chocolate.

Jam

  • Our jams are fruit-forward, meaning we process using only the minimum amount of sugar necessary to smoothly set the fruit. All berries are organic—some are picked right on our property. Stone fruits (plums, peaches, nectarines, and cherries) are all sourced from local Rappahannock orchards.

  • I learned jam-making from my grandmother, using no added pectin, rather waiting for the jam to “sheet” off the spoon as a visual guide to a perfect set. I make small batches at a time, cooked in a copper jam pot. Using the minimal amount of sugar necessary to set the jam, results in an intense fruit-forward flavor.

Babkas | Chocolate or Cinnamon-filled

  • Generously filled with our deluxe chocolate blend; or go for our honey-rich cinnamon filling. Either babka will serve 6–8 at your next brunch, or slice away to enjoy all week.

Cookies and Scones

Lemon-Blueberry Scones

  • We make these flaky scones one batch at a time, filling them with organic wild blueberries and a good measure of fresh lemon zest, then top the pastry with a full-flavored lemon icing.

  • This recipe is from my friend Annie, whose advice, “too much liquid is death to scones,” we faithfully follow.

Triple-Ginger Scones

  • If you’re a ginger lover, this scone is for you, made with dry ginger, generous chunks of crystalized ginger, and a dash of ginger liquor, then topped with ginger sugar.

Orange Pecan Scone with Maple Bourbon Icing

  • Flavor is the star of this flaky gem, made with fresh orange zest and real maple syrup, then glazed with Copper Fox Bourbon icing and sprinkled with toasted pecans.

Mandel Bread

  • Flaky, buttery, crisp, these little gems are cookie perfection. (Not biscotti—but what biscotti wish they were!)

  • The recipe comes from my grandmother, Mollye Perlin Kahn, who was born in Chicago in 1900. My cousin Donna (both of us named after Mollye and Gert’s mother, Dora) says, “I always keeps mandel bread in my freezer. It’s a company favorite.”

Chocolate-Chunk Whiskey and Rye Cookie

  • The cookies—our creation—are made using local Copper Fox rye whiskey (just a touch adds a slightly smoky flavor), dark chocolate chunks, a bit of rye flour, and a measure of freshly grated orange zest. We finish the cookies with a light dusting of Aleppo pepper and flaked sea salt.

  • “It’s hard to describe the taste of chocolate melting in your mouth, pepper hot on your tongue, and zesty orange dancing through it all, as whisky warms your throat. You can either trust us that it’s delicious, or try for yourself.”
    –Copper Fox Distillery

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownie

  • A layer of chocolate chip cheesecake tops our rich dark chocolate brownie, giving the best of two bakes.

  • This was inspired by a cupcake we first had in Denali Alaska, in 1991, at the home of our good friend Donna. That cupcake had a dollop of cheesecake in the middle, which we’ve adapted to top our family’s favorite brownie.

Sunflower Oatmeal Cookie

  • Classic goodness with lots of extras—sunflower seeds, flaked coconut, walnuts, and jumbo organic black raisins.

Espresso Swirls

  • Shortbread cookie generously speckled with Lavazza espresso and topped with a mocha swirl.