La Saison Bakery has generated a lot of buzz since it opened in Cambridge, MA, including a lot of positive coverage by Eater and a spot on Food & Wine’s list of the best bread in every state. They’re gained a loyal following in the few years they’ve been open, and they recently opened a new outpost at the Time Out Market Boston.
The head baker and co-owner Soheil Fathi comes from Tehran, where he first founded La Saison as a high-end chocolatier; after moving to the U.S. he worked as a pastry chef at Flour Bakery before reopening La Saison as a bakery. They specialize in sourdough breads but also carry a range of sweets and highly-praised viennoiseries; several of their products (such as their pistachio-rosewater cookies) reference the bakery’s Iranian roots.
I visited the bakery twice on two separate trips to Cambridge (prior to my recent Paris trip), and across these visits have been able to sample a few of their products. They’re very popular, so I made sure to come early lest the items that I wanted were sold out. They also have online preorders available, which I recommend taking advantage of if you plan on visiting and have your sights set on a specific item.
Of the items I’ve tried, my favorites were the sourdough breads. I was told by an employee that the breads are very popular and usually sell out by around 8:15 or 8:30 a.m. on weekends. The breads are all made with the same bread flour and stone ground whole wheat flour base (except the yogurt sourdough, which includes yogurt). They’re available in half loaves ($6+) or in full loaves ($10+).
The sourdough bread ($6 for half loaf) had a soft, light, moist-ish crumb and a thin, chewy crust. The flavor of the bread was slightly sour and had a slightly sweet wheat flavor. I’m more used to breads made with less refined grains so this felt pretty white to me. Although it wasn’t the best bread I’ve had, it was still pretty tasty, and it’s a good option for a lighter and softer sourdough.
The fig and walnut sourdough ($6.50 for half loaf) was similar, as one would expect since the dough base is the same. It’s not the best fig bread ever, but it’s still tasty and has a nice soft crumb.
I also liked the cherry oat cookie ($3.50) and the Madagascar vanilla bean pound cake ($4.80). The cherry oat cookie was great: slightly nutty, buttery, and with a strong oatmeal flavor. It was hearty and just the right level of sweet, and the cherries added a nice tartness.
The Madagascar vanilla bean pound cake ($4.80) was very buttery with a soft, dense, almost powdery crumb. I thought the main flavor was butter but I could definitely taste (and see) the vanilla. It’s simple but pretty good.
The feta za’atar scones ($4.90) are very popular. They’re buttery and cheesy with a soft, dense-ish texture. I found them a bit fatty for my taste, but they’re one of the bakery’s best-sellers, so they’re definitely worth trying if a savory cheesy scone appeals to you.
The viennoiseries here have received a lot of positive press, and I was looking forward to trying them. Unfortunately, I found them to be just okay and quite pricey. The French croissant ($4.70) had a slightly sweet, fairly buttery flavor, but it wasn’t the flakiest and I thought the texture could be lighter.
The kouign-amann ($5.20) was denser and significantly sweeter than the croissant. It’s made with their croissant dough layered with vanilla sugar; I liked the crunchy top but wasn’t wowed by it overall, especially for the price.
They also serve sourdough pizza, priced at $7 per slice for cheese pizza and $8 per slice for specialty flavors. At a staff member’s recommendation, I tried a slice with eggplant and found it to be just okay and quite oily. The sauce was quite salty, and for the $8 price tag I really wasn’t impressed. I was similarly disappointed by the iced spicy chai ($4.80), which tasted mainly of milk and was not spicy at all; I’m still looking for a chai that can rival Small World Coffee in Princeton, NJ.
In general I found the items I tried here to range from pretty okay to good, with the breads being the best. However, as you can see from my post, the prices are very high, and personally I’m not sure if the quality is reflected by the prices. I’m glad I tried them to satisfy my curiosity, but I don’t think I would repurchase any of the above items at their current price points.
La Saison Bakery
407 Concord Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-547-0009
Instagram @lasaisonbakery
https://www.lasaison-bakery.com/
Will Travel for Snacks 