Dan the Baker in Chicago is an artisan baker specializing in breads and pastries. Not to be confused with the Dan the Baker in Columbus, this Chicago-based Dan is an Instagram-famous baker who supplies the breads and pastries for Soho House. His creations are also available for online preorder through his website, to be picked up from the coffee bar at Soho House on Fridays–Sundays. (Note: I wrote this post in October 2022 and forgot to hit publish; this information is no longer accurate. As of 2023, Dan the Baker has now moved to doing pick-ups on weekends in the Emily Hotel.)
According to the about section on his website, Dan first started baking sourdough bread from Tartine’s book, enrolled in the French Pastry School in Chicago soon after, and has gained a lot of experience in various Chicago restaurants and hotels since then. On Instagram, he seems to be most well known for his take on the cruffin, which is a pastry-cream-filled croissant variant invented by Lune Croissanterie and popularized in the U.S. by Mr. Holmes Bakehouse.
On a recent visit to Chicago, I was able to try several of Dan the Baker’s creations. Luckily for me, several new fall items had just been added to the menu.
My favorite of the baked goods that I got was the Seeded Multigrain Tin Loaf ($10). This bread is made with heirloom whole wheat and organic rye, with many seeds and grains mixed in. It’s really tasty with a great depth of flavor: simultaneously tangy and sweet, and the texture is soft, moist, and slight chewy. The loaf is also quite large, and I think it’s very much worth the price. Definitely recommended if you’re into multigrain breads.
I also tried three pastries. Regrettably they weren’t as good as the bread, but I still preferred them to the pastries available at Lost Larson.
The seasonal Pear Bostock ($5) was the best of the three pastries. This bostock is made from a croissant loaf (with a visible swirl underneath and crispy edges) dipped in simple syrup, topped with frangipane, pear slices, and oat streusel, and twice baked. I liked the moist frangipane and pear. The croissant bread itself was dry, especially on the edges, but the parts with frangipane balanced it out.
The Apple Butter Kouign Amann ($5) was another seasonal item. Compared to the pain Suisse, the laminated pastry was denser, and the pieces that flaked off were hard and crunchy. I liked the generous apple butter filling. However, as a whole it was very sweet: there was a lot of sugar caramelized on the entire surface. I personally prefer kouignoù amann that are less sweet, and would also have preferred something to balance out the sweetness from both the filling and the sugary crust.
The Pain Suisse ($6) was the most disappointing of the three pastries I tried, especially at its price point. I was excited to try it due to the lamination style, which is visually similar to the pâte feuilletée caramélisée (caramelized puff pastry) pioneered by Maxime Frédéric’s famous pain au chocolat at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. Unfortunately this pain Suisse as a whole was quite dry, with very little pastry cream inside: most of the pastry cream had seeped out the sides. The advertised Valrhona milk chocolate also was also on the sparse side. I was excited to see this style of laminated pastry here, but this item was a pass for me.
I didn’t try his cruffins this time, as I’m generally not the biggest fan of them (after trying several versions at Supermoon Bakehouse and other bakeries), but those may be the way to go here, given their popularity. On my next visit, I’d also like to try the country sourdough here. After placing my first order, I received a $5 off coupon for the next online order, which is another incentive to revisit. My overall impression is that, although I didn’t like the pastries as much as the bread here, it’s still really exciting to see these creative baked goods in Chicago—I recommend trying out Dan the Baker if something on his menu looks interesting to you. His menu is constantly changing, so be sure to check out his Instagram account to see the latest offerings.
Dan the Baker
311 N Morgan St
Chicago, IL 60607
Instagram @danthebakerchicago
https://www.danthebakerchicago.com
Will Travel for Snacks 