Where to buy po boy bread

Berry Ellis is a baker at John Gendusa Bakery in New Orleans, where he helps supply the city with its traditional po-boy bread, on September 19, Jason Gendusa tends the mixer at his family's John Gendusa Bakery, one of the last suppliers of traditional New Orleans po-boty bread. Gendusa said the texture of the dough in the mixer is a key step. September 19, Carlos Lopez and his co-workers prepare dough at John Gendusa Bakery for the traditional New Orleans po-boy loaves they supply to their city's restaurants, on September 19, French bread cools at John Gendusa Bakery, one of the last New Orleans bakeries producing traditional po-boy bread, on September 19, They are bound for restaurants and po-boy shops around the city, on September 19, John Gendusa Bakery employees work in French bread dough while other loaves await bagging and delivery at the traditional New Orleans bakery, on September 19, John Gendusa Bakery driver Thomas Robinson gathers French bread for his daily delivery early in the morning on September 20, John Gendusa Bakery sends its distinctive, long po-boy loaves out to restaurants around New Orleans in brown paper sacks, on September 20, Reising's bread, now produced by Leidenheimer Baking Co.

A special at Mahony's Po-boys is an old-fashioned shrimp po-boy, finished with just pickles, lemon and butter. Behind its door, temperature and humidity are controlled and carefully monitored throughout the day. It has to be exceptional every time someone comes here and bites into it. The particulars of its flavor, its texture, its aroma, even the sound of its crunch — all of this distinguishes the po-boy from any other sandwich. The bread makes the po-boy.

Over a span of decades, the list of bakeries producing traditional po-boy bread has dwindled. In September, their ranks took a jolting hit when the Alois J. Binder Bakery shuttered after a long decline. While the Binder family has not addressed their intentions for the business, the old bakery in Faubourg Marigny remains idle, and deliveries to restaurants and groceries abruptly ceased.

City Hall is suing the bakery for back taxes. That leaves practically all the production of traditional New Orleans po-boy bread in the hands of just two suppliers: Leidenheimer Baking Co. La Louisiane is another local wholesale supplier based in Harahan, producing bread next to its cakes and specialty desserts. There is also bread from local Vietnamese bakeries, where the light, crisp-crusted loaves used for banh mi have similarities to the New Orleans classic.

What happens if we only have one left? Traditional New Orleans po-boy bread stands in stark contrast to the revival of artisan baking now so evident around the country, and in New Orleans, with its focus on long fermentation, heirloom wheats and Old World character.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then shape each piece into a ball and cover with greased plastic wrap, while you prepare a clean, lightly floured or lightly greased work surface. The plastic wrap will keep any waiting dough soft and moist as you shape the loaves. Roll each piece of dough into a 16" x 3" log. Place on two parchment-lined baking sheets, putting two on each pan.

Flatten the logs slightly; they should be a bit less round than a typical baguette, with more interior surface area for sandwich fillings. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let them rise for 1 hour. Place the risen loaves in the oven and bake them for 30 minutes, or until they're deep golden brown. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking time top to bottom, bottom to top.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool it on a rack before using it to make sandwiches. View our privacy policy. Save Recipe. Their pistolettes were awesome. Joined Sep 27, Messages 12, Reaction score 6, Age TPS said:. Click to expand Have you tried Central Market? We usually just buy something from the Kroger bakery and toast it in the oven.

Good luck. NCSaint Guest. We have now bought it a few times. Loafes are abit small but tasty. I've tried that, but invariably the bread is just too doughy.

I've actually tried cutting out some of the middle just to correct the fried-stuff-to-bread ratio. NCSaint said:. If you want to experiment with that loaf bread, you can try brushing some egg wash over it before baking. That would give it a more crunchy exterior. As for making it less dense, I'm not sure if this would work, but you could try prepping it on a cookie pan and covering it with a warm towel and see if it rises for an hour or 2 before baking.

Any additional rising would make it less dense. I tried this last night and was pleasantly surprised! It doesn't have the exact same texture as traditional po-boy bread, but it was darn good French bread, better than I've found. I could probably just try baking it for a little longer to dry it out a bit to get that Reisings texture.

In any case, it should be a tasty experiment. Thanks for the tip!