Labriola

White-out conditions with visibility less than two feet are normal in most from-scratch bakeries when the benches are dusted with flour. And at Labriola Baking Company, it's no different.

 

White-out conditions with visibility less than two feet are normal in most from-scratch bakeries when the benches are dusted with flour.

And at Labriola Baking Company, it's no different.

The power behind the flour of the seven-year-old Alsip, Ill., operation is Rich Labriola and his wife Stephanie, both 36. Their merry band of breadheads numbers 35 and together they produce 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of dough and 6,000 to 8,000 loaves of bread daily in a cavernous 16,000-square-foot warehouse-turned-bakery.

A successful bread distributor and connoisseur for many years, Labriola wanted to bring a great-tasting product to the Chicago and Northwest Indiana areas. His desire to cultivate the bread palates of the Midwest sent him into hock when he opened his own bakery in 1993.

There was one small problem -- he didn't know how to make bread! He had had his hands in dough from a young age as a pizza twirler at his father's business in Calumet City, Ill., but bread making was not one of his talents. Not yet, that is.

Labriola traveled throughout the United States learning by doing. He studied at the National Baking Center in Minneapolis, San Francisco Baking Institute and the CIA in the Napa Valley, and started to develop a passion for European-style breads and rolls known as artisan breads.

Artisan breads are so called because they're made by craftsmen, not well diggers as those who erroneously call them "artesian" breads would lead you to believe.

And the hallmark of a good artisan bread is that it isn't perfect. Unlike the mass-produced clones swaddled in plastic bags lined up on grocery-store shelves, handmade breads are individual.

Some other things to look for are a chewy, chestnut-colored crust with a "spit" or ridge of crust that sticks out on the top, a cream-colored crumb with large holes, and the absence of a yeasty, beer-hall smell which so many consumers have come to equate with good bread.

The ingredients listed on the label should be basic -- flour, water, yeast, salt and possibly nuts, vegetables or fruit. Anything beyond that might signal that a mix with additives was used.

Labriola uses no mixes, preservatives or mold inhibitors. "Artisan breads are simple. The idea is to be able to taste the bread's flavor, which means not eating it warm," he says.

All good artisan breads start with a three-part sourdough process. A culture is started and fed, the resulting levain is used to ferment the bread dough, and a little of the culture is always reserved and fed with more flour and water to keep it alive for the next batch.

After mixing with the sourdough levain, Labriola's bread receives two to six hours of floor time and then bakers hand shape the products. They're proofed in canvas or linen "couches" (pronounced "koosh") and then rest in a retarder for at least two hours. This allows for a long, slow rise which is necessary to produce the open crumb and to develop the flavor.

After proofing, Labriola's artisan products are baked in deck and stone-hearth Gouet ovens which provide the bottom heat necessary to produce the characteristic hard, thick crusts of Old-World breads.

"We bake as late as we can to make sure customers receive the freshest product possible in the morning," Labriola said.

Labriola's first artisan bread customer was Spago Restaurant in Chicago. After he had developed an artisan line, he armed himself with samples and presented them to the general manager. The restaurant was sold on the product.

When calling on prospective accounts, Labriola shows a variety of the day's production without selecting only items with perfect shapes and color. "Bread, particularly artisan products, can be slightly different from one day to the next," he said. "I explain this and show the product. This keeps customer's expectations at realistic levels and helps to avoid disappointment. It's also the honest way to present product."

Spago's Sous Chef Chris Opper said "We get a daily delivery of 40 loaves of fresh, flavorful, versatile product. Its appearance is top notch and the walnut bread is a customer favorite."

Gale Gand, co-owner with her husband Rick Tramonto of TRU in Chicago and Brasserie T in Northfield, Ill., said she first tasted Labriola bread at Spago about two years ago.

"When we were looking for great new breads for Brasserie T, I remembered them. We started buying demi-baguettes as well as brioche loaves and hamburger buns. Then Rich was willing to baby me through the process of developing some breads that I would fall in love with for TRU. The product has wonderful flavor, texture and depth. Rich has a lot of integrity and when he brings me samples, I know he's lost sleep over them. It's in his bones. He loves what he's doing and that's the kind of people I want to surround myself with."

In his pursuit of the perfect product, Labriola says he's thrown tons of dough away. "But that's how you learn, and I'm still learning." His wife, Stephanie, adds, "And if the baked product isn't up to Rich's standards, it gets deep-sixed, too." Labriola countered with "I live and die by the bread we produce."

Jack Mix, owner of the Hoosier Cafe in Schererville, Ind., says, "Rich's bakery has grown by leaps and bounds; he's not a mom-and-pop operation anymore. He makes mini sourdough loaves for my Wanderer sandwich and couronnes for our buffet table and salad bar. We also use filone which is a denser bread that Rich really excels at. Another great bread is his Heinz, a mixture of wheat, rye and sourdough topped with cracked grain."

Labriola believes in personal service and is constantly developing new product based on a customer's needs. That's one of the things Executive Chef Greg Kretschmar of Andorra Restaurant in Schererville, Ind., loves. "Rich is very accommodating in that he will make anything special I ask for."

Labriola's daily deliveries have also set them apart from other bakeries. Executive Sous Chef Jim Galligan of Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Ind., relies on it. "We get a delivery around 7 or 8 a.m. every day which means we have fresh product for lunch. We use their multi-grain, wheat and French rolls, and tomato focaccia. You can't beat the product."

But artisan products aren't the only breads cranked out of the baking company. It also produces a commercial line including white sandwich bread, hot dog, hamburger and hoagie buns.

Anthony De Rosa of De Rosa Imports in Griffith, Ind., says he was cautious at first. "Then we just started moving tons of his bread. We get 30 loaves a day. I'm Italian and I know good bread -- this is the real thing."

Today, Labriola Baking Company has grown to a customer base of over 200 in the Greater Chicago Area, Northwest Indiana, and Southwest Michigan.

Some of his other well-known customers Spago, TRU, Brasserie T, the Four Seasons Hotel, Luigi's House, Gibson's Steak House, Hugo's Frog Bar, McCormick Place, and Ravinia.

Labriola's product line has expanded to include over 200 commercial and artisan items and Rich and Stephanie plan to open a retail bakery on the premises in the near future. But for now, if you call a day ahead ((708) 385-4884), they'll be happy to accommodate your pick-up order. You might consider the dark raisin rye. Wow!

 

Add to: Facebook Myspace del.icio.us | Digg Google Furl reddit