Aki’s Breadhaus landed in Northeast Minneapolis in 2010, after architect turned baker Aki Berndt struck a chord with his carbs at local farmers markets. Nine years into it, his bakery is a cornucopia of German, French, and Scandinavian delights, including rustic pan loaves, seasonal fruit streusels, and hot salty pretzels.
His heirloom wheat loaf is made with Red Fife whole wheat flour grown and milled in Minnesota, while his lovely cardamom twists put a Scandi spin on hefe-zopf, a classic German sweet bread. We did flips over Berndt’s dense fermented sourdough rye studded with sunflower seeds, as well as his bauernbrot, a dark sourdough that can be difficult to find outside of Germany. Next on our list to try: a sweeter rye boule made with dried currants and molasses, a tradition from Aki’s hometown of Mönchengladbach.
Aki’s Breadhaus
2506 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN; 612-578-7897.