The bakers and pastry chefs at Pine Street are up early each morning to make sure shelves are stocked before its 7 a.m. opening. Pine Street uses local ingredients that change depending on availability.
The bakers and pastry chefs at Pine Street are up early each morning to make sure shelves are stocked before its 7 a.m. opening. Pine Street uses local ingredients that change depending on availability.
HOOD RIVER — “Given how small the space is and how little equipment we have to work with, we do make a lot of bread,” said Erin Fusco, lead bread baker at Pine Street Bakery, a staple on the Hood River Heights.
Erin Fusco, lead bread baker at Pine Street Bakery.
Helen R. Richardson photo
They bake roughly 150 pounds of dough each day to create two to three dozen loaves, and, in peak season, 100 or more baguettes. In addition to the baguettes, they make ciabatta, sourdough, white and multi-grain sandwich loaves; seeded loaves with sesame, flax, sunflower, and poppy; brioche, challah, and more.
Daily bread actually starts the day before, with mixing and fermenting the dough, shaping, and then a second cold fermentation overnight.
“That’s going to develop more flavor rather than just direct yeast and then into the oven,” Fusco said. The bakers’ days start very early between 4-5 a.m. so they have the bread ready for customers when Pine Street opens at 7 a.m. “There’s a lot of mental timers happening and keeping track of product,” said Fusco.
“People ask, ‘why would you wake up at 3 in the morning to go bake bread?’ Well, people eat it for breakfast,” said Mckenzie Moore, the mixer. “If I had a problem with the hours and didn’t love it then I probably wouldn’t be here. I love it, so the hours are fine. There’s just so much information and it’s all fascinating and interesting.”
On the pastry side of the kitchen, Isabel Castillo runs a tight ship, having worked her way up from a dish washer. The pastry chefs begin even earlier than the bread bakers — at 3 a.m. — so the laminates like croissants and hand pies have time to rise. The day before they prep their wet and dry ingredients so they can get a jump start on baking.
It takes a lot of knowledge to balance baking time and proofing temperatures because the weather affects the way the dough bakes each day.
A selection of cookies at Pine Street Bakery.
Helen R. Richardson photo
“It’s very technical,” said Castillo. “I love when I see everything ready. It’s very pretty,” she said.
The bake case stays relatively similar each day, with seasonal fruit rotations because Pine Street is dedicated to using local ingredients that change depending on availability.
“I like to play with the muffins and croissants and using different flavors and fruits,” said Castillo.
Each day they go through seven dozen eggs and even more in the busy season, when they can double their quantities. Their baseline sales for muffins are 300 per day. Working with those numbers has caused sourcing difficulties at times.
“It’s hard because we buy local organic eggs,” but their need in the summers can sometimes outpace the availability. “This bakery is trying to support all local farms,” said Castillo.
Premade sandwiches at Pine Street Bakery.
Helen R. Richardson photo
On their website, a list of their partner farms and growers can be found.
Pine Street goods aren’t just sold at the bakery, however. They can also be found at Camp 1805 at the waterfront, Double Mountain, Ferment, Full Sail, Marchesi Vineyards & Winery, Solstice Pizza, and many more — which can also be found on their website.
Pine Street Bakery is at 1103 12th St. on the Hood River Heights and is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, check out wwww.pinestreetbakery.com.
Erin Fusco, lead bread baker at Pine Street Bakery.
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