Good Bakeries in Edinburgh, Scotland
Just thought I'd put in a couple of recommendations for good bread in my local town of Edinburgh, having just today eaten a fantastic baguette from a new Scottish-French(?) bakery.
'The Wee Boulangerie' produces French style artisan bread and it actually compares very favourably to the real French bread I had on holiday in Brittany this year. It is the most authentically French bread I have had outside of France, and is in fact better than quite a lot of bread I've had in France.
http://www.theweeboulangerie.co.uk/
Peter's Yard is a Swedish artisan bakery and café opposite my University, which produces very high quality sourdough artisan bread of the sort with a tough crust and holey, chewy crumb and excellent flavour. It has some quite bizarre and intriguing flavours sometimes, such as artichoke or spinach. Their rye bread is also very good and flavoursome. They seriously know their stuff, and have a lot of good pastries and cakes too.
Valvona and Crolla, an Italian Delicatessen with a long history, are responsible for my idea of what sourdough bread should taste like. Their sourdough loaves are sour in a way nothing else I've tasted has been, and on a good day their bread is unbelievably tasty and addictive. Unlike the other two I recommend, the crumb of these loaves tends to be quite dense, but when the bread is also soft, in combination with the sour flavour it just makes it all the more addictive. This is also a good place for fancy Italian food of any description.
http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/index.html
Some other honourable mentions include Hendersons, who have a.. unique.. approach to baking, and produce tasty though rather dry and dense wholemeal loaves and rolls that aren't quite like anywhere else.
http://www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk/
Also Falko Konditormeister, a German bakery with dense, heavy, flavoursome breads, including rye bread. They seem to be more a specialist in unbelievably fancy looking cake.
YEEEESSSSSS! I was in Edinburgh this summer three months with my family and I had time to find good bakeries. I like Peter Yard and his bread, but also his cappuccino (the best in the city not so hot, not too much coffee, great foam!) I was there almost everyday after shopping something to eat at Sainsbury!
I agree with your opinion about Valvon & Crolla's bread which I buied at Farmer Market in Castle Terrace. Their sourdough bread is similar to mine and is San Francisco-like.
I'm really sorry 'cause I haven't tasted the German Bakery delicatessen in Bruntsfield, but I stopped before smelling the chocolate flavour coming out from The Chocolate Tree and I entered to try something inside (vegan chocolate tart and luxurious hot chocolate GORGEOUS by the way).
But I have a bakery to suggest you quite near your location if you live in the University Quarters: The Pine Tree Bakery-Home Street 64 in front of the King's Theatre (south Toll Cross). They have a wonderful sourdough bread not acid, but sweet, golden crust middle rye bread.
If you go in the evening there are hot loaves on the racks and you can pick up your by yourself! Bread is cheap: 1,30pounds/loaf (800g circa).
I MISS EDINBURGH SOOOO MUCH! Have a good time there! Cheer ya!
PS Can I post some pictures of my home-made-edinburgh-bread?
I used really good Allinson strong meal.
Glad you enjoyed your stay in Edinburgh, it is a great and quite unique town, even if I do say so myself. I actually have always lived near Edinburgh and have been studying at Edinburgh University for many years, from undergraduate up to postgraduate level. As such I feel embarassed that I have not heard of the Pine Tree bakery! I really need to go take a look, it sounds great, thanks for the recommendation. The Chocolate Tree sounds great too, especially seeing as some people in my family are vegan. I probably have seen it but just not given it the notice it deserves.
I was sorry to see last time I was in the Brunstfield area that the Peckhams delicatessen has gone, replaced by a run of the mill Sainsburys supermarket. That place did some decent bread as well as many interesting local produce. The Peckhams branch up in Newington is still there, thankfully. Their onion bread is particularly good, though their bread is otherwise a tad dry in my experience, but they have plenty of interest to anyone fond of interesting food.
I'm somewhat relieved to find you think Valvona and Crolla tastes like a sourdough should, though I really wish I could replicate something like that in my own kitchen! My attempt at sourdough was.. well, pretty much nothing like it. And other bakeries tend also to have varying results with regards sourdough. Supermarkets like Tesco and Marks and Spencers have their own attempts at sourdough, and it really is very different and not nearly as good as the very obviously sour Valvona and Crolla stuff.
Also your homemade bread looks good! I use Allisons flour on occasion myself, though mostly the white stuff. My favourite wholewheat flour other than rye is definitely granary- that sweet, wholegrain flavour is great.
I live just on the links at Bruntsfield, and apart from eating my own bread, I go to Falko, Pine Tree and Andante in Morningside http://www.bakeryandante.co.uk/. I believe Peckhams get their bread from "The Breadwinner"which is a wholesale bakery owned and run by Sean McVey who also does breadmaking courses. www.thebreadwinner.co.uk. Best wishes Nici