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34 nshoremag.com August 2014
BAKERY, BREAD
A&J King Artisan Bakers
48 Central St., Salem, 978-744-4881, ajkingbakery.com
➡
With a wildly popular ne w cookbook to their credit, Bak-
ing By Hand: Make the Best Ar tisan Breads and Pastries Better
Without a Mixer, Andy and Jackie King have done what seemed
impos sible—ele vated their Central Street baker y e ver higher.
Based in Salem, but well known all over the Nor th Shore for
their ar tisan breads and pastries, the couple claims they "are
not doing anything new, just something that has been forgot-
ten." That may be true, but they are cer tainly doing something
hard to find: unplugged-style baking. For a selection of yeasty
yumminess that includes marinated olive sourdough, brown ale
and barley bread, English muf fin toasting bread,
sweet corn and cherr y tomato focaccia, and
oatmeal cinnamon raisin loaf—there is no place
like A& J King Ar tisan Bakers. The "time, ef for t,
and especially patience" they devote to their
dough is evident in ever y bite—always fresh,
always excellent. It is said that a good baker
has a healthy nose for testing fermentation;
a skilled hand for kneading, molding, and
shaping; and a keen eye for telling when
dough is ready for the oven and bread is
ready to eat. A& J King 's bakers are mas-
ters at all of the above.
READERS' CHOICE
A&J KING ARTISAN BAKERS
PHOTOGRAPH
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NB_KJ_NS August BONS_Dine.indd 34 6/20/14 10:14 AM
