Hey Kevin one of the bakers said something about some specific kind of yogurt in the icing, they didn’t want it to be too sweet, they didn’t want it to be like Cinnabon…
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Finally got a chance to try Lodge Bread and I can certainly see what the fuss is about. My turkey melt was OUTSTANDING. The sandwich itself was open face with a variety of delicious pickles on the side.
I also picked up some orange olive oil cake (also excellent) and a loaf of the wheat bread, a slice of which I’ll be enjoying shortly.
Can’t wait to try the pizza!
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“the” pizza changes every week.
they only serve one type of pizza at a time.
so, the thing to do is to check their facebook page before you go to see if it’s a type of pizza that appeals to you.
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I’m going against the grain… not loving the bread at Lodge.
Got the ancient grain, the “dark/burnt” crust is really unpleasant, carbon flavor overwhelms each bite. Additionally, their super wet dough technique does not seem to work… the interior was still a bit moist and probably needed more time in the oven… then again the crust would get burnt even more.
From LA Times :“You will not find country white loaves or baguettes at Lodge Bread, but rather whole-grain, long-fermented, high-hydration loaves that are baked very dark — so dark that Phaneuf says that some customers unfamiliar with the more European technique of baking high-moisture loaves until they have a thick, brown crust, complain that they’re burnt. (They are not.)”
I don’t remember eating bread this burnt in Europe 
Avocado toast was wayyyy to thick… difficult to eat especially with the hard crust. I wanted something acidic to temper the creamy avocado.
I dunno, their current popularity just feels like the early days of Starbucks …
Yikes.
I’ve only been twice, but I don’t recall seeing anything as dark as what you got. Everything I saw was a dark brown, but not burnt-black. Having said that, I also don’t ever recall seeing anything that dark brown in Europe, either.
I wonder if you got an off loaf? I think Lodge Bread is very likeable, but the production issues keep me from coming back…
Agree - the high ridges do look burnt.
Thanks for the report @Sgee. I’ve only bought 1 loaf of bread from Lodge so far (a few months ago). It wasn’t burnt like that - yikes! 
I hope that’s a fluke, or else, I’d probably skip their loaves in the future as well. Thanks.
It would not have been a surprise from the exterior appearance that it would’ve tasted of carbon; they also should not have offered it for sale (IMHO).
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Yeah I think it’s an issue with their technique. Have a relative who has gone bonkers making similar style breads at home (based on Tartine cookbook); his dough is very wet too however the crust never ends up as dark as Lodge’s… See pic below
Scroll up to see my round from a while back. While it is dark, it is definitely not burnt. This is how I remember my bread from Lodge. Their hours are two hours shorter a day now so I haven’t seen their bread in a while, but I think you have a case for a refund/comp/something to make it right.
I thought they were just living up to their super dark crust tendencies. My avocado toast was similarly charred …
I guess they’re trying to push the doneness to the limit judging by this LA Weekly article, which echoes @Sgee’s quote from the LA Times :
“They’re already brown — what some customers might think is approaching well-done — but they’re returned to the oven for a few minutes more. By the time Amsalam is satisfied, the loaves have reached a deep mahogany, with extremities as dark as anthracite.”
It’s from this article: Lodge Bread Is Breaking With Tradition — and Making Superb Loaves - LA Weekly
That said, the one loaf that I purchased a little after they opened was great and definitely not charred.
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. Perhaps this really was the outcome they were shooting for
I hope they pull back. I already felt that the crust on the bread I got (a few mos ago) was at the outer limit of doneness I can’t imagine why they think that going BEYOND that would be pleasant to anyone…
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i will defer to the experts here, and i may be misinterpreting the posts, but its my understanding the wetness of the dough is all about the hole structure rather than the moisture of the crumb or charring of the crust.
This is my understanding as well (but I’m def not an expert).
I’m also confused by what’s described in the LA Weekly article. My understanding is that the crust development mainly happens in the first 15-20 min of baking. I’ve never had an issue being able to predict the doneness and texture of the crust simply by looking at it. And the way I measure the doneness of the interior is simply by taking the temp (which usually works quite well).
I went by today at 1PM. They appeared to have sold off most loaves but the majority of the “rustic” ones remaining were charre. The rye (Pullman loaves) were not charred, as well as loaves on the top of the rack. Even the Pullman loaves used for the toast dishes appeared to have burnt crusts.
I forgot to mention that Superba Food & Bread and Rose Cafe are offering similar breads. This is only a statement on availability as I’ve yet to try either. The appearance of the breads remind me of Lodge BC (Before Charcoal). And both bake in-house.
I think either there was a menu revamp or a bake chef change at Superba because the offerings are different from what I recall for the most part, and IMHO are better.
I picked up about 6-8 items last weekend and enjoyed just about every item. The standout for me was the croissant (I think pretzel dough-based) filled with guava and cream cheese.I know many are religiously devoted to Porto’s guava filled pastry, bit to me this croissant is far better. It’s like comparing a Chevy Cruze (Portho’s) to a Lexus LS (Superba). One does the job, while the other does it with far more style and thought in its design and production. Yes, it is more expensive, but we are talking (I think it was) $3.75-4?
Mixed experience at Lodge this weekend.
Had a plainly horrible piece of banana bread. First, made on sourdough, which is just wrong. Second, texture all wrong. One of the worst pieces of banana bread I’ve ever had.
However, a very excellent slab of toast with avocado, radish, and lemon. The sourdough was perfect here, and the slight char on the corners of the bread actually added some complexity and variety to the dish.
I saw pizzas go by. There is a clear inconsistency. Some of them; half of the crust was charred. Others looked very nice. This feels like a place run by talented 22-23 year olds with clever ideas who probably should have gone and worked somewhere for a few years first. But since they have their own place, they are learning on the job. Have a feeling this will be quite good in a few years.
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