Grandaisy Bakery

On West 72nd Street, a high-energy buzz hovers over the sidewalks. People, all seemingly busy and many weighted by shopping bags, flit from street corner to street corner. Amidst the hubbub on the corner of 72nd and Broadway, there is a quiet respite that glows warmly onto the sidewalk in front of its entrance­—Grandaisy Bakery.

The bakery is a one-room space with bright subway tiles and light wooden shelving. It is tiny, but cozy, with just enough room for a modest counter and a couple of metal stools that look out onto the street. You can see the kitchen’s big ovens from the door.

An assortment of pastries stood behind the glass of the bakery case, arranged neatly in peppy little lines. Behind that, on a long shelf, freshly baked bread towered as many as four loaves high, with wholesome-looking baskets filled with rolls.

Enthused, I sized up the loaves and decided on four: one ciabatta, one round olive bread (“pane alla olive”), an enormous loaf of sesame bread (“sesamo”), and a half-loaf of seven grain bread (“sette grani”).

I also got a fruit tart (“tortino di frutta”), and at the last minute, I asked for a few of the golden almond biscotti from the glass jar on the countertop—at three for $1.25, I couldn’t resist. I paid about $25 for everything, piled the loaves into an enormous brown bag, and found a spot by the window.

The fruit tart was made of a light dough that had been molded into the shape of a flower—it was sweet and buttery and flaky, and somehow soft and crisp at the same time. At its center was a little mound of soft orange-colored fruit. Curious, I asked the woman behind the cash register what it was: This season’s variation is apple and quince, she told me, but the type of fruit will change as the weather gets warmer again.

This is part of Grandaisy’s mission—it tries to use fruits and vegetables that are in season, and to bake with locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. Everything it sells is baked in small batches earlier that day.

Of all of the breads that I tried, the seven-grain “sette grani” was my favorite. It was soft and dense, made of whole-wheat flour and absolutely packed with seeds. It fell right on the line between sweet and savory (it would make excellent grilled cheese or French toast).

The olive bread was a close second. The dough was especially wonderful—tangy and soft thanks to lots of good olive oil, and freckled generously with bits of big green olives.

The sesame bread, too, was excellent, a savory loaf with a crust paved with sesame seeds.

The ciabatta was an admirable (if not especially unique) rendering of the floury favorite, and was especially tasty when dipped in olive oil. I left smiling, and I’ll be back.

Grandaisy Bakery has three locations, at 73 Sullivan St. in SoHo, 250 West Broadway in TriBeCa, and 176 West 72nd St. on the Upper West Side. The staff is friendly and accommodating, willing to answer any questions about ingredients or to cut an imposing loaf into a more manageable half. All locations are open daily, and offer a variety of pizzas, sandwiches, and coffee drinks in addition to bread and pastries.