Does this Lexington bakery make Kentucky’s best bread? ‘Food & Wine’ magazine says yes.
A longtime Lexington favorite for crusty loaves has been named the best bread in Kentucky by “Food & Wine” magazine.
Fans of great bread in Central Kentucky know this bakery well: Bluegrass Baking Co. on Clays Mill Road. The bakery turns out great boules, baguettes, focaccia, loaves and pastries but no doughnuts, something that early customers found hard to believe.
For “Food & Wine,” what makes bakers Jim and Francine Betts stand out? Their longevity. Bluegrass Baking opened about 30 years ago, long before artisanal bread was fashionable.
But gradually the world has caught up to them and now they partner with the University of Kentucky food science research to find better grains to make even better bread.
Jim Betts said the honor from “Food & Wine” was quite a surprise but a welcome one, especially after two years of the pandemic, which flatlined sales to restaurants.
“When COVID hit, we kind of shut down all wholesale,” Betts said. “Nobody was taking our stuff. We weathered that with curbside sales for a year. And we’ve decided that’s ok.”
Their bread is still in some restaurants around Lexington, including Stella’s, The Mouse Trap, Doodles, Third Street Stuff, Manchester Coffee and the Kentucky Castle.
But Betts said they are focusing these days on their core customers.
“When we were younger, we had visions of taking over the world. But now we’re content to be a hybrid of the neighborhood bakery and one that takes care of the town,” he said. “We love our customers who have been supportive during COVID and are concerned that we make it through.”
They continue to focus on artisanal bread, always made fresh daily with the same 100-year-old yeast starter for consistent flavor.
“This to me was the way bread should be. It looks good, it feels good, it tastes good, it has structure and substance to it,” Betts said. “It is not just a vehicle to get the fillings to your face. It’s an ingredient of itself. It’s a component that is critical. It has backbone.”
Bluegrass Baking Co.
Where: 3101 Clays Mill Rd.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Online: Bluegrassbakingcompany.com
Phone: 859-296-0581
