Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.06.2017, Blaðsíða 52

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Rebel Baker
The story of Brauð & Co.’s Danish-inspired goodies

Words: Shruthi Basappa Photo: Art Bicnick
There’s something utterly do-
mestic and charming about pop-
ping into one’s neighbourhood
bakery. W hile downtown hip-
sters are only too glad to em-
brace every food fad out there,
thankfully, they’ve left Brauð
& Co. a lone —a world where
buttery croissants and gluten-
rich sourdoughs rule the roost.
Thanks to Ágúst Einþórsson, a
chef turned reluctant rebel baker,
Brauð & Co. is a bakery that’s at-
tracting international attention.
They sell over a whopping 1000
cinnamon sugar
croissant rolls on
Saturdays alone.
Having eaten my
weig ht i n t hei r
wares, I was ex-
cited to meet the
man behind it all.
Á g ú s t , w h o
goes by “Gusti,”
used to run a café
in Copen hagen’s
Nørrebro. “I de-
c i d e d t o n e v e r
bake again!’” he laughs. “Most
bakeries are in basements where
you never meet anyone. But I
enjoyed working in the café, I
met a lot of people, I liked that.”
As early evening draws in,
the bakery is teeming with lo-
cals and tourists alike. Gústi ex-
plains his decision to move back
to Reykjavík: “A friend of mine
opened a bakery a bit like this
one,” he says. “So I started bak-
ing again—getting into organic
flours and sourdoughs. I worked
at two places after that, and I’d
been discussing with a friend that
there was definitely an opening
for a bakery like this in Reykjavík.”
Snúðurgate scandal
The unfrosted hand-
made snúður at Brauð
& Co. have been re-
bel l ious from day
one. They flout the
traditional recipe,
using seasonal in-
gredients like rasp-
berry and blueberry
w ith l iquorice or
f lora l orange and
almonds. A one-off
variant became a
personal favourite
of mine—the granola snúður,
each one almost brioche-light,
kneaded with love and attention.
“People complained in the be-
ginning,” says Ágúst. “But I’ve
stuck to making what I like. I’m
not trying to please anybody—I’ll
only make a vegan product if I like
it, and not just because it’s vegan.
We’ve done things that didn’t
work, but when we make some-
thing new, and it works, we have
to take something else out. I like
to keep it simple, so we don’t have
too many things on the shelves.’’
The bakery has a rotating menu
that changes daily. “We have to be
on top of our game every day,” says
Gústi. “It’s important to put pres-
sure on yourself to make things
better, and if something’s wrong,
to figure out why it isn’t perfect.’’
Better Butter
Brauð & Co. is one of the few places
in town that use real butter in their
baked goods, in generous amounts.
“We use a tonne of butter a month,”
says Gústi. “About 250-300 kilos
a week.” He laments the lack of
organic butter in Iceland—some-
thing that MS is still reluctant
to offer, sadly. It’s the only factor
keeping the bakery from calling
themselves completely organic.
Brauð & Co. will be opening
two offshoots shortly, in Hlem-
mur Mathöl l in and Fákafen.
“Maybe we’ll have some savoury
things there,” finishes Águst. “I
really want to change this place
into a pizzeria in the evenings.”
Given how dedicated to quality
the bakery is, it might just be a
great idea waiting to happen.
Café Paris is open from 7:45am to
midnight.
R E S T A U R A N T
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
L a u g a v e g u r 1 3 0 T E L : 6 9 2 - 0 5 6 4
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BanThai
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 6
2 0 0 9, 2 0 1 0, 2 0 1 1, 2 0 1 2, 2 0 1 3, 2 0 1 4 A N D 2 0 1 5
welcome
FISH panS
icelandic "plokkfiskur"
Onion, garlic, potatoes, celery, lime,
white wine, cream and butter
1,850 isk

plaice
Tomatoes, capers, parsley,
lemon and butter
2,100 isk
arcTic cHar
Honey, almonds, cherry tomatoes,
lemon and butter
2,100 isk
salmon
(lacTose–free)
Parsnip, broccoli, cashews,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
2,100 isk
our fisH pans are always
served wiTH buTTer–fried
icelandic poTaToes & fresH salad
deSSertS
carroT cake
Cognac cream cheese frosting
and roasted coconut flakes
1,550 isk
créme caramel
Classic egg custard with baked
white chocolate and strawberries
1,550 isk
any pans
for
luncH?
lækjargaTa 6b, 101 rvk · 546 0095 · messinn@messinn.com
“I’ve stuck
to making
what I like.
I’m not
trying to
please
anybody.”
Food