Sander’s Bakery

The Chasidishe frau/​rebbetzin behind the counter was very nice when I came in, even though I’m visibly not Chasidishe, but this bakery is the real deal. Coming to the Chasidishe part of Williamsburg is like going to Europe 100 years ago. Very Ungarishe/​Hungarian old world feel, and on a recent trip, I had the most delicious cherry strudel/​turnover, and an apple turnover, both of which were full of fresh fruit, and the dough melted in the mouth. If I lived in the area, I’d probably make this my regular bakery. I’m sure the challahs and kichels are very good, too. I spent no more than $ 3 for the two pastries, which is a great metzia/​bargain.

Sander’s has recently renovated their place in to a newer and more modern, rustic style bakery –although the size remained the same and is a bit small– with a new storefront and displays, gone is that old shabby store front and showcases that where already crying from being so old and in is a whole new picture pleasant on the eye… (I’ll leave it up for you to check it out.)
Sander’s specializes in Bakery stuff solely, unlike other bakeries that focus on a wide range of items like sandwiches, salad bars, coffee etc. and therefore lose focus over the main thing. Sanders specializes in mastering the art of baking the best bakery stuff in town. (Talking about «Yoely Town»)
But the one thing that they excel in, and I have never tasted anyone making it better then them, is their Napoleon cake (Some call it mille-​feuille) which is a square serving of puff pastry on top and bottom filled with some Vanilla/​Boston cream, you name it filling, and let me tell you that it is «DELICIOUS» they have it in a verity of three toppings which are confection sugar, black and white chocolate and Crunch with confection sugar. The crunch is my favorite one, however they do charge .25 cents more for that one but I think it’s totally worth. (Wife claims that she tastes the extra quarter when she eats it…)

In what’s become typical Jewish baking it’s hard to get past the white flour. It is light and fluffy and white but also dense and filling and substantial despite feeling somewhat vacuous, and, umm, insubstantial. It fills you up and then leaves you a little hanging, too, wondering with what exactly you are filled: «is it air? I can physically feel the material of what I ate but there is a part of it that leaves me feeling empty.» It gives a sense of being firm and reflective in its qualities but also light and indifferent. I notice it but can move on from it, too, at my will. Leave it to Jewish baking to create a theoretical debate about the nature of the bread that was just eaten and from there to determine it’s qualities of substance and to decide whether or not it was filling or not filling. «Well, It tasted good and had wholesome superficial qualities and if I wanted full wholesomeness in integrity I’d being eating the whole wheat matzah I buy during Passover.» But, for now, this is nice.
The challah here I like very much. The outside is slightly firm but the inside is soft and pulls apart easily. I can feel its plainness giving it depth in its chewiness. In its flavor I taste the fire from it being baked, the salt, and the wheat mixed with small amounts of egg.
If you are so inclined, you can ask if they will sell you straight mohn. Mohn is a poppy seed butter that is mushed poppy seeds mixed with sugar and/​or honey, and used primarily as a filling for breads and pastries such as babka and rugelach. In appearance it is shiny and looks like grainy tar, or caviar. The taste is highly sweet but once you get past the sweetness the astringency of the seeds begins to reveal itself; there are two contrasting dynamic pulls of the intensely sweet and moist, and the deeply dark and dry. In effect, the mohn, after ingesting large quantities of this poppy seed paste, hits the nerve at the back of the neck and the body and mind start to feel relaxed with a glazed sedate feeling of haziness. It makes for a nice spread and goes well with the challah.
The cookies and rugelach are nice, too. I especially like the chocolate ones, as the bittersweetness stands out interlaced amongst the blandness of the dough, which is what I would want from a Jewish baked treat. The rainbow cookies are amazing. that raspberry filling between the layers was delicious.
During the moment it’s all great (as long as not too much is eaten!) and then we accept what we’ve enjoyed and then move on to what’s next.