446444 Sun Sep 30 23:25:10 -0700 2007 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2991747 When Full Circle Baking first opened in Penngrove, I tried the breads a few times. Milling its own flour on-site hooked my interest. While the breads were pretty good, they couldn't compete with my local favorites, Della Fattoria in Petaluma and Downtown Bakery in Healdsburg. However, recently I picked up a loaf of sliced sprouted wheat sourdough bread, $4, at the Cotati farmers market from the Full Circle truck. I’ll confess that the real reason I eyed it was because it was pre-sliced and would be easy to use for the three-cheeses grilled sandwiches (blend of Spring Hill dry jack, Bellwether Carmody, and Matos St. George with lots of Clover-Stornetta butter) on the menu for lunch the next day. Opening the plastic bag the first time, the full-bodied malty, sourdough and yeasty aromas that escaped were absolutely tantalizing. Toasted for breakfast, the crust crisped up beautifully and the crumb was quite fine-grained and light. The staffer who sold it to me said it would be great for grilled cheese, and it was even better than I imagined. The ciabatta, $5, is great also. Moist crumb that manages to be dense and light at the same time, very thin and chewy crust that avoids the rubberiness of too many other versions. As good as those are, the one we’ve liked the best is the dark-baked version of fugazi (aka fougasse), $7. Sprinkled with fresh herbs, the flatbread is pierced and carved in the shape of a grape cluster. Very satisfying chewiness, crackly crust, and moist heavy crumb, it reheats and perks up again even after a week. The first time I had this on the dinner table, one of the guests said, “move over Della!”, and I think she’s right that this one can rival the best from Della Fattoria and can command the same price point. Previous posts on Full Circle (ca. 2004) http://www.chowhound.com/topics/31036 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/29211 http://eatlocalchallenge.com/ Sun Sep 30 23:25:10 -0700 2007 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2992420 Seems like eating local has its benefits. Do you think the bakery has just hit its stride or you lucked into some of the better choices? I may be up that way this week. Was going to add a link but this Place record has the delightful new bug where it doesn't show up even if it is in the database. Mon Oct 01 08:30:37 -0700 2007 2991747 10264 rworange 2 2994942 Selection could certainly be part of it. On Saturday I served the ciabatta at lunch time to some friends from Healdsburg. She also mentioned that she was liking the bread much more now, and it's her go-to bread baker. Considering that we can buy Downtown Bakery's for 50% off most days, that's saying something. I think you'll like the choice of sliced breads. There are at least two other kinds that I've seen at the farmers market stands, probably more available at the bakery in Penngrove. Oh, and I'll mention that when I went back for a second fugazi, the one on display was smaller and pale. It looked so different I asked if it were made with a different type of dough! But no, just a different batch, and then the employee rifled through the ones in the van to find a dark, crusty one for me. Dedicating the month of September to exploring local foods has been much more satisfying then I expected going in. Guess I should pull together a summary of what I've learned. Mon Oct 01 21:10:41 -0700 2007 2992420 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2992644 I must confess I was a bit confused at the thread title initially - "Fugazi" to me denotes the post-punk band from D.C. headed by ex-Minor Threat leader Ian MacKaye, but then I read the post. Familiar with fougasse as well, but I've never seen it spelled that way before - a regional dialect variation or something? Mon Oct 01 09:39:36 -0700 2007 2991747 63276 Spatlese 2 2993970 I had the same reaction when I had the staffer write me a receipt and I saw the spelling. Here's a reference. http://www.fugazipizza.com/default.htm Mon Oct 01 15:14:37 -0700 2007 2992644 10039 Melanie Wong 1 2995141 I'm a big fan of Full Circle myself...happy to see your postive post about them, Melanie. (: I've always picked up a loaf or two at the Wed. Night Market while it is going on. Enjoy their ciabatta (a day-old/2 day-old loaf makes terrific french toast!). Tried a "pizza roll" type creation of theirs from one of the last Wed. Night Markets...it was kind of like a savoury morning bun type thing, but instead of a croissant type breading, it was more like bready pizza dough. Very tasty (I think the filiing was mushrooms, olives and bell peppers, or something similarly yummy). They also make great croutons...just the right amount of crunch to them, not overly heavy, seasoned perfectly. Mon Oct 01 23:31:25 -0700 2007 2991747 93480 chocolateninja 2 2996417 I've also spotted the Full Circle truck at the Saturday morning markets in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, Sunday morning in Sebastopol, and Thursday evening in Cotati (now closed for the season). Any other sightings? Tue Oct 02 10:16:00 -0700 2007 2995141 10039 Melanie Wong 1 3000185 Here's a photo of the truck displaying Full Circle's logo, http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/1299812673_26c0b4ffd5.jpg?v=0 Wed Oct 03 10:11:06 -0700 2007 2991747 10039 Melanie Wong 1 3071525 Last weekend I picked up a strombolini, still warm, at the Healdsburg farmers market. A bit dear at $5, but so delicious with chewy warm bread swirled around bits of mushroom, zucchini, tomatoes, cheese, carmelized onions, and other tasty tidbits. Also tried the cranberry loaf made with a sweet yeast dough that was nice too with a crackly crust. Fri Oct 26 20:33:48 -0700 2007 2991747 10039 Melanie Wong