The rye bread of my dreams

For Christmas, a friend gave me some superb smoked salmon from Tasmania. That’s something I love to eat on rye bread. Those chocolate black pumpernickel loaves are just too strong tasting so the delicate fish. And so began my search for the perfect rye bread. I tried this one and that one. And then I walked into Copenhagen Pastry in Culver City for a slice of Kringle and spotted loaves of rye high on the counter.

How had I missed them before? I guess I was so intent on my Danish pastry fix that the bread just didn’t register. I bought a loaf, took it home: heaven. It’s firm enough to slice really thin, but not at all heavy, with a beautiful seed-laced texture and a complex, almost woodsy flavor.
That salmon, that bread and a little sweet butter: a killer combination.

Note that in the photo, I’ve already eaten 80% of the loaf. They also sell it by the half loaf — and, for those who care, it’s vegan.

Rye bread, $6. Copenhagen Pastry, 11113 Washington Blvd., Culver City; (310) 839-8900; www.copenhagenpastry.com.

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