Shoaf's Loaf

There's nothing quite as satisfying as purchasing food from the hands of the woman who made it. Local really is better. I visit the Memphis Farmers Market nearly every Saturday. Some days, I only buy produce. But when I have a need for fresh bread (and who doesn't need that every day?!), I make a bee-line to the Shoaf's Loaf stand.

Abby Shoaf and her assistant Monica sell fresh baguettes, loaves of bread, dinner rolls, and sometimes even cinnamon rolls! And most of Abby's stuff is vegan. She even denotes vegan items with a cute little V (and yes, those cinnamon rolls are vegan).

I missed the market this week because I spent most of my weekend at the Beale Street Music Festival (or recovering from the music festival). But last week, I picked up this gorgeous loaf of Shiitake Mushroom & Scallion Bread:

It was flecked with fresh mushrooms and scallions, as the name implies. And it was ridiculously good. Look inside:

I enjoyed my bread each morning last week with this Traditional English Breakfast from The Kind Diet:

I topped my bread with a Daiya vegan wedge cheddar and then toasted it under the broiler. That's topped with sauteed mushrooms and spinach, baked beans, and a broiled tomato. Perfect use for this bread!

If you're local and you've not tried Shoaf's Loaf, you're missing out. They post a list of which breads they'll be offering at the Saturday market on their Facebook page every week.