At Vesta Bakery, a sure hand and a good dough
Just two little words — neighborhood bakery — can really change your outlook.
Stepping through the front door of the small but robust Vesta Bakery, hard on the train tracks in Westerly, provides an immediate attitude adjustment. Like a dip in a cool pool on a sweltering, humid day, just one deep breath inside this earnest operation triggers all your best olfactory memories and makes you believe that everything just got a little bit better.
This is not a big, commercial operation. In fact, sometimes the glass front cases look pretty empty. But the offerings are ever changing. I think if you showed up every two hours on any given day, each visit would present some new option.
Core offerings include a focaccia of some variety, as well as Italian, cinnamon swirl and cinnamon raisin swirl loaves. There are always a couple of muffin choices and a half dozen or so options in the pastry, croissant, bun category. At any given moment, what else you will find seems to depend on what owner and artisan baker Allyson Mansfield feels like making and what her customers who have made special orders feel like eating.
For instance, on my first visit, someone had ordered an olive bread, and the overflow from that batch sat waiting for me in the case. In several visits over several days, I sampled an array of breads and sweet treats that had the overall effect of making me want more.
Kalamata olive bread ($4.25): This is not a coarse, rustic, crusty loaf but is instead soft and moist, with a close texture and pungent, chopped kalamata olives throughout. I most enjoyed a slice of this tender yet substantial bread toasted and slathered with butter, but I'm guessing it also would make an amazing grilled cheese.
Morning glory muffin ($1.45)— This lovely treat is baked in a fluted muffin tin, but don't be fooled by its fancy exterior. Inside, it's packed with dried fruits, toasty nuts, shreds of carrots and a host of unidentifiable spicy bits. It's a meal of a muffin.
Blueberry Danish ($1.65) — The ratio of tart to sweet and fruit to pastry in this generously sized divine disk is sheer perfection. The fresh blueberries are accessorized by just the right amount of sweet icing, which seems to have been applied while the pastry was still hot, creating a meltingly delightful topping for the perfectly cooked, enriched sweet dough. The Danish is soft and tender in its middle and crispy around its edge. You really can feel Mansfield's skill here. A sure hand, a good dough, some fresh fruit — it's the Danish to which all others must be compared and it was my favorite Vesta offering.
Chocolate croissant ($1.95) — I've never eaten a better pan au chocolate and I have eaten my fare share. This one is loaded with a serious amount of decadent, dark chocolate. The not-too-sweet dough surrounding that mother lode is tender, flaky and just melts in your mouth. If a bite of this croissant were the last taste of my last meal, I would die satisfied indeed.
Cinnamon swirl loaf ($4.50) — It's no wonder why this bread is a staple at Vesta. Its yeasty structure is broken only by the thinnest line of cinnamon sweetness, yet this fine vein provides incredible flavor throughout the bread. I'm sure a thick slice of it would be wonderful toasted but, honestly, it was long gone before I had the chance.
Pecan sticky bun ($1.75) — My husband pronounced this as his favorite, a tightly wound spiral of that amazing dough with a cinnamon river running throughout, topped by a handful of toasty, candied pecans. Yes, it's sweet, but the flavor of the bread comes shining through. Its crispy edges are not overdone and its tender middle is not underdone. And, he says, "it leaves just the right amount of sticky on your hands."
Cinnamon scone ($1.65) — This moist, generously-sized scone was dotted with cinnamon bits throughout its moist, perfectly baked center. Yet its outside was crisp. Delightful.
Cream puff ($1.65) — This big, pate a choux ball was crunchy, tender and chewy, filled with a vanilla-rich, eggy pastry cream and topped with a whipped cream crown. So good.
Pumpkin cannoli ($1.65) — Yes, cannoli, too. Not too big in size but giant in flavor, the crispy tube held a pipeline of creamy, cheesy, pumpkin-tinged heaven. Buy one for everyone because you won't want to share.
Visit Vesta's website for a full menu of all the pastries, breads, rolls and cakes they're prepared to bake for you at a moment's notice — actually, two days notice is what they require. Just think of me when you make a special order, because I'll be there to scoop up any extras.
Twitter: @2Petunia
Vesta Bakery
47 Railroad Ave., Westerly
(401) 348-7055; vestabakery.com
Cuisine: Breads, pastries, sweets
Atmosphere: No frills neighborhood bakery
Service: Friendly, inviting
Prices: Loaves, $3-$5; muffins, buns and pastries, $1-$2
Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Handicapped access: Steps to enter
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