Few Detroit restaurant closures in recent memory came as much of a bummer as that of Core City’s Ochre Bakery, which produced as close to perfect plates as you’re gonna find, but shut down in mid-2022. Among the casualties in its all-star staff was breadmaker Max Leonard, who, at the time, was exhausted and hung up his oven mitts for a minute.
But Leonard is back. After moving into his parents’ house and not baking much while regrouping and figuring out his next step, he ultimately decided to revive his Secret Bakery concept. Prior to Ochre he had sold bread at a few markets and out of his home in Hamtramck. This time around he began baking and selling out of his new home in Ferndale.
The concept started to pick up steam until it was derailed by a Karen-y neighbor who complained to the authorities, but the problem ended up being a blessing — it forced Leonard into a legit commercial space and to run an above board operation, even if the name and marketing suggests otherwise.
Leonard keeps Secret Bakery’s small space on Livernois stocked with a range of sourdough breads and non-sourdough pastries, and on Saturdays also hosts pop-ups from other local food entrepreneurs. In a region with some powerhouse bakeries, it’s up there with the best.
Among those items Ochre fans may recognize is the olive bread, a slightly chewy loaf with pops of flavor from kalamata olives that’s Leonard’s take on fougasse. The style is typically used for dipping and is from southern France’s Provence region, which shares a border to Italy — hard not to think about its resemblance to its cousin across the border, focaccia. Secret Bakery’s Nordic-style rye loaf is a dense boy in which Leonard uses a high amount of rye flour. He stresses that the bread’s flavor and texture demands strong toppings and, lucky for me, I had just made pickle herring when I got a loaf. Perfect combo.
A comparatively easy nibbler is among Secret Balery’s best sellers — a sesame sourdough. Leonard describes it as a riff on a super simple northern European breakfast roll. It’s also perfect for lunch, and was utilized on a sandwich in February by the Marksie Catering pop-up, which offered excellent lamb kofta sandwiches. The kofta was lighter and fluffier than any I’ve previously encountered, the whipped feta added a creaminess, pickled onions provided a textural and acidic contrast, and sautéed beans and onion helped put it over the top. Excellent.
I can also vouch for Secret Bakery’s awesome baguette, and the sour and slightly chewy country loaf.
On the sweeter side, Leonard’s Nordic-style milk bread Danish holds strong hints of cardamom and arrives with a fantastic hazelnut cream. The burnt wheat cookie is an intriguing item that was born out of a happy accident when Leonard burnt a batch of wheat flour. He recalled a baker who salvaged burnt nuts by using them to make a syrup, so Leonard hit him up, and he suggested using the wheat even though it was burnt.
In short, the wheat’s bitterness and smokiness counterbalances the chocolate to develop a unique and complex flavor profile. At a time when virtually every bakery has a sea salt chocolate chip cookie on tap, this is a welcome break. There’s a range of savory pastries as well, and those that I tried all sang.
Several times I tried to stop in but it was unexpectedly closed or had sold out, so plan accordingly. For now, Secret Bakery is open just twice a week as Leonard takes a slow and steady approach to growth. But the lines out the door say that there’s a demand for more.
