Staff of life

When I moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, I knew I could find most any foods I might miss right here—with one exception. I missed Acme Bread so much that I sometimes brought home loaves to slice and freeze. It wasn’t the same, but their levain has no equal in my experience. Dark-crusted and just tangy enough, with a well-risen, ragged-holed crumb, it can almost be a meal on its own. A few months ago, I started noticing it popping up in local markets: Corti Brothers, Taylor’s Market. Distributed in this area by Roseville Bread Company (and also in such restaurants as the Waterboy and Mulvaney’s Building and Loan), it’s a welcome sight. Roseville Bread’s owners, their daughter told me, brought Acme here because they, too, missed the bread when they moved from the Bay Area. The selection is a little limited; I mainly see the baguettes and that fabulous levain. But I’m not complaining. I’m just happy to have my freezer and my favorite bread back.