When we first started chatting about food and what we wanted to do here one of the first things discussed was the bread. It was clear in all our minds that it was one of the most important elements, a building block for all the good things to come. There were a couple of ideas about which baker to use but they were all pretty mediocre, it bummed me out because if your building block sucks well then it pretty much brings everything else down with it.
Then Aisha started talking about Hasan whose shop was just around the corner from her house out in Muizenberg, she claimed his bread was out of this world and exactly what we were looking for. She brought in a couple of samples the next day and we couldn’t believe it, there is nothing at least that we know of that compares to it. The flavour is really complex because of his natural ferment which, if I remember correctly, must be almost 3 years old by now. The crust is great and a lesson we learnt pretty early on from Hasan was that with this kind of bread-making the flavour just keeps developing and makes for even better eating the next day.
We were sold immediately and that weekend we went out to visit Hasan in his shop and it was one of the nicest and most laid back times we’ve had. We sat in his shop and talked about bread, he gave us a quick lesson about fermentation and the natural process compared to the commercial bread-making that happens today, plus we got some new business advice and even a lesson on how to make great coffee. But it was more that just the conversation that made the day, it was the place and the community and just the feel of it all. Throughout our visit people were popping their head in to say hi, grab a loaf of bread or a muffin, or just a cup of coffee to have an excuse to hang out and chat. Our time spent in Muizenberg village was great and sitting in Hasan’s kitchen feels like your sitting in the heart of the home.
I think his bread is a huge factor in the success of our food here and I can’t recommend it enough. Take a drive out to meet him and his product, you’ll find him at 4 Killarney Road, Muizenberg or give him a call by 3 to place your order for the next day - 0826693663
PS. Thanks Hasan for letting us use your images.
This bread looks phenomenal! I would almost come all the way from Spain to try it =) My sourdough never has such a good crust on it - what's the secret? (Or is it exactly that...?)
I can only confirm all the above, it is for sure the best bread available round the cape! and i am so glad that now i dont have to trek all the way to muizenberg but get my bread fix at yours
I tried Hasan's muffins this past week and they were relly good!