We’ve talked about this. The Downtown pop-ups at Hills Market for Asempe Kitchen are golden. True to pop-up form, the dining opportunities with the West African operation exist for only a few hours each week. Asempe’s pop-ups offer, at least, predictable hours on Wednesdays, so you know when to visit.
But, should you develop a particular addiction to something like the house bread, you’re out of luck for a whole week. Until now. Because Asempe’s house bread is presently available as a retail product seven days a week.
The house rolls, as you may recall, have been something consistently special. They’re a bread that’s soft, not stiff like a French loaf. And, they’re lighter than a seed-based bread, but still somehow substantial. Not rolls, but entire loaves of Asempe’s bread were found at Weiland’s Market at a table boasting flavors that range from spinach to one with cream cheese and onion.
The loaves are not sold pre-sliced, so a bread knife will help speed things along. It goes without saying that thick slices are better than thin slices. True to form, each slice delivers that uncommonly tender, hearty comfort associated with the Asempe name. The version tried was the spinach loaf. It’s vaguely greenish with flecks and an ingredient list that boasts a combo of regular flour and barley flour, onion, spinach, garlic, ginger and a little sugar, which explains its sensory mix of savory with just a hint of sweetness.
Asempe’s social media indicates that the loaves can stay fresh for two weeks. This sounds insane, but experience at home indicated that the loaves did remain uncommonly fresh for at least three days. After that, the loaf was gone. For those who crave the straightforward version, it’s sold in an original flavor too. At less than $5 per loaf, it’s a bargain.
For more information, visit asempekitchen.com.