As the name might suggest, locally-based Fromagerie was founded with a particular dedication to fine cheese.
So, finding the business peddling loaves of bread at a farmers market was a little discombobulating. Having struggled through four years of high school German without much mastery, it seemed entirely possible at the time that “fromage” might somehow mean something other than cheese, and we missed the memo.
Nope. It’s still cheese. And in the case of the loaves of bread from Fromagerie, we’re talking about cheese bread. Like any farmers market, there are lots of sample pieces for passersby to binge on. Risk-takers (and those who aren’t into fingered food) can just slap some money down and go for the gusto. In this case, that’s the house English Cheddar Sourdough Bread.
Generally speaking, with cheese bread, you don’t really know what you’ve got until you slice it open. There are either chunks, or there are no chunks. The former is fantastic and rare. The latter is common and disappointing. Things got off to a deceptively discouraging start when the big loaf was sliced open, and displayed a consistently hued background. No yellow chunks.
Because Keen’s Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese is white. That’s why. Fromagerie uses a white cheddar in the bread, so there’s no visual cure of the overwhelming joy to come. You don’t get to truly appreciate the presence of the cheese until you start eating the bread. And then, when that happens, it’s hard to stop a full-on binge. The cheddar used gives it an enviable heft and density, and more importantly: flavor that’s actually cheesier than most big box cheddars. That’s right, it’s a bread that’s cheesier than cheese. That’s a win right there. Toast it with butter, and finish off the heavy one and a half pound loaf in one setting.
And, while Keen’s isn’t quite from Ohio (it’s based in the United Kingdom), Fromagerie and its products are. The operation, cheese and breads, is based out of 1400 Food Lab. The loaf was found at Worthington Farmers Market. It’s also listed as a vendor at the New Albany Farmers Market.