Knead Baking Co. -- magic in few things done well

Knead Baking Co.
469 E. Ojai Ave.
Ojai
652-2136
$2-$10

Knead’s first storefront in Ojai is a quieting, almost holy experience.

Exposed-beamed white cathedral ceilings bounce natural light filtering in from the windows. A large pine farm table with jars of herbs and wildflowers, and the smell of flatbread pizzas cooking in the oven create a gospel choir “ahhhhhhhh” for the senses.

It was two years ago that Knead debuted at the Ojai Farmers Market, and the sweat equity has paid off. It has moved into the corner courtyard building that was Oaktree Bakery and secured a home in the town that first embraced it.

There are glass display cases (the perfect height for kids to press their noses against) filled with just enough nummies as not to overwhelm but intrigue. The honey-toned sculpted breads, crumble-topped pastries, custom-designed cakes and seasonal savories are alluring.  

The mother-daughter team of Bobbi and Rachel Corbin has an amazing aesthetic for filling space. Their beautifully displayed products are scrutinized. “We have to like the product, the packaging and the company,” emphasized Bobbi. Most items are local, but some are introduced from afar for their uniqueness like marinated long-stemmed artichoke hearts from southern Italy. “We are trying to offer things no one else does.”

Knead’s lunch goal is to serve “fresh, simple food people can eat every day.” For now that means flatbread pizzas, quiches, galettes and deconstructed sandwiches. There are serene cups of green iced tea with stevia leaves floating in them, nonalcoholic wine soda coolers from Northern California and hot organic fair-trade coffee from Santa Barbara’s Green Star Coffee to sip.

We ordered the flatbread pizza (sized whole or half, with or without salad), a slice of quiche and a breakfast cake. We also shared a rosé wine cooler that was brilliant — all the essence of the wine grape with sparkle and no alcohol.

The flatbread du jour was a thin-crusted rectangle covered in a crayon box array of potatoes in blue, red and yellow hues. The thick potato slices were on a bed of fontina cheese sprinkled with fresh rosemary. The wafery crust was tender with crisp thin edges like delicate crackers. Lightly pungent fontina cheese and acrid rosemary added lift to the meaty, mellow potatoes.

An Asian-blend salad mix from Scarborough Farms in Oxnard featured baby beet greens. It was dressed in zippy fresh lemon and olive oil.

The quiche incorporated greens, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh herbs from the gardens on site. It has been ages since I’ve tasted such a light, fluffy, whipped custard — it literally bounced on my tongue like a soufflé. The blended feta was creamy, and the homemade crust was soft and crumbly.

Next, we focused our attention on the round unobtrusive oatmeal-sprinkled breakfast cake and decided to enjoy it with a shared cup of coffee. The first cut into it with our knife discovered a soft center. As we put the first wedges in our mouths there was a plethora of flavors! The hearty whole wheat cake contained passion fruit jam and candied oranges. Its edges were firm, its center moist from the jam and slightly sticky and chewy from the orange slices. That and the fabulous coffee truly tasted like heaven.

As we relished the flavors, more flatbreads were coming out of the oven, and locals popped in for coffee refills. Rachel told me that the zucchini on the counter was given to her by Susan Kapadia (formerly of World Flavor Cafe). Knead takes its compostables to Ojai’s Demonstration Garden to continue the Ojai giving circle.

We were offered tastes of rustic bread and sourdough bagel. Bobbi, originally from the East Coast, is quite particular about bagels. “This is the best bagel I’ve ever had,” said my companion as he bit into the chewy exterior covered in nuts and seeds.

As he chewed, Bobbi told us that in 1996, when she migrated from the East Coast, a friend who was flying offered to bring one of her items. She surprised Bobbi, handing her a priceless jar of bread starter out of the refrigerator. Weeks later, when Bobbi was ready to bake again, she had the key ingredient.

I snatched a strawberry rhubarb tart for someone special before I left. As Rachel was ringing me up, she told me her brother was the young man whizzing around in the kitchen. Then Bobbi added that her other daughter, who has been managing Sprinkles in Palo Alto, will join them soon.

With what I can only deem the “Corbin Touch,” I am sure more of the family means even more fabulous things from Knead. That and Ojai’s community spirit backing them make it likely that in the spirit of Bill Baker (a baker who opened what is now Azu’s building, in 1920), they will be there a long, long time.   

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