Nicholas Clawson started baking bread five years ago, but it was not until two years ago that he was finally happy with the product. After pedaling loaves to his friends, he began to play with the idea of opening his own shop. This spring, that dream became a reality.
Nestled in a tiny space on North Church Avenue in Fayetteville, Dirty Apron Bakehouse specializes in naturally leavened sourdough. How is this different than traditional sourdough, you ask? Per DAB’s website, “Our baking process is based on a slow fermentation using mid nineteenth century French techniques giving us loaves that are full in flavor. This approach allows our bakes to be more digestible and have a more flavorful texture for both crust and crumb.”
TL;DR – no yeast.
Clawson is passionate in describing his product: “Our crust is a deep brown almost auburn color and our crumb is grummy, shiny, and airy with a slight sour note to taste.” He is clearly a perfectionist, meaning if one aspect is off, the whole bake is ruined.
While the sourdough is clearly the star of the show (the types of loaves change daily but always include country loaf and ancient grain loaf among others), Dirty Apron Bakehouse also serves pastries, open-faced “sammies,” and a variety of healthful options for breakfast or lunch. The mighty mouse Buddha bowl includes mixed greens, quinoa and barley, tomato, soft boiled egg, almond and pumpkin seed, lemon Greek yogurt, and sourdough croutons. At press time, Clawson’s latest creation was the the Bahn Mi open faced sandwich with shredded chicken, pâté, pickled veggies, cilantro aioli, and cilantro
When asked, “Why Fayetteville?” Nicholas Clawson echoes the sentiments of many local restaurateurs: “This town is amazing for small businesses, and the community is up there with the best of them. I’ve received such amazing support from customers and fellow small business owners.”
Dirty Apron Bakehouse is open 8-2 Tuesday through Saturday. Find them on Instagram @dirtyapronbakehouse
[flexiblemap address=”245 North Church Ave Fayetteville, Arkansas” title=”Dirty Apron Bakehouse” width=”100%” height=”400px”]
RIP Damgoode Pies
November 20, 2023
