Zingerman’s Bakehouse co-founder Frank Carollo says “It's one of the best breads we've ever made.” That's really saying a lot after more than a quarter-century of baking. “Miche” is French for loaf and typically refers to the large size and round shape in the style of traditional French country bread. In this case, the loaf is a whopping 4 pounds! Bigger loaves have bigger flavor, a more moist crumb, and longer staying power. Ours is a "country" miche because it's made of a flavorful combination of whole grains including high extraction hard red spring wheat grown and milled by Bill Koucky in the Leelanau peninsula, organic spelt from neighboring states, organic buckwheat from Natural Way mills, and organic rye from Hampshire Farms—the latter three of which are all freshly milled right here at the Bakehouse.

Like most of our bread, this one is naturally-leavened, but here it has its own starter unique to our Country Miche. It is fed some high extraction hard red spring wheat flour, and then made into a 'levain' with more of the same flour as well as some buckwheat flour. So it’s got a different flavor from our white flour sourdough starter. The fully fermented aromatic dough speckled with the black ground hulls of buckwheat of our Country Miche is boldly baked to a dark caramelized crust bringing out the grains’ natural sweetness and a deep, complex flavor. The whole process takes about 18 hours. We know you really can taste the difference.

Pack a big, beautiful Country Miche for your summer cottage vacation—or park it on your kitchen counter at home—and it'll last the week. Bring it to a tailgate and feed a tent full of fans. Or make it the centerpiece of a big family dinner and boldly break bread together. We also offer ½ or ¼ loaves or 2-pound loaves for those in the market for amazing bread in a more modest portion.

*Baked Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.

Read more about Country Miche on our blog!