Comfort food not only satisfies hunger, but also your spirit – it feeds the soul.

Macaroni and cheese, pancakes or ice cream might be comfort food for some. But bread is one of my favorite comfort foods. Just plain bread, no toppings whatsoever.

The grocery store loaves just don’t measure up to the freshly made stuff.

As a full-time student, I seldom have time to make my own bread, and consequently have been having a bit of a fresh-baked bread withdrawal. That was until Columbus Baking Company, located at 502 Pearl St., entered the picture.

From the outside, Columbus Baking Company is unassuming, and you might even drive by it if you’re not looking carefully. The name is painted on the window of the brick building where the bakery is housed, its red letters fading from age.

Entering Columbus Baking Company is like being transported back in time to a bread bakery in Italy, which makes sense since the bakery has been churning out fresh loaves since 1895.

When I walked into Columbus Baking Company, I was hit by the smell of fresh bread. The kind of smell that only comes from the exterior of bread as it browns and bakes. But what I saw was even more impressive.

Columbus Baking Company is completely open. Customers are allowed to stand right where the bread-baking magic happens. The oven is at the back of the store, a storing rack stands in front of it and white sacks of some sort hang on racks on a wall. When I was there, the bread bakers – clad in white shirts, pants and aprons – sat on stools, taking a well-deserved break.

After snapping out of my mesmerized state, I turned to the register. The day’s bread selections were behind it. The cashier had a thick Italian accent and explained what the loaves were.

Columbus Baking Company specializes in Italian-style bread, and every loaf has only four ingredients: flour, salt, water and yeast.

The day I visited, the cashier said the bakery had four bread options available: sandwich, flat, pointy and twice-baked. A fan of crispy crust, I opted for the twice-baked bread. Another great thing about Columbus Baking Company is that every loaf of bread is $2.50, an unbeatable price for the quality.

The loaf was still warm when the cashier handed it to me. Its crust was golden brown with spots of light black, evidence of being charred in a burning hot oven. The loaf was a thing of beauty.

The crust was shatteringly crisp. It was the kind of crust of which dreams are made. The interior of the bread was soft, white and spongy – what Italian bread is supposed to taste like.

The bread was great plain, but it would have been fantastic with a little butter, jam or both. I also made a grilled cheese with the bread, which was unbelievably delicious in its simplicity.

Adjacent to the bakery is the Columbus Baking Company Deli. The deli sells sandwiches made from the bakery’s bread, meats, cheeses and bulk olives. You can build your own sandwich by choosing one meat, like prosciutto or sopressata, and one cheese, like aged Canadian cheddar or asiago.

The deli also has a menu of specialty sandwiches, including its most popular “Meatballs in a Heel,” which is half of a pointed loaf packed with meatballs, sauce and your choice of cheese.

For all of you bread junkies, the good news is that Columbus Baking Company is about four miles from campus. I know I’ll be back soon, probably in a few days, to get another loaf. Perfection in crispy-crusted-fluffy-interior bread form is impossible to resist.

Published on March 20, 2013 at 2:18 am

Contact Riddley: rsgemper@syr.edu