UNION BAKER’S STUDIO
A new standard for bread
UNION BAKER’S STUDIO is Jakarta’s newest artisanal bread bakery. This initiative of The Union Group - which includes Union, Loewy and Cork & Screw - sets an impressive new standard for European and American bread in Jakarta.
“Our bread is handmade daily in Jakarta,” says Managing Partner Ron Luhur, who was trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. “Our bakers use high-quality ingredients and adopt the techniques of artisanal bread bakers in Europe and the United States – the same ones I learned. They were trained by a former head of bread baking for Daniel Boulud Restaurants in New York City. We don’t take any short cuts. For example, we make our baguettes and French Country Loaf, a crusty country sourdough, precisely the same way they are made in France.”
The company’s intense focus on proper technique and high-quality ingredients results in delicious “real deal” European and American bread of the quality to be found at top bakeries in New York, Paris and Milan. The bakery offers a wide range of classic bread offerings, including croissants, tomato and rosemary focaccia, ciabatta and sourdough. One of the most popular loaves, however, is a marriage of true French artisanal technique and local flavors: a chili cheddar sourdough loaf, made with cheddar cheese and cabe rawit.
“We want to make sure we have fun with our bread, and that’s what the chili cheddar loaf is all about,” explains Luhur. A self-described “bread geek,” he splits his time running a family business, managing three manufacturing plants in the Jakarta area, in addition to heading the bakery. Artisanal bread is his culinary passion, though, and this passion can be boiled down to a simple desire to create and share the thrill of bread that is truly authentic. This sentiment makes this new project a natural fit for The Union Group, whose motto can be seen plastered on the walls of its restaurants: “Union made is well made.”
The full range of bread from Union Baker’s Studio is available at the Union restaurants, at Pondok Indah Mall and Plaza Senayan and the newly open Union Deli at Grand Indonesia.