Richard Hart, bread lover

In the space of a few months, Richard Hart bakery has become the Place to Be for bread aesthetes

There's a quintessentially Danish expression to encourage someone to remain calm: “Spis brød til.” It translates literally as “eat some bread,” demonstrating the importance of the foodstuff to the local culture. Baker Richard Hart is not from around here – he’s a Londoner. After years as a chef in California, then as head baker at the Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, he moved to Copenhagen in 2017 at the invitation of Rene Redzepi, the celebrated chef of Noma. Together, in late 2018, they opened Hart Bageri. As they cross the threshold of his shop, the buttery scent of tebirkes –almond cream-filled rolls sprinkled with poppy seeds – and kardemomme boller –tender-flaky cardamom rolls – whisk their happy customers to a tantalising world of taste.

Richard started the bakery by making bread on his days off. “And I fell in love with it...”

His quest for the perfect bread seems never-ending: “The crust must sing; it must be both glossy and crispy. It has to show every shade, from the white of the flour to nearly black. Its perfection lies in its imperfection.” He goes on: “We make hundreds every day, but we only achieve perfection three or four times a year. It’s rare, because there are so many factors involved in achieving it.”

Every Saturday – the biggest day of the week –, 450 balls of leavened dough, 120 of rye and a thousand pastries are baked in the ovens.

Every day, his leavened loaves contrast with the black bread that is omnipresent in Denmark. “In this country, we usually eat rye bread with lots of seeds. Which I love, by the way! René Redzepi pushed me to really understand the emotional connection Danes have with rye bread and how to make it. I think that we’ve now reached a pretty good level, but we’re still improving!” enthuses the master of long fermentation, whose black bread is sold only on Saturdays.

“ Here, we work based on experience more than on technique: we taste and we think ”

“The only thing I’m aiming for here is having a child or a grandmother take pleasure in my bread.” On the day of our conversation, another chef – Rasmus Kofoed, the three Michelin-star culinary artist at the Geranium restaurant – came in to enjoy a pastry before going about his business. “That’s the beauty of a baker’s job: being able to feed everyone,” Richard remarks, smiling.

Hart Bageri will never become a chain: “If you get too big, you risk compromising your product.”

“The crust must sing; it must be both glossy and crispy.”