New York City’s most coveted milled flour comes from Gowanus

A courier wearing black Adidas Sambas, black cut-off shorts, and a black long sleeve t-shirt pulled up in front of 240 Huntington St. and hopped off his empty cargo bike. It was just after 8 a.m. on a Sunday when he entered Brooklyn Granary & Mill, retrieved a giant brown paper bag, and, after placing it securely within a canvas bag on the front of his bike, drove off. The destination? Confidant—a contemporary American restaurant on Atlantic Avenue that opened this year from two founders who first met at Roberta’s, a restaurant known for its pizza. They, like the Granary’s other wholesale customers, know a good thing when they … eat it. 

Bread and freshly milled flours from Brooklyn Granary & Mill are sent off daily to restaurants and bakeries like Ferrane Bakery in Brooklyn Heights and Scarr’s Pizza on the Lower East Side. Even more high-profile, the New York Times Style Magazine featured the Granary’s biscone (a mix between a biscuit and scone) in its list of top 25 “essential pastries to eat in New York City” last year. But now, well into its second year in operation, locals also know how lucky they are to have the Granary in their neighborhood. 

Originally from California’s Salinas Valley, Patrick Shaw-Kitch moved to Seattle to pursue cooking, then found a niche within baking. He came East for opportunity, and found himself working for local favorites like Bien Cuit, Brooklyn Larder, Franny’s (now closed), and even Frankies Spuntino; then, outside the city at highly revered Blue Hill at Stone Barns. But what does a baker do once they’ve reached the pinnacle of baking success? Well, in Shaw-Kitch’s case, he found a new mountain to climb—starting NYC’s only operating stone flour mill and a bakery committed to serving baked goods made with 100% whole grain flour. 

The grains are sourced from regenerative farms in the Northeast, where farmers use practices that foster biodiversity and improve soil quality, along with a host of other benefits for the Earth. Once here in Brooklyn, the grains are freshly ground using a stone mill, which means that all parts of the grain kernel are kept in the flour (hence, the term whole grain!). Opting for whole grains makes for a more nutritious flour, with more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined flour. 

So how does the whole wheat affect the pastries and baked goods? They remain just as delicious, but are often more filling. The range of items also shifts, adding a touch of excitement to each visit. Standbys like kouign-amann, chocolate chip spelt cookies, and sausage rolls are usually available, while other pastries alter depending on produce—in the summer, I sampled a blueberry handpie, and corn cakes are often updated with the freshest fruit (peaches in August, grapes in September). 

Alongside freshly ground flours and pastries, you can purchase housemade granola in big glass jars, bags of spelt and cornmeal pancake mix, and even dried beans. Their loaves of bread include sourdough made with whole wheat and einkorn, oat porridge bread, and a mixed grain sourdough made from wheat, spelt and rye. The Granary also sources a delicious mix of goods from other local and regional businesses. Their fridge is stocked with helpful accoutrements—fresh eggs, butter and yogurt from Vermont, jars of pickled red cabbage and cucumbers grown in the Northeast, and New York State maple syrup. Even their beverages are thoughtfully selected: coffee comes from Brooklyn roastery Driftaway Coffee which focuses on sourcing from women farmers and paying them fair trade prices, and their teas are from Anna Ye Tea, a specialty Vietnamese tea company based out of Chinatown. Both are local, women-led companies.

Visit on any morning and you’ll find the large farmhouse table in the front of the bakery shared by a rotating mix of young families, couples, or singles, seasonal flowers placed in the center. The front window is lined with additional bar-style seating, and a couple of tables are located out front while the weather’s still warm. Stay to enjoy your pastry and you’ll be served on dishware that somehow makes the whole experience feel just a bit more special than the average bakery. Rather than rely on single-use products, your pastry is served on an eclectic plate, and your drink in a simple, thin glass cup, or, if you’ve ordered a hot beverage, in a clay mug. 

Baking classes are offered every few weeks and cost $130 for two and a half hours of instruction. In September and October, they offered Sourdough 101 and Baking with Rye, and in the coming months they’ll teach Seasonal Pies and Holiday cookies (both classes are already sold out). 

About half an hour after the bike courier sped away with his bread, Laura Huss, Brooklyn Granary & Mill’s co-founder and Shaw-Kitch’s wife, popped in with a fresh bouquet of flowers. Huss is a full-time researcher, but she also helps with planning, design, their online store, and administrative support. This morning, she removed the wilting flowers from the vases dotting the space, composted them, then carefully arranged dahlias and eryngo, while saying hello to staff and asking about their weekends, heading out as quickly as she’d come. 

A few minutes later, I watched one of the workers prep the brownish, speckled pastry dough—its color a reminder that this wasn’t just processed white flour, but something fresher and more flavorful. She added filling to each round, and as she topped each one with fresh grapes, I asked about her experience at the Granary. She was enthusiastic, describing it as the most “wholesome” work experience she’s ever had. Maybe that’s Shaw-Kitch and Huss’s greatest accomplishment at the Granary—before you’ve even noticed, they find ways to make things, whether work or pastries, more wholesome. At Brooklyn Granary & Mill, they’ve masterfully swapped white flour for whole grains, making your “treat” breakfast better for you, better for regional farmers, and better for the Earth.