German bakery brings home country tradition to Sydenham, Ont.

SYDENHAM, ONT. -

A new bakery in a small town north of Kingston, Ont., is getting a lot of attention for its traditional approach. 

The baker is originally from Germany, and brought his background to the shop, making German-style breads for residents.

Only a month after opening, he’s finding his shop's popularity is on the rise.

Roland Jensch attributes some of his love of baking to his grandfather. A master baker in Germany, Jensch says he learned a lot from him at a young age.

“There was always bread; he always baked stuff too,” he explains. “And he talked about it. He was very proud of what he was doing.”

It wasn’t until years later, after a move to Canada, that he found his career.

“I was always baking on the side and people kept asking for it, and I was soon baking for friends and family too,” he says.

So, one month ago, he opened a shop in his new home of Sydenham, Ont. Called Grains and Goods Bakery, it places a focus on German-style bread, and traditional bread making.

He says the style of loaf is distinctive.

“Crustier, heartier, darker kinds of bread,” he says. “Something with a bit more substance, maybe.”

The dedication to the craft is not easy. Some loaves can take up to 48 hours to prepare.

His 100 per cent rye bread has to be baked a full day before to reach its proper flavour.

“It’s very dark, it’s very heavy, if you could feel the weight,” he explains. “It doesn’t rise. So it’s not like a light fluffy bread.”

Fan favourites, soft pretzels, also get the traditional treatment.

Sydenham has a population of about 2,500 people, but the region is home to a number of German residents, like Stefan Durest, who is his daughter can have a taste of home.

“It brings back memories,” he says of the bread. “I literally waited 20 years for the German bread to follow me here.”

Others, like Tara, simply lining up.

“Every time I come, they're either sold out or closed, so I’m super excited to have some fresh bread,” she says.

Run by Jensch and his wife Liz, they are only open two days a week to manage the workload, but have plans to expand in the spring and summer.

Jensch says he appreciates the support.

“It’s great, it’s really amazing. We didn’t expect to be so busy so early on.”