DISH: SAVOR Hewn; Prosecco; Restaurant Week

by Andrew Davis

There are your standard bakeries—and then there are places like Evanston’s Hewn ( 810 Dempster St.; HewnBread.com ), which specializes in hand-forged artisan breads.
How seriously does Hewn take its breads? So much so that the website has a page on how to care for and how to properly freeze your bread ( as well as how to thaw it ).

Head baker/co-owner Ellen King told Windy City Times said that some of the breads incorporate so-called ancient grains such as einkorn ( the oldest wheat in nature ), adding, “Our big focus in working on the heritage variety of wheats—so, wheat that really hasn’t been grown before World War II”—and they haven’t been changed/hybridized. She added that these grains are actually much better than so-called mass-market grains for those who are gluten-sensitive and even gluten-intolerant.

As for the types of bread available, Hewn has a wide variety of items, including cheddar country, red fife, whole wheat gruyere, spent grain, chocolate hazelnut brioche, stecca, Midwest Blend ( whole wheat bread made with flour from farms in Illinois and Wisconsin ) and challah, among others. However, be sure to pay attention to the bread schedule ( also on the website ) to know when to get what.