What to Eat

Here Are (Almost) All of Sadelle’s Pastries

The kind of spread everyone's looking for.
The kind of spread everyone’s looking for. Photo: Bobby Doherty

As any Major Food Group groupie can tell you, Sadelle’s debuted its retail counter late last week, causing bagel mavens to rush in like wildebeests during the rainy season, then closed down over the long weekend for some additional staff training. As of this morning, though, Sadelle’s is back in business. Bagels and babkas are the hottest tickets, but there are many more dusty relics of the Jewish baked-goods repertoire that Melissa Weller is attempting to revive, not the least of which is the seldom-seen chocolate-chip loaf. The upscale-coffee-shop-bistro part of the operation is scheduled to open tomorrow. Until then, take a look at Weller’s impressive pastry panoply.

Chocolate babka

Babka is never the wrong order.
Babka is never the wrong order. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Weller says it was more challenging to get the babka right than it was the bagels. She’s been working on the recipe for a couple of years, trying to strike the perfect balance of chocolate flavor and buttery pastry and avoid the bane of all babka fanatics — a hollow center. After many iterations, she decided to buck the current trend toward laminated dough popularized by Breads Bakery and use a traditional babka dough. The filling is a mix of milk and dark Valrhona chocolate. It comes in raisin-walnut, too.

Cheese Danish

You want this.
You want this. Photo: Bobby Doherty

You know how when you take that first bite of a Danish and all you get is the pastry and it’s a bit of a letdown? Not so with Sadelle’s version. Weller has bumped up the typically stingy amount of filling and reengineered the design so you get a little of the Salvatore Bklyn–ricotta-and-cream-cheese blend in almost every bite. A significant breakthrough for long-suffering Danish pastry eaters.

Fruit-and-cheese Danish

And a more elaborate version.
And a more elaborate version. Photo: Bobby Doherty

The same no-skimping-on-the-filling approach as the cheese Danish, but with braided dough.

Sticky buns

Excellent.
Excellent. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Stupendously sticky and sea-salt-sprinkled, these are the sweet morsels that Weller introduced at Roberta’s and made her a household name among sugar fiends and dental technicians all over town.

Poppy-seed rugalach

Fantastic.
Fantastic. Photo: Bobby Doherty

These are made in the traditional manner, except for one inspired innovation: The filling is actually ground poppy seeds stirred into a custard.

Raspberry-walnut rugalach

Excellent for the end of summer.
Excellent for the end of summer. Photo: Bobby Doherty

Bear claws

Weller’s take on the state-fair staple.
Weller’s take on the state-fair staple. Photo: Bobby Doherty

If anyone can bring back the bear claw, it’s probably Weller. Her version is basically a split croissant dipped in simple syrup, layered with almond cream, and baked a second time.

Chocolate-chip loaf

Major Food's secret weapon?
Major Food’s secret weapon? Photo: Rob Patronite

This might turn out to be Sadelle’s sleeper hit, inspired by the popular rendition at Walls’ Bake Shop, a Five Towns landmark. Weller’s version is a cross between that venerable confection and a ricotta loaf cake she’d been testing.

Here Are (Almost) All of Sadelle’s Pastries