Live and Let Leaven

Sullivan Street Bakery started with the belief that good bread should be available and affordable for everyone. Italian bread bakeries serve everyone in society, and our mission is to do the same – making the best possible bread. We opened in 1994 with the mission to raise the standard for handcrafted, small-batch bread, and we work continually to better our methods, techniques, and craft. We source excellent ingredients, avoid every kind of additives and enhancer, and shape every piece of bread by hand. We work closely with our suppliers to find exceptional products and strive to make every part of our business sustainable, fun, and delicious—we want to continually set the bar for what great bread can be. 

Jim Lahey thought he was going to be a sculptor. After noticing he couldn't find bread in New York like the beautiful, crusty loaves he ate in Italy while traveling there as an art student, he took it upon himself to recreate those loaves. In 1994, with the help of Joe Allen, Lahey opened Sullivan Street Bakery and eventually began producing bread for many of the city's best restaurants. In 2006, The New York Times published Lahey's No-Knead Bread method, allowing home bakers to make bakery-quality loaves right from their ovens. The recipe remains one of the newspaper's most popular recipes, and has changed the way people bake all around the world. 

Following the success of that recipe, Lahey authored My Bread, opened up a pizzeria Co., and a café in Chelsea. My Pizza followed soon after, allowing readers to try their hand at pizza dough and beautifully simple toppings. 

In 2015, Lahey was the first recipient of the Outstanding Baker James Beard Award, followed, in 2016, by an induction into the foundation's "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America." 

Today, Sullivan Street Bakery delivers bread for over 300 restaurants in New York. In 2017, Sullivan Street Bakery opened in Miami, and Jim released The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook. 

Connect with Jim online @jimlaheyssb.