Blue Duck Bakery Cafe Snags Top Honors

One of America’s best breads can be found on the East End, according to Saveur magazine.

The Blue Duck Bakery Cafe, with locations in Southold and — and — has received a nod of recognition from Saveur.

According to Saveur’s May “American Bread” issue, the Blue Duck’s Finnish-style sour rye, or “ruisleipa” is rated number 5 out of 20 mouthwatering loaves of bread created by the nation’s top artisanal bakers.

Owned by Keith and Nancy Kouris, the Blue Duck Bakery Cafe locations feature a wide range of international breads, as well as cookies, pies, cakes and other treats, but the ruisleipa was the stand-out in the eyes of "Saveur."

“Like true artisan breads, the ingredients are simple,” Nancy Kouris said Friday. “Water, 100% whole rye flour, natural yeast and sea salt. Ruisleipa, a Finnish sour rye, is dark, dense, and has a strong sour taste due to the rye flour containing 80% sour. Although a strong sour, our long, cold fermentation process leads to a bread that has a sweetness when eaten,” she said. Traditionally, the bread, which is baked in rings, was dried on poles.

Not only sold on the East End, the Blue Duck Bakery, which opened in 1999, delivers its breads daily to Manhattan.

"Keith is thrilled to be listed among the best artisan bakers in the nation,” Nancy Kouris said on Friday. “The fine craft of making an exceptional artisan loaf of bread has always been our passion at the Blue Duck Bakery. To be recognized by a highly regarded food magazine such as 'Saveur' is truly humbling.”