History
Evrim and Evin Dogu opened Sub Rosa Bakery on North 25th Street in Church Hill in 2012, baking naturally-leavened country breads in a wood-fired oven. Multiple James Beard Outstanding Baker semifinalist nominations followed across 2017 to 2020. A fire in November 2024 closed the bakery for over a year; Sub Rosa reopened December 16, 2025 with an electric oven (the wood-fired oven did not survive) and a renewed commitment to stone-ground flour in every loaf.
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Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g strong bread flour (ideally stone-ground)
- 100g whole wheat flour
- 100g active sourdough starter
- 400g cold water
- 12g fine sea salt
Method
- Mix flours, starter and most of the water; rest 1 hour (autolyse). Add salt and remaining water, mix until smooth.
- Bulk ferment 4 to 5 hours at room temperature, with 4 sets of stretch-and-folds in the first 2 hours.
- Shape into a tight round, place in a floured banneton seam-up, refrigerate 12 to 18 hours.
- Heat oven and a Dutch oven to 250 C. Turn loaf onto parchment, score, bake covered 20 minutes, uncovered 25 to 30 more until deeply browned.
Tip from the editors. A long cold retard builds flavour and crust. The bake decides the crumb; bake darker than you think.
Where to eat naturally-leavened country bread
Naturally-leavened country bread in Richmond
Sub Rosa Bakery ★ 4.7
Sub Rosa Bakery in Church Hill opens at 8 am weekends with breads and pastries. Multi-year James Beard semifinalist; reopened December 2025 after fire.
OrderCountry sourdough loaf with morning bun.
TipGet there by 9 am Saturday; the loaves go fast through the lunch hour.
Lemaire ★ 4.7
Lemaire inside the Jefferson Hotel is named for Etienne Lemaire, Thomas Jefferson's maitre d'. Patrick Willis runs the kitchen, the city's grande dame.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
Adarra ★ 4.3
Adarra in Oregon Hill, relocated from Jackson Ward to the former Mamma Zu space in 2024, cooks Basque and northern Spanish dishes from a wood-burning hearth.
Book2 weeks ahead
More cities are in research. Want naturally-leavened country bread covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.