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.

Make it at home

Hands-on 30 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 500g strong bread flour (ideally stone-ground)
  • 100g whole wheat flour
  • 100g active sourdough starter
  • 400g cold water
  • 12g fine sea salt

Method

  1. Mix flours, starter and most of the water; rest 1 hour (autolyse). Add salt and remaining water, mix until smooth.
  2. Bulk ferment 4 to 5 hours at room temperature, with 4 sets of stretch-and-folds in the first 2 hours.
  3. Shape into a tight round, place in a floured banneton seam-up, refrigerate 12 to 18 hours.
  4. 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

Bakery Cafe$$church-hillTue-Fri 07:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-17:00

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.

Order: Country sourdough loaf with morning bun.

Tip: Get there by 9 am Saturday; the loaves go fast through the lunch hour.

620 N 25th Street, Richmond, VA 23223

Lemaire ★ 4.7

New AmericanChef Patrick Willis$$$$$95-135downtownMon-Sat 07:00-23:00; Sun 07:00-23:00; Fri-Sat bar until 00:00Book 1 to 2 weeks ahead

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.

101 W Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Adarra ★ 4.3

Spanish tapasChef Randall Doetzer$$$$$55-90 a la carteoregon-hillThu-Mon 17:00-22:00; closed Tue-WedBook 2 weeks ahead

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.

501 S Pine Street, Richmond, VA 23220 Book →

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