#47: Q&A with Carla Finley of Apt. 2 Bread
on baking from home
I started following Apt. 2 Bread after my friend Katie tipped me off to exactly everything I like in an Instagram account: bare window light pouring through windows, soft creams and whites and caramel brown wood, and lots and lots of bread (Also see @lailacooks and @artisanbryan). Behind it is Carla Finley, who recently turned her New York apartment into a bakery—hence the name. It wasn’t long before I, a mere social media follower, was anxiously awaiting with bated breath the arrival of her special fits-through-pesky-Brooklyn-doors oven from Europe. I can’t believe I’ve not (yet) tasted the Apt. 2 bread itself, because I can practically smell the fresh loaves cooling on the racks.
Katie, who lives nearby, gets a boule from Carla every week—a ritual I envy deeply. Another friend Anna recently documented her first Apt. 2 purchase via the much-buzzed-about pulley system on her wonderful newsletter! Emily Wilson wrote for Food52 that Carla’s breads are “a particular magic marriage: homemade goods baked professionally” and they are indeed that: elevated and modest, refined and cozy.
This sounds like the sort of thing that you can only dream of, but Carla is doing it, and with love. I’m thrilled to spotlight her in a long overdue installment of Weekday Warriors. She shares what her week looks like, coming to run a bakery out of her own home, and her favorite sandwich to date. Also, a playlist!
Q&A with Carla Finley of Apt. 2 Bread
Tell me about when you started baking.
Carla Finley (CF): I started baking when I was 16 years old at a bakery that was located on an apple orchard in Medina, Texas. There, we made apple pies, turnovers, soft serve, cakes, jams, etc. I knew right away that I loved it and wanted to learn more. From there I baked at a small bakeshop called Sugarmama's in Austin from 2008-2012 and then picked up baking again in 2019 at She Wolf. In the middle I worked in restaurant operations and events in New York.
Have you always wanted to run your own show?
CF: Not particularly. My dad has always owned a restaurant and growing up I knew how much time that took away from his day-to-day life, so I was always weary of that. He straight up warned me! Cause I've always been into food like he is. But when the pandemic hit it felt like the most logical option to me and sort of fell into my lap as a means of income / livelihood. And then I realized, oh this actually does suit me - haha!
What does your work week look like? When are you mixing and baking and how are you resting?
CF: Typically I take Mondays off and Tuesdays are a half day—a little bit off plus whatever computer work I have. Wednesdays are a full prep and mix day and then I bake and mix Thursday through Sunday, which is also when customers pick up their orders. Coming up I'll need to remove Sundays from the pickup days as I may join a market soon!
Your window pulley delivery system is so cool. I know the bread goes down—does anything come back up?
CF: Occasionally yes! Luckily I've made some great food friends who often bring me goodies when they pick up (heart eyes). One long-time customer has brought me kalamata olives from her family's farm in Greece. Things like that.
One of my favorite parts about bread is that you really can see how good it is—and yours are so beautiful! What tells you that, say, a loaf of sourdough turned out right?
CF: Thanks so much! Let's see, I like to see that it has height and growth after it's been baked, showing that it has properly fermented, and I like the finished color to be a deep golden brown. And that my score has produced proper "ears" on the loaf. When sliced, I like to see an even crumb—doesn't need to be super open, just even.
What’s something about running a bakery that people don’t necessarily get to see on Instagram?
CF: It is so much work. I think people think it's glamorous and it's really not. When you run a micro bakery by yourself it's your responsibility to be on top of each little thing: the ordering, the cleaning, the financials, the permits, the customer care and then the actual prep and bake of all the items. It's fun but a ton of work and I try to create clear work/life boundaries as best I can. I really have learned so much.
You’ve shared that you surround yourself with art by people you know. I love this piece by your neighbor (and apartment 2 patron) called ‘Night Cafe’ What are you drawn to and what sustains you creatively?
CF: Yes! I love Naava and many of my friends are artists who make really cool things. I'm not an artist myself but on days off I play piano, watch films, read, take an edible and go on long walks, etc.
You closed for a bit to scale the business bigger. What had to happen to do that? What did you do during that time, logistically and otherwise?
CF: Yes! I was waiting for my oven from Belgium for over a year, and during the time that I closed it was supposed to come, then got pushed back again for the 6th time. So I sort of waited and prepped everything else as best I could, meaning I gutted our guest room and built out the bakery. I got electrical work done and ordered all needed equipment and supplies. I developed and finalized all my recipes, costed everything out, got my LLC, got new photos taken, updated the website, and more. This took me a few months.
Any advice for people with a passion for food who want to make more space for it, either as a hobby or as a job?
CF: My only advice I guess would be to do it over and over. The only way to sort of improve and get to know your product really well is to honestly do it many, many times, in all weather conditions (when working with fermentation). Creating that experience and channel for yourself and sharing it with your community.
What do you hope to see out of the future of food work?
CF: Fair wages and better working hours, the food press spotlight shifted to those who haven't traditionally had it in the past, adjustment of narrative, uplifting the small guys, more accessibility, more co-ops, less investor and bank-dependent scenarios, etc.
You recently swapped black walnuts for pecans in your cinnamon buns. For you, is it puh-cahn or pee-can?
CF: PUH-CAHN!
What is your favorite flour to work with?
CF: Farmer Ground Half-White from upstate NY. It's just... perfect. Milled finely so it's light and airy, with both a white and whole wheat quality all-in-one. It's in almost everything I make.
Sweet or savory?
CF: Sweet... it's a problem lol. But I love salt too. Ah!
Real talk: What’s the best way to clean up a mess of flour?
CF: Sweep it up if on the floor, mop later. Slap yourself with a damp towel if it's on your clothes.
Does your starter have a name? Any personality traits?
CF: No name. I tried but it never stuck. Personality—invincible.
Do you have a special playlist or tunes while you work?*
CF: I like listening to WNYC, community radio or some playlists my friends have made... would be happy to send you some!*
Describe the absolute perfect sandwich.
CF: I loved what I made the other day on a whim: fresh sourdough slices, lightly toasted, vegan mayo on both pieces, little bit of yuzu kosho, CSA tomato slices, grocery store dill pickle slices (lol), salt and pepper.
Thank you Carla!
*Here is her friend’s excellent playlist—Maya is a baker too, and I can attest it is a wonderful playlist for prepping and cooking of any kind:
power-reads
Amy Bernhard, “At a Rest-Stop Somewhere in Texas” for Hazlitt
Herrera, Isabelia, “Tirzah’s Genre-Less Pop Embraces the Beauty of Uncertainty” for New York Times
Alicia Kennedy, “On Lionfish”
Korsha Wilson, “With 4 Color Books, Bryant Terry Looks to Color Outside the Lines” for New York Times
Farah Yameen, “Where the hand is, the gaze follows” for Whetstone