A Prodigal L.a. Pizza Star Returns To Bake The City's Best Sourdough

In November, a visiting friend and I snagged 2 seats astatine Bar Etoile for a speedy meal earlier I drove her to nan airport. Etoile’s co-owner Jill Bernheimer has besides operated Domaine L.A., 1 of my go-to vino shops successful nan city, since 2009. When Bernheimer brought complete an appetizer we’d ordered — steak tartare dressed successful nan flavors of a Caesar crockery — she leaned successful conspiratorially.

“I’m sorry to opportunity we’re retired of it tonight,” she began, “but nan toast that we usually service pinch this crockery is made from sourdough by David Wilcox. He’s nan cook who sold Hail Mary Pizza successful Atwater Village a fewer years ago. He near L.A. for a while but he’s backmost and holding immoderate pop-ups astir town. You should find him. His breadstuff is incredible.”

A caller root for unthinkable breadstuff successful L.A.

I stored distant this proposal until past Friday, erstwhile Wilcox, who calls his pop-up Two Rose, was mounting up a array precocious greeting successful nan sunny beforehand model of awesome Proof Bakery, 2 blocks from his erstwhile restaurant. It took little than a infinitesimal to understand really wholly correct Bernheimer had been.

Wilcox had baked 5 types of breadstuff successful agelong and information and rectangular shapes.

Breads astatine David Wilcox’s breadstuff pop-up astatine Proof Bakery successful Atwater Village

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

“Help yourself,” he said, waving to a cutting committee wherever he’d sliced sample pieces of his state loaf, a hefty boule made pinch 2 integrated flours milled from difficult reddish wheat varieties: a strain called Yecora Rojo, and a blend known arsenic Type 80 successful which nan wheatberry is milled full and past sifted to region a information of nan bran and germ.

That’s astir of nan accusation I absorbed from Wilcox earlier nan first wound of breadstuff blotted him out. The airy crumb melted for illustration pudding. The intense, telltale tang of sourdough rang out, but truthful overmuch much was going on, successful nan measurement of a long-bottled vino transmitting almost excessively galore flavors to count.

I bought 1 of each bread, pinch a wedge of Proof’s herbed galette and immoderate bully French salted food from nan bakery’s refrigerator.

Wilcox uses only levain, pinch nary added yeast, tailoring nan starter to each variation. He mixes 4 flours, including rye and Rouge de Bordeaux from Tehachapi Grain Project successful Kern County, to execute a baguette pinch resounding crackle and layered, malty nuttiness. Pan-baked variations specified arsenic honey-glazed spelt aliases squash crusted pinch pumpkin seeds person denser textures that let for spirit experimentation and are perfect for sandwiches. A loaf fashioned from whole-grain porridge, scented pinch ginger and spiked pinch raisins, becomes dream toast for breakfast.

They’re each roundly fantastic. Wilcox’s state loaf, though, is simply a caller Los Angeles bellwether for rustic-style bread. The metropolis has a fistful of fantabulous breadstuff bakeries, pinch leaders for illustration Bub and Grandma’s and Jyan Isaac trading unit and supplying galore of L.A.’s first-rate restaurants. But connected his much-smaller accumulation standard Wilcox is reaching caller depths. Slice done nan moonscape crust and inhale nan crumb: The aromas circle dried fruit, aliases nan perfume of late-season peaches and nectarines astatine nan acold separator of ripeness. It’s nan miracles of fermentation successful their chemical-compound glory. And nan custardy texture someway imprints a much pronounced, wholly pleasant sourness.

The travel backmost to L.A.

Running a pizzeria, Wilcox worked regular pinch mixed for years. He besides baked sourdough for Journeymen, nan edifice he ran past decade successful nan aforesaid abstraction arsenic Hail Mary. But aft he moved connected successful precocious 2022, he traveled for respective years, including spending clip successful nan Bay Area pinch friends for illustration Mike Zakowski, a breadstuff obsessive who has won medals successful world competitions for his baking, and Nicky Giusto, a fourth-generation miller and breadstuff baker who useful pinch Central Milling flour company, based successful Petaluma. They rekindled Wilcox’s ain obsessions and pushed him to further his mastery.

Returning to Los Angeles, he had nary desire to return to moving a business full-time. He had a boy successful his early 20s and now, astatine 46, he’s dividing his clip betwixt Two Rose (named for tattoos successful adjacent proximity connected his correct arm) and moving connected fabrication that draws from his years successful nan edifice industry.

Experimentation and improvement are nan lifeblood of pop-ups. Which is to say: Check Instagram to cognize wherever Wilcox will be. Beyond Proof, Two Rose besides showed up this past week astatine Granada, nan MEHKO-licensed location java shop that has go an Echo Park sensation.

The outdoor abstraction astatine Granada successful nan Angelino Heights conception of Echo Park.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

Wilcox is besides making pizza that he serves connected nan patio of his Melrose Hill location (near Bar Etoile, to whom he’s nary longer trading bread) doubly a period aliases so. I haven’t physically been yet, but a friend delivered maine a bronzed, chewy-crisp portion crowned pinch slivered puntarelle, leeks, anchovies and olives — and yes, nan alchemy of pizza-making remains very overmuch successful his hands.

Before February is over, he plans to grow to greeting pop-ups from his home, making cinnamon buns and crescent-shaped medialuna pastries alongside bread. Customers tin bent retired and eat; Wilcox will service complimentary coffee. I’ll bring nan bully food for nan state loaf.

Eating David Wilcox’s breads pinch salted beurre de baratte by renowned French artisan Rodolphe Le Meunier.

(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times)

Speaking of breadstuff ...

My reappraisal this week delves into nan cosmopolitan quality staple from different portion of nan world. Saqartvelo successful Van Nuys is 1 of nan fewer Georgian restaurants successful nan L.A. area, tally by women who each grew up successful Tbilisi. Their paper spans nan fundamentals of nan cuisine: shape-holding, broth-filled khinkali; awesome herbaceous stews and dishes built connected walnuts, 1 of nan country’s enduring ingredients.

But nan Georgian cheesy breads hog nan spotlight, arsenic they thin to do. How is their type of everyone’s favorite, nan boat-shaped Adjaruli khachapuri? Take a read.

Adjaruli khachapuri astatine Saqartvelo successful Van Nuys

(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)

Also ...

• Fellow edifice professional Jenn Harris has a file this week connected wherever to find incredible, giant, stuffed mochi successful Monterey Park.
• Stephanie Breijo reports connected nan the L.A. restaurateur who designed Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl casita and the L.A. taquería featured successful nan halftime show.
• In grant of Valentine’s Day, Stephanie besides has a communicative connected nan whimsies created by cocoa creator Chris Ford astatine his West Hollywood pop-up shop.
• Santa Canela baker Ellen Ramos demonstrates her look for fall-in-love Mexican wedding cookies made pinch pumpkin herb for our “Chef That!” video series.
• And Tiffany Tse has 25 ways to eat, portion and celebrate nan Lunar New Year, which officially kicks disconnected Feb. 17.