I love anything Macrina Bakery does…..I’ve had their bread on here before many times without mentioning it but I should have (click). I was told that they teamed up with Hightower Cellars to make a ciabatta bread with grape yeast. I thought, “HOLY AWESOME”.   So they sent me some and it is, “HOLY AWESOME!”.

Here is a bit more information from Macrina Bakery and Hightower Cellars!

11.09.2009 – Seattle, WA — >> Leslie Mackie, founder, co-owner and head chef of Macrina Bakery and Kelly and Tim Hightower, owners and winemakers of Hightower Cellars, today introduced an artisan bread made from grape yeast cultivated from Hightower Cellars estate vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The proprietary bread called the Pane Francese Loaf will be permanently added to the Macrina Bakery bread menu and sold at all locations for $3.25 per loaf starting today.

“Developing the artisan Pane Francese Loaf in partnership with Hightower Cellars was a fun and innovative process,” said Leslie Mackie. “The high quality of the Hightower Cellars estate vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and the similarities in the approach to our crafts (winemaking and bread making respectively), made this project special from the beginning.”

Pane Francese is a combination of the French baguette and Italian Ciabatta, combining the best qualities of both loafs. The bread is shaped in long sticks (like a baguette with lots of crust) but with the texture and hydration of a Ciabatta. The bread is made with Hightower starter, unbleached all purpose flour, Shepherd’s grain whole wheat flour, dried yeast, filtered water and salt.

“We are excited about this unusual collaboration,” said Kelly Hightower, owner and winemaker at Hightower Cellars. “Leslie has taken the time to cultivate yeast from our estate vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and developed a one-of-a-kind artisan bread that speaks to our approach at Hightower Cellars – Handpicked – Handsorted – Handmade.”

The bread making process, which started earlier this fall with the development of the bread starter from the Hightower Cellars estate vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, took just under a month to complete and the process is highlighted by Leslie Mackie on Macrina Bakery’s website via the following link: http://www.macrinabakery.com/breads/starter/index.html

The Pane Francese Loaf provides the perfect texture and taste profile for any Bruschetta recipe paired with a bottle of the Hightower Cellars 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon or 2007 Murray Cuvee (one of the Hightower’s first wines produced with grapes sourced from its Out of Line estate vineyard).

For 16 years, Seattle patrons have started their day with a legendary morning breakfast from Macrina Bakery & Café. Located in the heart of Belltown, Queen Anne hill and the SODO district, Macrina offers the finest in pastries, delicious artisan breads, classic cakes, cookies, tarts and organic coffee. Open for breakfast, lunch or weekend brunch. For more information, call the Belltown location at (206) 448-4032 or visit www.macrinabakery.com.

Handpicked – Handsorted – Handmade is the motto and method for Hightower Cellars. Owners and winemakers, Tim and Kelly Hightower, strive to make world class red wines of elegance, depth and complexity. Established in 1997 in Woodinville, Washington – Hightower Cellars moved to 15 acres high on Red Mountain in 2002. www.hightowercellars.com