It was April 2020, I thought I would finally try my hand at baking bread, but I was living during the COVID-19 pandemic. Good luck finding yeast anywhere during this time, as it seemed like everyone else in Long Beach had the same idea. In an effort to find an alternative to using yeast or buying yeast directly from a local baker, I stumbled upon several wonderful bakeries in Long Beach. One of my best discoveries was Gusto Bread. I found them when they were still baking out of their home in downtown Long Beach, while in their free time, preparing to open their first brick-and-mortar shop in our neighborhood. At first bite, I realized, I need to surrender and leave the bread baking to the experts.

The story of Arturo’s bread-making journey was sparked when he purchased a house with a little wood-burning oven in the corner of his garden and a book, “From The Wood Fired Oven” by Richard Miscovich. He taught himself how to make fermented wild yeast and milled grains, and then traveled the world to learn from a variety of bakers in the Bay Area, New England, Oaxaca, and Spain. When he returned to Long Beach, they set up a shop out of their home to provide fresh baked bread and sweets for the community.

The Gusto: Gusto Bread uses organic ingredients and sticks true to ancient techniques to make their bread and sweets each morning. Their bread is just the way I like it, with a crunchy outer crust and a soft chewy middle. The Hueso (baguette) comes in two shapes, traditional and wheat stalk and I like to enjoy it with butter or accompanying a cheese tray. The Field Loaf was our first taste of Gusto Bread and I knew I had found something special the moment I took a bite. I’m pretty sure we polished off a good portion of the loaf standing at the kitchen counter.

Wholesome Sweets: The sweets are all scrumptious. Nixtamal queen is quite popular and always sold out. It’s a caramel sweet bread with several thin layers masa dough with butter and sugar folded in between each layer. The chocolate chip spelt cookies are thin and crisp and topped with sea salt. The polvaron cookie (Mexican wedding cookie) is a fave with lots of walnuts and generously covered in powdered sugar. I can’t forget the Pan de Maiz (cornbread) a yummy dense loaf of buttery, honey goodness that I ate by itself. On weekends, they have the galettes with its buttery pastry filled with seasonal fruit or seasonal veggies.

The LC Loves:

• California Loaf – Crunchy crust with a soft and chewy middle. The flavor of the bread is that much more unique perhaps from the malted barley. It’s a good loaf to have on hand weekly to accompany dinner. Toast it and allow the butter to pool in the grooves of the bread.
• Concha – This is a new item they added when they opened their shop on 4th Street. The sweet sugar topping and the soft middle is how all Mexican bread should be. A cup of coffee and a concha is how I want to start each day.
• Sesame Flatbread – This is more of a fluffy flatbread. The cut-out design with the toasted sesame seeds on top makes it look like a giant sand dollar. I enjoy pairing it with hummus or cheese and on occasion toast it and top with avocado, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta.

Covid-19: Gusto Bread has finally opened their shop, but to keep everyone safe, they are serving customers at the door. Baked items for the day are displayed in the front window, along with any specialty items and merchandise. At our recent visit, everyone was wearing gloves and masks. They encourage six-foot distancing when many times the line can wrap around the block. Just outside the bakery, they have a few tables on the parklet if you want to enjoy your bakery items with a cafe de olla.

Gusto Bread came into my life at the right time. It tastes like I’m getting someone’s heart in each loaf of bread and during these times, it’s comforting to have something like that in the neighborhood.

Gusto Bread, 2710 E 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 562.343.1881