bake - July 2017 - 37

"When you cut it, you start with a nice rectangular
piece, so it will stay the shape you need," he told
fellow bakers while preparing the dough to make
rugelach. This dough is made with 2 pounds, 10
ounces each of three ingredients: butter, cream
cheese, and King Arthur Sir Galahad ﬂour. "This
piece is 18 inches wide, which is cut in three strips,"
he continues. Once the cinnamon sugar ingredients
are mixed together, he sheets the dough and spreads
with apricot jam, walnuts (ﬁnely ground), and the
cinnamon sugar mixture. "Then we roll them up, push
together, cut them and put directly in the oven. This is
one of the best things we make."
Chocolate babka is another favorite, and Chicago's
North Side where the family-owned bakery operates
is surrounded by a diverse number of ethnic groups.
That's why it is so important they know how to make
Greek pastries, Swedish pastries, French pastries,
Polish pastries and more. And make them well. When
frying donuts, for instance, he suggested the impor-

"We still make our
own puff pastry
dough that is
laminated with only
butter."

tance of slowly lowering the donuts into the frying

Jory Downer, owner of Bennison's Bakery in Evanston, Illinois

tions. Jory Downer credits his father for teaching

grease and not ﬂipping the dough pieces in the oil. "If
they turn over, the grease is too deep," he says.
There are not many Certiﬁed Master Bakers in the
country, but Downer is one of them. His father, Guy,
bought Bennison's in 1967 and Jory joined the business in 1975. Today, Jory's son, Guy, and daughter,
Jordana, work for the bakery, making it three generahim how to persevere and "don't ask anybody to do
anything I wouldn't do myself." He learned the art of

Jory Downer, who is the second of three genera-

fermentation from Didier Rosada and studied lamina-

tions running Bennison's Bakery in Evanston, Illinois,

tion techniques with Philippe Le Corre.

and a winning member of the Coupe du Monde de la
Boulangerie in 2005, showcases a variety of tech-

"I try to assure our customers that what they

niques and skills in the making of chocolate babka,

purchase here is the best quality baked goods they

rugelach, lemon ﬂorentine croissant, and hand-cut

can ﬁnd," Downer says. Versatility is one of his true

cake donuts. When frying donuts, for instance, he

talents. He is as proﬁcient baking artisan breads as he

suggests the importance of slowly lowering the

is perfecting pastries. He can read batters and doughs

donuts into the frying grease and not ﬂipping the

like few others, and knows when it's ready. That

dough pieces in the oil. "If they turn over, the grease

matters because he is able to create a loaf of bread

is too deep," he says.

with the desired qualities he is after (open grain, tight
grain) and use different fermentation methods to get

The owner of North Shore Chicago landmark

different aromas in the ﬁnished loaf. "Being able to

Bennison's Bakery specializes in traditional pastries

troubleshoot when there is a problem is important,"

such as rugelach.

he says.

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