Bread - Alvand Bakery Makes Fresh Hot Bread

Tire tread bread, Afghan bread, Persian flat bread. Different types or styles or names for the various flat breads of Iran and Afghanistan, some of which really do look like they have tire tracks on them. A soft dough that is stretched out and fast baked. Similar to naan. Similar to pita. But richer in flavor than pita which can be very dry. Some are baked on a layer of stones and produce their own distinct pattern from the stones.

Update 2025:  "It is a wonderful little bakery, focused on the flat breads of Afghanistan and Iran imho. What is interesting about these is how high the hydration is, how wet the dough is when it goes into the oven. Resulting in the soft, pliable, yet chewy texture. In some parts of the world, one sees the wet dough laid out on top of small stones, resulting in indentations that are specific to that bread. I once heard that Iranian soldiers, as part of their ration, one member would carry a box of stones, for baking bread in the field. When I worked as an engineer, several of my Iranian co-workers picked up clean, perfect stones at an aquarium supply, for use in baking the breads at home.

I've also attached photos of stocked shelves. You should definitely pick up some yogurt here, either plain, or, with the wild garlic.

And there is a freezer with house made ice cream to buy.

The pack of two breads is currently 6 dollars (August, 2025)"

Sangak Bread in Iran

Iranian Bread Documentary

Sharjah Bread in Afghanistan

The wonderful Alvand Bakery is on Eldridge between Briarforest and Westheimer. At one time, it was called Afghanistan Bakery. It closed for a while. Now re-opened. And I swear, when the bread comes hot out of the oven and is used to scoop up the homemade yogurt that I consider to be the best in Houston, and adding a little honey...what a fantastic breakfast!

Here is the exterior of the Alvand:

Venezuelan Bakery - Katy - Pan Pa Venezuela

 A recent road trip out west saw me in Katy. I recommend a visit. The downtown, old town as it were, has some excellent antique shops. Katy is home to Felix Flores's Cherry Block Butcher's and Market and also to the Midway barbecue restaurant and store (great sausages for sale).

And a little Venezuelan bakery opened about 9 months ago. I found it to be excellent. The focaccia was delicious. And the cream filled pastry was just perfect.

Tepatitlan Bakery on Spencer Highway - The Second Best Bakery in the greater Houston area

 When you are over Pasadena way, on Spencer Highway, perhaps checking out a local Michoacana for a paleta, or shopping at Mi Tienda, also plan to buy some baked goods at Tepatitlan.  Many Mexican pastries can be very dry, and they are typically (example: conchas) dipped into your morning coffee or chocolate. But over the years, the inventive bakers in Mexico have come up with some very interesting and creative pastries. Like pasta in Italy that comes in different shapes, each with its associated name, Mexican baked goods come in many shapes and types, each with its own name.

What I love about Tepatitlan is that they offer an extensive range of traditional baked goods. And for some reason, everything just seems a little bit fresher and tastier here. 

Tepatitlan Bakery. It is a place that was introduced to me by friend Robert Martinez, and if I’m ever in this area, I have to make a stop because everything is fresh and delicious. And there’s an incredible variety to choose from. It is like being in Mexico.

Iran - An Iranian Bakery and Grocery Store in Houston

When I posted about the fabulous garlic yogurt at the Iranian/Afghani bakery, Alvand, some Iranian friends let me know about a variation in Iran using a wild shallot to flavor the yogurt. And that is how I learned about Mast Moosir, or, Mast-O-Musir. And so, I went to a favorite store, Pas 2 Super Market on Wilcrest at Briar Forest to pick up some dried shallots.

While there, the bread making was in full operation. A rotating oven. A very very wet dough being formed on a metal peel, and then stretched to double its length when loaded into the oven, baked, sprinkled with sesame seeds and packaged. 

Pas 2, like Alvand, is a Houston treasure! I first learned of it from friend, Paul Galvani, who is mentioned elsewhere in this blog of mine.

A now, to finish this post, here is a link to 11 Persian words that will blow any of your Iranian friends away if you use them lol.

Persian Phrases

Bagels - Golden Bagels and Coffee

Golden Bagels and Coffee is a new venue, having opened in January of 2018 on White Oak Boulevard in the Heights. The bagels are excellent and are highly recommended. Living near the Heights it has already become one of my favorite destinations, when the urge for a freshly made bagel hits me.

Bagels are an interesting creature. There is a bit of complexity to them in that you are going to be creating a bread dough, then shaping the bread into the standard bagel shape, dipping it in a solution of baking soda or lye (similar to what one does for a pretzel), BOILING the dough, and then proceeding with the baking process. That boiling phase does some interesting things to the yeast risen dough, changing the internal structure to a dense, chewy bread.

Here is a link to an article on bagels:
Slate Magazine : A Short History on the Bagel

KOLACHES - Where To Find The Best, Authentic Kolaches

Kolache, Kolaches, Kolatch, Kolatche, Kolaç.  The Czech immigrants to Texas at the end of the 19th century brought their cuisine here and introduced the kolaç, giving it its own Texas style. The kolaç is a sweet pastry, never savory (that was to evolve later as klobasnicki or "pigs in blankets" as they were known when I was growing up became lumped in as kolaches here in Texas). And the classic soft bread kolaç, made with butter, milk, sugar, flour and yeast gave way to this god awful doughy doughnut thing in the Asian run doughnut shops in Texas.

‘Show him the spiced plums, mother. Americans don’t have those,’ said one of the older boys. ‘Mother uses them to make kolaches,’ he added. Leo, in a low voice, tossed off some scornful remark in Bohemian. I turned to him. ‘You think I don’t know what kolaches are, eh? You’re mistaken, young man. I’ve eaten your mother’s kolaches long before that Easter Day when you were born.’

– Willa Cather’s novel My Antonia (1918), about Bohemian immigrants in Nebraska in the 1880s

Sometimes there is a fine line between cakes, breads, and pastries. The Czech koláč (koláče plural) –- the hacek mark over the letter “c” makes it a guttural “ch” -— consists of a large sweet yeast dough round topped with pools of a sweet mixture (or several types), while its diminutive koláček (koláčky plural) denotes smaller individual versions. In America, the names were anglicized, depending on the part of the country, as kolache or kolacky (typically used for both large and small cakes as well as both plural and singular).

And so, here is a short list of place where one can get the real deal. I have sampled them at all of these places and can give my native Texan seal of approval to them.

My Favorite Kolache Place in Houston. Five Stars:
The Kolache Shoppe

1031 Heights Blvd. 

Houston, Texas 7700

and

3945 Richmond Ave. 

Houston, Texas 77027 (Greenway Plaza)

The Annual Frydek Catholic Church Picnic
In April
Frydek is very near Sealy and is an easy drive from Houston

Boerne
Little Gretel Restaurant
518 River Road

Brenham
Weikel's Bakery
2155 Highway 290

East Bernard
Vincek's Smokehouse
139 S Dill Street

Ellinger
Hruska's Bakery
Highway 71 (can't miss it...Ellinger isn't that big)

Hilje (El Campo)
Prasek's Hilje Smokehoust
29714 Highway 59

Houston
Original Kolache Shoppe
5404 Telephone Road

La Grange
Weikel's Bakery
2247 West Highway 71

La Grange
Lukas Bakery
135 North Main Street

Rosenberg
Old Main Street Bakery
808 3rd Street

Schulenburg
Original Kountry Bakery
110 Kessler Avenue

Sealy
Prasek's Sealy Smokehouse
2949 I-10 Frontage Road

West, Texas
Czech Stop
104 S George Kacir Street

West, Texas
Gerik's Old Czech Bakery
511 W Oak Street

West, Texas
Village Bakery
113 E Oak Street

West, Texas
Slovacek's Bakery
214 Melodie Drive


Various Locations - Buc-Ee's
(Acceptable)

Kolaches in the Czech Republic - VERY Informative

Lisa Fain Article on Kolaches with Recipe

East Bernard Kolache Festival - 2nd Saturday in June Every Year (Recommended)

Atlas Obscura Article on Kolaches

Saveur Article on Kolaches

Houston Chronicle Article with Victoria Rittinger Family Recipe

Texas Monthly Article on Kolaches with Recipe

Caldwell, Texas Kolache Festival Every Year in September

Slovak Cooking - A Recipe