Bakery Review: Brood van Bro

The best sourdough bread you can buy in The Hague is from Brood van Bro. Unapologetically fermented, the breads are hearty and airy. Not to be overlooked, the croissants are a work of art.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, as a former professional baker with a penchant for seeking out good bakeries, I am a bakery snob.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I now live in The Netherlands where, despite the centrality of bread in everyday cuisine, rather unfortunately, most of that bread is what I call “Dutch bread”.

The poster child of Dutch bread is a squishy Wonderbread-like bread made with cheap flour, preservatives, and dough conditioners. Made in a central factory to be baked off at each neighborhood bakery, it gets points for being a great vessel for chocolate sprinkles. It gets points for efficiency. It gets points for….sitting in your cupboard for a week without deterioration. But most of it doesn’t resemble quality bread.

Fortunately, in The Hague, there have long been a few good artisan bakeries, mostly in the French tradition located along De Fred. There are a few decent bakeries in the city centre, but nothing extraordinary. Certainly nothing comparable to the bakeries in Paris.

That was, until Brood van Bro opened up shop.

This review highlights the best of the assortment, including the very best sourdough breads and the best croissants you can get in The Hague. Noteworthy too are the escalated croissants that cement the bakery as innovative and modern.

The best sourdough in The Hague

“Whoa,” was my first reaction to Brood van Bro’s white sourdough. It was at a restaurant a few years ago, back when Bro exclusively sold to restaurants. It was the smell that first caught me by surprise.

One sniff and I was transported an ocean away to the market. On a cold and windy fall day, there I was at the chowder shop holding a red tray with a sourdough bread bowl atop. Inside the bread bowl, warm velvety New England clam chowder. And outside the bread bowl, the inner guts of the bread they’d carved out to make room for the chowder. It was tangy, warm, comforting, and the smell of just really good bread.

And this, at Brood van Bro, is also just really good bread.

The white sourdough loaf is a magnificent hunk of bread with a beautiful ear and golden brown burnish. It’s a daring sourdough that delivers on the classic tangy flavor. It’s what a sourdough loaf is supposed to be.

9.8/10

The baguette is moreish

The baguette is equally as good as the other loaves. It’s addictive, chewy, and carries a wonderful saltiness that makes you keep on eating. The crust is thick enough to get a satisfying chew and thin enough that it doesn’t kill the roof of your mouth.

Once I bought the baguette to serve to at a dinner party. Then unashamedly, ate half the loaf before the party arrived. Without butter. Just plain torn up chunks of baguette ripped off. Shoved into the gob like a raccoon over the trashcan. The sardines on toast canapé served sans toast that night. If you’re buying, get an extra one, just in case.

9.7/10

The spelt is for regular consumption

The spelt boule is my daily bread of choice. It’s a heartier loaf made with wholemeal and white spelt. Whereas the white loaf delivers on the sourdough punch, the spelt is better balanced due to the grain’s characteristic nuttiness and sweetness. Best eaten with good quality butter.

9.5/10

The croissant that makes you do a happy dance

The croissant is a beautifully burnished caramel colour and rises attractively to a full height. The smell of brown butter and fresh butter impress immediately. One small nudge and the crisp outside layers begin to flake away. Protected by crisp flakiness, the inside is airy and tender, with thin layers forming a wonderfully even structure of air and dough.

In taste, it’s a balanced croissant. The notes of brown butter and caramel come through wonderfully. Balanced with just the right amount of salt and sugar, the croissant is hard to resist.

With a perfect honeycomb structure, a superbly golden caramel hue, and an addictive taste of caramel and butter, the croissant is textbook perfection. Perfectly made and baked, the croissant rivals those of the best bakeries in Paris.

In The Hague, there is no better croissant than one from Brood van Bro. *cue happy dance*

9.7/10

The escalated croissants that will make you smile

Along with the classic croissants (plain, pain au chocolat, and almond), Bro offers an interesting selection of modern viennoiseries they call ‘escalated croissants’ with seasonal sweet and savoury flavours. In this review, I briefly highlight the cinnamon swirl, goat cheese kimchi, and worst kaas scenario pastries.

These escalated croissants best highlight the creativity that cements Bro as a top bakery in The Hague. While it is their classics that shine brightest in the assortment, the escalated croissants prove that they are well-versed in innovative flavour combinations. Personally, I also find them to be excellent conversation starters — that is, if you’re sharing.

The cinnamon swirls are a texture sensation

As for the cinnamon swirl, this isn’t your average cinnamon roll.

Made of croissant dough, the swirl is a melange of textures. The outer edge offers a crackly and short crisp juxtaposed with its’ inner heart which has a chewy bite. The smell of caramelised brown sugar mixed with cinnamon and brown butter is intoxicating and gorgeous.

This isn’t the cinnamon roll you’d make at home, but it’s well worth it.

8.1/10

The goat cheese kimchi croissant is a highlight

The first few times I saw the goat cheese kimchi croissant, I passed on it. Although the name made me laugh, I assumed it was a gimmick to latch on to the kimchi craze. Well, maybe, but it doesn’t take away how great it is.

The salty rich goat cheese pairs wonderfully with the caramelised notes of croissant and the kimchi juice counterbalances the two with umami and the tiniest hint of spice. It’s creative, modern, and well-suited for an epicurean.

8.7/10

The worst kaas scenario has my heart

Relatively new on the menu, the cheekily named worst kaas scenario is the pastry I crave most. The homemade sausage inside is seasoned well and the cheese melts into the dough. It leans on a touch salty and soggy with the lack of breadcrumbs in the sausage, but I’d rather have a higher quality pure meat mixture than one with fillers. I hope they never take it off the menu.

8.4/10

The Hague Review: 9.8/10 Brood van Bro is everything I've wanted in a neighbourhood bakery

Brood van Bro is a very welcome addition to The Hague’s city centre. Their sourdough bread elevates everyday meals into something special. Their croissants compare to those of the best in Paris. The escalated croissants are innovative, creative, and will make you smile. Get one or get them all — they’re all fabulous.

With textbook perfection tastes and textures paired with unapologetic fermentation and daring flavour combinations, Brood van Bro stands in a league of its’ own in the Hague’s bakery scene.

This is the best bakery in The Hague and one of the best neighborhood bakeries you’ll find anywhere.

Brood van Bro
Wagenstraat 182
2512 BB Den Haag