[1] Rustic Double Pumpkin Loaf is white whole wheat dough mixed with pumpkin purée and topped with pumpkin seeds.

[2] Ready for snacking and dessert: cocoa-flavored whole wheat dough with chocolate chunks and dried cherries (photos courtesy Chabaso Bakery).

Is Mom a bread lover? How about sending her some specialty artisan breads for Mother’s Day?

We are passionate about bread, so we couldn’t have been happier than to receive a gift from Chabaso, an artisan bread bakery in New Haven, Connecticut.

It began as Atticus Bookstore, and subsequently opened a café serving comfort foods and freshly-baked baguettes.

Founder Charles Negaro was influenced by the fine breads he came across in Europe: boules, ciabattas, rolls, sticks and other styles. The business evolved into Chabaso Bakery.

In addition to the classics, the bakery has created some wonderfully creative (and irresistible!) loaves, including:

 
The breads are made with a long-fermentation, high-hydration, technique: no shortcuts.

We’ve enjoyed them toasted, as snacks, even as desserts.

Make a sandwich with one of the slightly sweet loaves, with mascarpone for dessert, or with goat cheese or cream cheese for lunch. Heavenly!

The breads are sold at retail throughout the East and fine markets nationwide, as far as the Rocky Mountains.

You can buy them online at Chabaso.com. Each loaf arrives wrapped with a ribbon in a large box.

There are several gift box assortments. The Mother’s Day box includes Candied Orange Loaf, Chocolate Cherry Boule, Powerberry Loaf and Turmeric Sunflower Loaf.

For each Mother’s Day bundle purchased before 5/17/19, Chabaso will donate one bread bundle to a women-and-families shelter in Connecticut.

*We liked every bread, but Candied Orange Loaf was our favorite: a revelation. Runner-up: Chocolate Cherry Boule. Both are part of the Mother’s Day gift box.