E5 Bakehouse has come a long way since 2010 when founder Ben MckInnon cobbled together his first oven from carpenter’s offcuts under a Hackney railway arch. It was and is the epicentre of the east London sourdough revolution. And it’s an irresistibly pleasant space to while away a Sunday, a lunchbreak, a hangover or a deadline.
Its primary archway home these days is in E8, a stone’s throw from London Fields. Indoors it’s quietly buzzy from dawn to dusk with informal tables of drinkers and diners feasting on delicious vegetable-forward lunches, very good coffee and wine, and of course the legendary E5 loaves, buns and cakes. Push on through and you’ll find a sunny little space out back, with trestle tables and trellises.
E5’s bakes are mostly based on their own wheat, grown in Mckinnon’s Suffolk farm, using heritage seed - better for land biodiversity and bread flavour than the homogenous mass-market stuff which is the only grain most bread-makers can get hold of. On their second site in Poplar, E5 Roastery, they’ve even planted an experimental urban wheat crop. Uniquely, E5’s grain is milled as well as baked in-house, for super-freshness - you can peek at their own little millstone in a glass room to the left of the diners, and at the much bigger bakery open to the right.
E5’s bakery is what makes this place and its bread so exceptionally good. It’s home to racks of fragrant loaves and buns, a bevy of zen aproned hipster bakers, and diverse classes: for the sourdough-curious but also for migrants and asylum seekers who want the skills and contacts to work in the local hospitality industry. This is artisanal baking at its best: a feast for the palate, the community and the soul.