New York bakery draws crowds and criticism with $60 rye loaf

An Austrian bakery in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood is attracting customers and criticism with a $60 sourdough rye loaf, The Korea Times reported. RYE by Martin Auer said it nearly sold out daily shortly after opening in September.

The customer interest has persisted despite social media criticism of the price, according to The Korea Times. A comparable loaf at the same bakery in Austria costs roughly $16, a gap the business attributes to imported ingredients, labor and Manhattan operating expenses.

Located on Lafayette Street, RYE by Martin Auer specializes in a single kind of bread. Customers can watch the bread-making process, according to The Korea Times.

A whole loaf weighs 3.3 pounds, or 1.5 kilograms. Customers can also buy a half loaf for $30 or a quarter loaf for $15.

The bakery said it uses three ingredients: organic rye flour, water and salt. Its sourdough starter is more than 50 years old, and fermentation takes up to 24 hours, according to the bakery’s account cited by The Korea Times.

The $60 price has prompted jokes and criticism on social media. The bakery nevertheless reported nearly selling out each day soon after opening; that sales account comes from the business.

The Korea Times likened the interest to South Korean bread pilgrimages, in which enthusiasts travel to well-known bakeries and wait in line for their baked goods.