Fry's Red Wheat Bread Bakery

Delicious food, carefully crafted. Fresh stone milled local wheat from the Metchosin mill is used in naturally leavened sourdough breads, hand formed and slow proofed, then baked in their wood fired oven. They also carry a small selection of deli items to pick up with pastry and bread purchases.

I have not tried all the pizza places in Victoria yet, but so far I have not found better ones than these. The crust is amazing. All organic. Well worth the (high) price.

On November 15th I picked up a flour order, paid online, from Fry’s Bread. Baking for nearly two weeks I thought something was odd. The I realized that the “sifted red fyfe flour” was strange: clumpy, darker than normal and very fine. It reminded me of pastry flour. I called the bakery to ask if they knew what might be wrong. That person told me to call the mill. The miller at Nootka Rose (partner with Fry’s) informed me that she could “probably” identify the flour if I saw it. I explained that it was too long a drive (about 40 minutes each way). When I asked for a manager or owner to talk to, she said “No”. She explained that “It may have been a bagging error”. As a customer, one would expect a response like ”Oh, sorry to hear this. Let’s see what we can do”. She could have offered to have the flour brought out to her from the bakery for her to inspect. The next day I drove to the bakery with a small bag of the flour and a slice of the recent bread I’d made with it. First, I asked if I could purchase some sifted red fyfe flour. Unfortunately, they were out so I couldn’t compare it to what I had. I asked the counterperson if there was anyone there who might be able to identify the flour. I was pleased when she got the attention of a couple of bakers(?). One poked at the bag (I suggested that she could open the bag and then throw it out after). She said that “It might be another grain”. That’s all she could offer. I said “Thanks for your time” and bought a couple of pretzels to go. I left a tip. Simple – nobody was yelling, crying, swearing or accusing anyone of any dastardly deeds. Soon after, standing in line at Bakeology, Fry’s owner called me. I greeted him with a chipper “Hey! How ya doing?!” - I thought he was calling to help. He told me that I was no longer welcome at his bakery because I had been rude and disrespectful! Presumably, his staff had told him that someone had questioned a purchase. If anything, the staff may have sensed my exasperation but instead of helping to resolve it in some way, they misinterpreted it. I was stunned, and asked if I could ask him a question. He said “No... you’re an a**hole”. I could not believe it. Now, I was livid. Unfortunately, my frustration with the whole issue got the better of me and I couldn’t help but call him a “f***ing a**hole”. (My bad!) A responsible person, or owner, should have tried to determine what actually transpired. I wasn’t the one who said “bagging error” or “different grain”, etc. How is one supposed to address a negative outcome? Asking questions doesn’t seem to be an acceptable route to take at Fry’s. With all the owner’s history in this industry, somehow he seems to have missed the part about customer service and diplomacy. In his early thirties, I trust he has time to improve. I’ve been in Fry’s “boat” before. It’s easy to see that sometimes employees are uncomfortable trying to help someone if they are not empowered to do so. This philosophy should come from the top down. It is therefore the fault of management, not the consumer. This flour purchase has resulted in a mistake that has cost me about $55 for 10 kg of flour whose identity is unknown. I have plenty of baking (and business) experience, and nothing turned out satisfactorily with this particular flour. If I had known what it was actually milled for, the outcome could have been quite different. So. Ponder this: you go into a butcher shop and ask for minced hamburger meat. You get home and open the package to find minced chicken. What do you do? Does the butcher tell you to call the farm? I could go on... Fry’s Bread has lost this $1000+ per year revenue source, not to mention that of my friends and whoever may read this and may decide to stay away. Most online reviews for Fry’s are positive. Others have experienced negative interactions and some confirm occasional arrogance and rudeness. Customer service may not be part of the business model... CAVEAT EMPTOR! I left about 9 kg of the flour for them to identify and use. No response.

Stopped by on my morning walk and decided to get some treats to take home. Great selection of savory and sweet pastries. A very large selection of bread, buns and other baked goods as well. We enjoyed a breakfast Danish and a strawberry/rhubarb/vanilla cream Danish. Both were very nice, tasty and about the right size. We will have to try the bread next time! Cash or debit only though, so come prepared! On the weekends, there can be a line, especially with the protective steps being taken during the Pandemic.

Delicious pain au chocolate and chocolate almond croissants! Always a nice treat.