In October, Newburyport lost a bakery—and gained one, too. The Fresh Flour, which has a dual identity as a Sicilian pizzeria and Italian bakery, is owned by Rachel Null and Tanya Gioldasis, the duo behind The Fresh Fix. The space was home to Buttermilk Baking Company and has settled in quickly to its new role as a grab-and-go slice joint, sweets spot, and even as a place for locals to order entire pies.
The yeasted dough is not fermented, but it is cooked in a very hot oven—about 500 degrees—in a square pan with fresh ingredients (sauce is homemade, Null notes) before being cut into squares. Every day, the quick-service restaurant offers a selection of rotating slices, as well as a special: two slices and a drink for just under $10.
On a recent afternoon—one of January’s coldest—I stopped in to sample some Sicilian pizza, defined by its thick and chewy crust, almost sweet sauce, and mixture of cheeses (ricotta on some, mozzarella on others). The Palermo featured no red sauce at all, but, instead, a base of pesto, mozzarella, and ricotta, as well as artichokes, roasted red peppers, garlic, and olive oil.
A so-called Lecce slice was essentially a pizza turned upside-down. With mozzarella on the bottom and tomato sauce on the top, the slice was dusted with Pecorino Romano and oregano and drizzled with olive oil. Stromboli—dough folded around filling—features prominently on the menu, too. On the day of my visit, the meatball stromboli was on display, filled with homemade balls, red sauce, Pecorino Romano, and mozzarella.
Of course, I had to dive into the non-savory side, too. The space occupied by The Fresh Flour has long been known for its sweets. Long before Buttermilk, 9 Liberty Street was home to TCBY, the chain known as The Country’s Best Yogurt (can neither confirm nor deny whether or not that was, in fact, the country’s finest probiotic). Customers, Null says, still wanted something a little sweet—especially something that did not require pre-ordering.
Now, The Fresh Flour is home to classic Italian butter cookies; fresh-baked scones (I brought home a sugar-dusted blueberry version); cannoli; cake pops; pignoli cookies; and, yes, even cakes. The butter cookies are nothing like the store-bought variety, which crumble at first bite. These tender, slightly salty treats read like something both familiar and brand-new, a pleasure I had never really yielded to in the past. I was pleased to meet them, and glad to know I could have them again any time I wanted. They are, after all, just down the road.