Bakery Adventures: Rise Bake Shop in Columbia, SC

I spent most of last week in Columbia, SC, for the South Carolina Library Association. A librarian who lives in town knows I look for new bakeries and had just the place to visit. We drove over during a session we both weren't attending anything. (Thanks Susan for letting me know and taking me!) It is the Rise Bake Shop and is definitely worth a visit!

Rise Bake Shop has breakfast and lunch options, as well as breads, pastries, cookies, and spreads like blended butters and shmears. What I loved is that the flavor combinations seemed unusual and atypical. The Sally Lunn bread has a significant place on the menu, as well as their baguettes. The day I was there they also had biscoff cakelets (not the official name), a variety of cookies including a gluten-free option, english muffins, biscuits, turnovers, an enormous filled cream puff, and a cabinet of gourmet packaged treats.

I had to try the preserved lemon blended butter, so I got some with a buttermilk biscuit. The butter was not sweet but had a bit of an herb mixed in, so my treat was on the savory side. The biscuit was tender and a bit crunchy on top.

Susan ordered the Sally Lunn Toast off the menu, which is the Sally Lunn bread, toasted and spread with ricotta cheese, topped with pickled peaches and thai basil. I had a bite of hers and had major order envy. In Susan's family, pickled peaches are a holiday treat, so I'm guessing they are a southern thing, but that was my first taste of them. The concept of the bake shop is "southern boulangerie" so this dish embodies that entire concept.  It was a lovely - savory but fresh tasting, and the bread was perfection - dense but not dry.