Mel the Bakery in Hudson, New York

Mel the Bakery can be a dangerous place. It is a dangerous place for anyone who has recently said, “I’m trying to cut down on carbs.” I have said that line myself, but it rings hollow now that Mel the Bakery opened a storefront just a stone’s throw from my backyard, in the small city park across from Hudson Hall at 324 Warren Street.

You can still cut down on carbs. Slice other breads out of your life, but leave room for the bread from Mel’s.

The bread and pastries found at Mel the Bakery make life worth living! On a cold wintery day, toast a slice of their rugbød, look out your snowy window, and cuddle up with a warm potato soup and a long Russian novel. Grab Mel’s baguette and bring it to a springtime picnic on the lawn of Tanglewood while you listen to Yo-Yo Ma perform. Show up with a country loaf to a Hudson dinner party, and you are sure to be invited back.

Mel’s bakes the bread that makes any occasion special. When you bring this bread to an event or put it on your table, it shows you made a little extra effort. The crusts are crunchy and the middle is mouth-watering doughy. The bakers behind the bread made a lot of extra effort.

Mel the Bakery started on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 2020 in a 300 square-foot storefront. “Mel” is the Danish word for “flour”, and the breads and pastries have a Scandinavian influence and style. Their rugbød bread is a Danish staple – a densely seeded loaf, which is perfect with smoked fish. Nora Allen, owner and baker, with over fifteen years of baking experience, appreciates the attention to detail in Danish baking. “Baking on site is important to me,” says Nora “as well as the quality of ingredients. We mill all of our own rye.”

There’s a “playfulness in Danish pastries” says Nora.
“We have pastries with candied cherries and seasonal garnishes.”

Nora and her partner, Ashley, decided to move upstate and bring their business with them. They opened Mel the Bakery in December 2023 in the bakery space that was once the home of Breadfolks.

Their current winter hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9am to 3pm. They are looking to expand to five days/week once the weather is warmer and offer grab-and-go sandwiches for lunch. Their storefront offers lunches and ideas for a fun outing or a weekend getaway. You will find drinks, Hawthorne Valley cheeses, and even a game of Pick-Up sticks.

Stop by Mel the Bakery, a welcomed addition to Hudson.