Rye, the first United States location of Austrian bakery Martin Auer, recently opened in New York City — and its $60 loaf of rye sourdough is drawing attention.The new concept on Lafayette Street focuses on one thing: bread.Its 100% rye sourdough is made with "organic Austrian rye flour, water, salt and a lot of time during the process, because it takes a long time to make the bread," co-owner Tim Auer told Fox News Digital.COSTCO SHOPPERS DIVIDED OVER NEW 'SOURDOUGH' BREAD AS CRITICS SAY IT'S NOT THE REAL THINGThe bakery uses a sourdough culture that Auer said has been in his family for more than 50 years and was brought to New York from Austria.Preparing the sourdough takes about a day, he said.The dough is then mixed, rested, shaped and fermented again before spending about 70 minutes in the oven.
After baking, the dense rye loaf needs to rest for at least eight hours before it can be properly sliced.Rye, a new bakery in New York City, sells organic Austrian rye sourdough for $60 per loaf.(Jovani Demetrie)Each full loaf weighs about 3.3 pounds and sells for $60.The $60 price reflects the ingredients and work behind each loaf, as well as the cost of operating in New York, Auer said.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ"The price of the bread is the result of all the efforts and costs that went into this project but also every single loaf," Auer said."It's obviously all handmade here on Lafayette Street in one of the most expensive cities in the world, using only the best ingredients, meaning the best rye flour that we import from Austria.
And we wanted to give the craft and the bread the stage we think it deserves.And with all these efforts, that's the price."The last two loaves of sourdough bread hang on the wall at Rye.
(Fox News Digital)Customers don't have to spend $60 to try it.A half loaf sells for $30 and a quarter loaf for $15, and Rye also sells the bread by the slice.Still, the price has generated criticism on social media.CLICK HERE TO SIGN...