prôt - handmade by Alex

Located in the heart of Cologne’s Belgian Quarter is the prôt bakery—the Old High German word for “bread,” which also embodies the philosophy of this artisanal business. Here, visitors encounter a process that returns to the essence of bread culture, characterized by few ingredients and a long fermentation period.

In prôt’s open bakery, separated from the sales area only by a glass wall, visitors can gain insight into the art of breadmaking. Alex, a trained master baker, produces eight different types of bread—from Tuesday through Saturday, always fresh from the oven. Instead of industrial mass production, the bakery relies on its own recipes and a production process that avoids ready-made baking mixes. Only sourdough and pre-ferment are used, with the dough resting for 24 to 48 hours. The bakery primarily uses ingredients sourced from North Rhine-Westphalia.