Keeping It Sweet, Fresh and Local

It's apple season again, time to appreciate the iconic fruit in all its glory. In this spirit, the 4-month-old Ovis-Yobis Bakery in Silver Spring is using fresh local apples from a nearby orchard to flavor apple pastries, such as its moist, dense apple cake ($5.50); pretty little apple tartlets ($3); and an apple feuillette , a bed of puff pastry topped with an almond-flour custard and a fan of thin apple slices ($1.50).

Opened four months ago by Ovis and Yobis Pineda in the Cloverly Shopping Center off New Hampshire Avenue, the bakery will use fruit from O'Keefe's Orchard, across the street, in its apple desserts until the stand closes for the season, toward the beginning of November.

"When he's closed, we don't know where we're going to go for apples," says Yobis Pineda. But that won't stop their quest to use local produce to make their pastries stand out from the pack, she says: "It's very important, because it assures that the ingredients are good quality. We try to make it all fresh."

The Pinedas -- she is from Bolivia, he from Guatemala -- learned to bake European-style pastries and breads while working at Sutton Place Gourmet, Whole Foods and other places. Now they're applying that knowledge to bring their customers cookies (three for $1), a case full of cakes ($3.50 per slice; six-inch cake, $15; nine-inch cake, $24), breads ($1 to $4.75) and super-size scones ($1.25).

In addition, they supply the area with several traditional Jewish specialties, such as rugelach (11 for $3) and challah ($2 to $3.50).

They also make a mean sticky bun ($1.50), and a trip here wouldn't be complete without indulging in one. The buns are baked upside down to a gooey perfection and then turned over to display their nutty, not-too-sweet topping. While many such buns rely on the topping to carry the entire concoction, this incarnation -- the dough tender and flavorful -- is delicious from top to bottom.

Ovis-Yobis Bakery, 736 Cloverly St., Silver Spring. Open daily except Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 301-384-1294.

-- Rina Rapuano

Freelance writer Rina Rapuano last wrote for Food about Baguette Republic, a bakery in Falls Church.