I was quite happy when Batch opened. It's down the street from my house, so nearly every day I've walked past it and stared at the kitchen window where people are baking. It always looked so delicious!
However, I'm not sure if I haven't tried the right items yet, or if I'm just picky about bread, because both the baguette and the croissant were just mediocre. It's definitely good quality compared to the average bread I get at Madison restaurants, but it doesn't come close to the baked goods at Sophia's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/sophias-bakery-and-cafe-madison) or loaves of bread from Madison Sourdough (http://www.yelp.com/biz/madison-sourdough-company-inc-madison).
Specifically, the bread didn't really taste like anything. I would think it hadn't been given enough time to rest and develop flavor through longer fermentation, or like they hadn't started with a poolish (starter). Texturally, the baguette was too fluffy and uniform inside, with no little air pockets or visible strands of gluten structure.
The flavor of the croissant was good, but the texture seemed too dense and packed together, like the butter hadn't broken through the layers the way it is supposed to. I would also suggest a little less marzipan inside the almond croissant - it was a bit too sweet.
I enjoyed their fougasse, which is a little bit like a focaccia. Given the weaknesses with their dough, this makes sense, since a fougasse has a fair amount of oil and herbs that can cover up a flavorless dough.
Maybe I was there on an off day, or maybe I haven't tried the right items. I'll certainly be back another time or two, but I'm keeping my expectations lower next time.