On Saturday mornings, you would be forgiven for thinking the queues outside Iggy’s in Bronte were for grand final tickets, however, everyone’s there for his weekend specialty, focaccia, as well as the fabulous sourdough. Bakers are the new rock stars. Vietnamese hot-bread shops are so last century; now artisan sourdough is the biz and Sydney is blessed with some fine exponents of the art, from Sonoma’s Andrew Connole to the Brasserie Bread team. But along the way there’s been a shift from the handmade hippie vibe that spawned the sourdough movement and things have turned pro, with bakers opening several retail outlets. We’re hoping they’ll keep the personal touch rather than fall prey to slick industrial output.
We still have a soft spot for traditional European breads and a good crusty baguette. And at many of these bakeries, there’s enough to go around so you don’t have to queue.
For more breads, turn to the World Food chapter: Arthur’s Bavarian Bakehouse, Blue Moon Bakery, Soos Bakery, Cassaniti Bakery, The Bagel House and Afghan & Arab Bakery .
Bourke Street Bakery
BSB remains Sydney’s mecca for baked goods, with owners and bakers David McGuinness and Paul Allam continuing to turn out wonderful breads, pastries and pies by the hundreds. Go there for their sausage rolls – the pork and fennel is worshipped by many, or try the lamb and harissa – and for sweet tooths, choose between the ginger and strawberry vanilla brûlée tarts (if you can), the pain au chocolat or the zingy lemon curd tarts. There are daily special breads including Mr Potato Bread and a walnut and currant sourdough, or for a snack on the run, try a bacon and gruyère or goat’s cheese and mushroom quiche. Also at: 2 Mitchell Street, Marrickville, 9569 3225; 633 Bourke Street, Surry Hills, 9699 1011.
ALEXANDRIA
474 Gardener Road • 8339 1001
Mon–Fri 7am–4pm; Sat–Sun 8am–4pm
Map INNER SOUTH
Bowan Island Bakery
David Cummings learnt his craft in Vancouver, leading him to name his bakery after the nearby picturesque Canadian island. He now lays claim to being Sydney’s oldest organic and sourdough baker, having started 19 years ago with Irish soda breads, while still finding room for gluten free, as well as Turkish and ciabatta breads. There’s a walnut version of the ‘Ireland’, a mix of organic flour, honey and soda, plus knobbly shaped sourdough from a 40-year-old ‘mother’ culture, but the real fun is found in sweet and fruity shortcrust pies, fluffy muffins and flaky croissants. The three sites are also relaxed cafes. Also at: 117 Great North Road, Five Dock, 9712 8780; Unit 2, 108 Warrane Road, Chatswood, 9882 3525.
DRUMMOYNE
183 Victoria Road • 9181 3524
Mon–Sat 7am–4pm; Sun 7.30am–4pm
Map INNER WEST
Brasserie Bread
Michael Klausen’s much-awarded Brasserie bread is the artisan byword around town, so it’s well worth a trip to their Botany Road retail HQ. Here you can gaze at the bakers through the glass viewing gallery; buy their signature French mountain bread (miche) or the dangerously good caramelised garlic loaf; and sample their wares in the excellent cafe with an Allpress brew. If you really want to immerse yourself in sourdough culture, sign yourself or the kids up for a baking course. And if you can’t make it to Banksmeadow, you can now buy online and have your order delivered to one of their local stockists across Sydney.
BANKSMEADOW
1737 Botany Road • 1300 966 845
Mon–Fri 7am–3pm; Sat–Sun 8am–2pm
Map SOUTHERN SUBURBS
Iggy’s Bread Down Under
Don’t bother turning up to Iggy’s after midday; there won’t be much left to buy. All you’ll likely find are some leftover ficelles and a room of bakers hand-kneading tomorrow’s loaves. But it’s hardly any wonder Iggy’s sells out: the bread is out of this world. Run by Americans Igor and Ludmilla Ivanovic, who maintain a chain of artisan bakeries in Boston, the small, sign-less Bronte outlet quietly opened in 2009 and rapidly built a cult following. What you will get, if you arrive early enough, are Sydney’s best loaves. The sourdough, in particular, is exceptional: chewy, sour, sweet and as good as it gets.
BRONTE
49 Belgrave Street • 9369 1650
Tues–Sun 8am–4pm
Map BONDI REGION
Central Baking Depot
Bourke Street Bakery’s cousin is every bit as gorgeous, and is winning pastry- and bread-loving hearts all over the city. There’s room to move, and the bread is excellent. There’s a linseed and honey loaf (our favourite), and the ever-popular potato and rosemary, as well as apple sourdoughs. But come early for the bread – the city crowds are quick. Baker Jason Warwick does the old favourite pork and fennel sausage roll, on top of the more recent addition of a lamb, harissa and almond variety. The coffee, which we think necessitates the company of an almond croissant, is also excellent.
CITY
37–39 Erskine Street • 9290 2229
Mon–Fri 7am–5pm; Sat 8am–2pm
Map CITY
Infinity Sourdough Bakery
The ‘sour’ dough at this small but lovely bakery comes from a 20-year-old ‘mother’ dough brought from the famous Paris boulangerie, Poilâne. Giving the bread its complex, dense and slightly sour taste, the dough is part of a winning formula here (it hasn’t been open 11 years for nothing).
Manager Sophie Petersen says that while Infinity’s much-loved yeasted levain bread remains her biggest seller, the presence of some new Italian bakers at the store has resulted in a line of pane di casa loaves that are giving the levain bread a run for its money.
DARLINGHURST
225 Victoria Street • 9380 4320
Daily 5.30am–late (bakers will serve customers until 2am, after shop staff leave at 7pm)
Map CITY
La Gerbe d’Or
After 27 years, French-born baker Franck François has called it quits on his wonderful Paddington institution La Gerbe d’Or. François has decided to retire to the NSW South Coast, leaving the job of running this lovely, traditionally French boulangerie and patisserie to new bakers Andrew and Deborah Chait. The change-over was occurring at the time of writing, so we can’t attest to the quality of the new operation, but can only hope the Chaits will continue the tradition of producing excellent baguettes and exceptional pastries.
PADDINGTON
255 Glenmore Road • 9331 1070
Tues–Fri 7am–6pm; Sat–Sun 7am–5pm
Map CITY
Le Pain Quotidien
Occupying a large and airy former warehouse, this mostly organic bakery doubles as a swish cafe. It must be a popular concept, for new branches of the chain keep springing up, most recently at Bondi Junction. The bread is thickly crusted, dense and chewy, with artisan styles favoured. There’s a variety of sourdoughs, including a multigrain, but a real talking point is the hefty rye loaf that weighs in at a whopping 2 kilos. The French-inspired pastries, from croissants and pain au chocolat to strawberry and lemon tarts, are also worth stopping for. Also at: Westfield Bondi Junction, 9386 0840; 54 Norton Street, Leichhardt, 9564 0099.
SURRY HILLS
Cnr Fitzroy & Bourke Streets • 9360 8460
Mon–Sat 7.30am–5pm; Sun 8am–5pm
Map INNER EAST
La Tartine Organic Bakery
Nick Anthony spent 10 years as a baker in the French Alps before opening up his 100 per cent organic sourdough bakery in the Central Coast in 1998. Nick and his brother Mark produce some 4000 loaves per week using organic flour and their own starter, whose wild yeast and bacteria deliver a natural sourdough without any additives or commercial yeast. The range includes white, sesame, wholemeal, rye and caraway, baguettes, fruit loaf, olive and walnut, multigrain and more, and there are sourdough-free diversions into German-style crumbles, black rye and spelt loaves. No road trip in sight? La Tartine also has bread stands at Sydney’s Eveleigh, Pyrmont and North Sydney markets.
SOMERSBY
Unit 2, Wisemans Ferry Road • 4340 0299
or 0412 582 254
Fri 3.30pm–3am, or by appointment
Luigi’s Bakery
‘They like bread in Dulwich Hill,’ says Italian baker Luigi Carrieri. ‘It’s my kind of place.’ The store has mostly Greek, Portuguese and Italian customers, locals who make a regular (very early) morning appearance to pick up the ciabatta, polenta bread, sourdough Pugliese and an assortment of rolls and bread rings dusted in semolina and other flours. At Easter and Christmas, Luigi gets into the spirit of things and bakes mince tarts, hot cross buns and symbolic doughy wreaths. The panettone, that fruit-laden light-as-air loaf, also comes out. It’s worth making the trip over before all the regulars snap up the goods.
DULWICH HILL
396 New Canterbury Road • 9560 5008
Mon–Fri 5am–2pm; Sat 5am–12pm
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Pan D’Oro
This no-frills Italian baker is simple joy thanks to Calabrese-born Luigi Crino, who makes two-dozen breads and rolls that still offer plenty of change from $4. In a world where dense sourdough is king, it’s a delight to tuck into the sweet, light and flat loaves of Pugliese bread with its biscuity crust. The hardier ciabatta, like the pagnotta, comes in two sizes – Signore Crino’s Roman wife, Luciana, is happy to explain the differences. Best come early for the pizzette, pizza bianca dressed with nothing more than olive oil and salt, and excellent bread rolls. Luigi even makes croissants and Vienna loaf. The rustic shapes tell you they’re handmade, just the way we like it.
FIVE DOCK
67 Great North Road • 9713 9285
Mon–Fri 7am–5.30pm; Sat 6.30am–2pm
Map INNER WEST
St Honoré Sourdough Bakery
Local reliance on this sourdough specialist in North Sydney has ensured the business has thrived through the past 10 years. Blame it on the sourdough boom, but it’s done so well that Ates Wida and Hany Bottrose have now opened a slightly larger store in Mosman, which has room for tables so you can sit down and enjoy one of their chicken pies, or coffee with walnut toast. Ates tells us that people come all the way from Bondi to stock up on sourdough, pre-slicing and freezing loaves to last a week or so. Popular too are the organic loaves, the wholewheat batards, levain and the croissants and Danishes. Also at: 3/555 Military Road, Mosman, 9969 6303.
NORTH SYDNEY
Shop 2, 40 Miller Street • 9929 4388
Daily 6am–8pm
Map INNER NORTH
Sonoma Baking Company
The Sonoma empire is getting bigger year on year, and the list of sourdough bread and country loaves just gets longer. There’s now the Paddington store, the Glebe cafe, the new cafe abode in Danks Street, and a new cafe is set to open in Bondi. Like the chewy sourdough it makes, Sydney’s new favourite bakery is on the rise. Baker Andrew Connole now does a Sonoma mission loaf, made using a wet batter that makes the bread extra chewy with a sticky caramelised crust, and a wholewheat miche, its new country loaf. Artisan sourdough is the primary focus, but there are other white and spelt loaves, as well as a range of pastries. Check the website for details of their other locations.
WATERLOO
2/9 Danks Street • 9699 1920
Daily 7am–4pm
Map INNER SOUTH
Village Bakery
Drummoyne’s got good bread wrapped up. But even with Bowan Island Bakery down the road, this place has lunchtime queues going out the door, waiting for Nam Le’s spelt, organic and specialty grained breads. His bahn mi (pork rolls) and other fresh Vietnamese lunch options also head out the door fast. But the real proof is in the pudding, or rather in the organic gluten-free spelt, rice and potato flour bread options, on top of spelt croissants.
This is the way of the future, Nam says. The queues say it all, though: get there early to beat them.
DRUMMOYNE
179 Victoria Road • 9181 4036
Daily 6am–5pm
Map INNER WEST