The cooler months can be dreary, for sure. Fortunately there are baked goods to ease the pain. Here are a few of our favourite fresh-from-the-oven bakery items (we’re talking superb sourdoughs, super-sized lamingtons and custard-injected bomboloni) that’ll make the big chill just that little bit more bearable.
SYDNEY
FLOUR AND STONE LAMINGTONS
With their rich chocolate icing, toasted coconut flakes and fluffy panna cotta and sponge interior, Nadine Ingram’s super-sized lamingtons are sure to bring a smile to your face. Her brightly iced gingerbread cookies make for fun times, too. Flour and Stone, 53 Riley St, Woolloomooloo, NSW, (02) 8068 8818
IGGY’S SOURDOUGH BREAD
The handcrafted sourdough loaves at Iggy’s are a favourite among many of the city’s top restaurants and cafés. Pick one up from either of their two Bronte bakeries, but be quick – they sell like hotcakes. Iggy’s, 145d Macpherson St, Bronte, NSW, 02 9386 1370; 49 Belgrave St, Bronte, NSW, 02 9369 1650
BOURKE STREET BAKERY’S SAUSAGE ROLLS
Few things are more comforting on a miserable day than a warm sausage roll and we’re long-time fans of the pork and fennel, spinach and feta, and lamb, almond and harissa numbers from the talented folk at Bourke Street Bakery. Bourke Street Bakery, 633 Bourke St, Surry Hills, NSW, (02) 9699 1011
TASMANIA
SWEET ENVY’S PIES
Sweet Envy’s strengths may lie in the sugar department, but its savoury pie game is on point, too. The offerings have been known to include the likes of beef tongue and cheek and this particularly impressive rabbit and lobster sauce version. Sweet Envy, 341 Elizabeth St, North Hobart, Tas, (03) 6234 8805
BRISBANE
JOCELYN’S PROVISIONS APPLE AND BERRY CRUMBLE
Cold fronts are no match for a good crumble. Jocelyn’s Provisions do a neat apple and berry one with a golden mixture of oats and coconut on top. Take it home, warm it up, BYO cream and it’s a party. Jocelyn’s Provisions, shop 8, Centro on James, James St (cnr James & Doggett sts), Fortitude Valley, Qld, (07) 3852 3799
PERTH
MARY STREET BAKERY’S DOUGHNUTS
If warm cinnamon doughnuts won’t cure you of your cold weather ailments, what will? Perth’s Mary Street Bakery offers them by the bag – warm, spiced and dusted with copious amounts of sugar. Win. Mary Street Bakery, 507 Beaufort St, Highgate, WA, 0499 509 300
CANBERRA
A. BAKER’S DARK RYE BREAD
The crew at A. Baker have a thing for bringing back the baking rituals of yesteryear. Take their 100 per cent house-milled dark rye sourdough, which is made through a slow fermentation process using wild yeast cultures from 2007. Who’s up for a sandwich? A. Baker, 15 Edinburgh Ave, Canberra, ACT, (02) 6287 6150
SILO BAKERY’S EVIES
A muffin-shaped, flaky pastry stuffed with almonds, apples and raisins is the ultimate treat for Silo bakery owners, Leanne Gray and Graham Hudson. Their daughter is the inspiration behind the ‘Evie’, which became a bakery favourite 18 years ago. Silo Bakery + Café, 36 Giles St, Kingston, ACT, (02) 6260 6060
MELBOURNE
CANDIED BAKERY’S APPLE SOURDOUGH
Revamp your breakfast routine with Candied Bakery’s wholesome apple sourdough loaf – lather it with butter, dust it with cinnamon or dip it in egg for a killer French toast. Candied Bakery, 81a Hudsons Rd, Spotswood, Vic, (03) 9391 1335
PHILLIPPA’S CRANBERRY GRANOLA
Phillippa Grogan’s artisan breads and pastries started out as family favourites. Today, her creations are the crushes of many a Melburnian – not least her cranberry granola with pumpkin seeds, coconut and almonds. If having it straight doesn’t get you going, baking it into buttery biscuits will do the trick. Phillippa’s, 1030 High St, Armadale, Vic, (03) 9576 2020
BAKER D. CHIRICO’S BOMBOLONI
A bombolino sounds more like a dance move than a pastry, but this one’s sure to get you grooving. Vanilla bean custard finds lemon-scented happiness in Baker D. Chirico’s signature brioche doughnut and the results are heavenly. Baker D. Chirico, 178 Faraday St, Carlton, Vic, 03 9349 3445
TIVOLI ROAD’S SPELT LOAF
House-milled Powlett Hill biodynamic wholemeal spelt, a finer Laucke spelt grain, sea salt and locally sourced red gum honey collide in a harmonious symmetry of refined acidity, natural sweetness and a touch of salt in Tivoli Road Bakery’s spelt loaf. Tivoli Road Bakery, 3 Tivoli Rd, South Yarra, Vic, (03) 9041 4345
ADELAIDE
RED DOOR BAKERY’S SALTED CARAMEL BRICKS
According to owner Emma Grierson, these ganache-coated, vanilla-salt-dusted Belgian chocolate bricks come with a “chin warning”. The salted caramel lava, she says, is guaranteed to erupt at first bite. Bombs away. Red Door Bakery, 22 Elizabeth St, Croydon, SA, (08) 8340 0302
ARTISAN SOURDOUGH’S OLIVE BREAD
Artisan was one of the first bakeries to bring sourdough to South Australia in 2003. Today, their shelves are stacked with all kinds of loaves, including our newest carb addiction: a black olive and oregano sourdough. Artisan Sourdough, 2/22 Payneham Rd, Stepney, SA, (08) 8364 6386
