Espresso balls from Jocelyn's Provisions
A good bakery sometimes feeds more than the tummy, it feeds the soul with the goodness that comes from wholesome breads, flaky pastries and sinful tarts.
And luckily Brisbane is scattered with outstanding bakeries, using techniques and recipes from many countries. Julia Tuomainen of www.melangerbaking.com gives a list of our city's best (and you can find more in the book Brisbane Budget Bites 2011).
So, it's time to give the ubiquitous, boring bakery the flick and taste real baked delights.
Ala-din
- Kuraby Square Shopping Centre, 5/1307 Beenleigh Road, Kuraby
Sample the Middle Eastern indulgences at Ala-Din, a south side café and bakery that specialises in Arab and Lebanese cuisine. Most pastries are sold at a reasonable $20/ kilogram, allowing you to walk away with an impressive (and affordable!) variety of treats.
Be tempted by delicacies like the buttery ma’amoul, date-filled cookies, the classic nest shaped kadaif (a fine vermicellilike pastry with a filling of chopped nuts) or the sweet semolina cake basbousa, flavoured with rose water and coconut.
If you’re unable to eat eggs, Ala-din also has a small range of eggless treats available.
Banneton Bakery and Café
- 25 Balaclava Street, Woolloongabba
The growing popularity of sourdough has rewarded residents of Woolloongabba and Ashgrove with Banneton. Cleverly named after the basket that provides the structure for this hands-on, time-intensive, traditional bread, you must visit this new player in the artisan bread market.
Tangy sourdoughs, crusty French baguettes, chewy bagels, European ryes and Italian staples such as ciabatta and focaccia line the walls. All the breads at Banneton are created without artificial improvers or additives, and there is also a conscious focus on using organic ingredients, too. These are faultless handcrafted breads, baked in a custom-made wood-fired oven.
Banneton is also at 3/ 584 Waterworks Road, Ashgrove.
Gingerbread brioche - a French bread. Baked and photgraphed by melangerbaking.comBonjour Patisserie
- 876 Brunswick Street, New Farm
Don’t be deceived by the blink-and-you-could-almost-miss-it premises of Bonjour Patisserie. An astounding range of treats are produced fresh here every day – and there certainly is no hiding the French influence with the line-up of tarts, pastries, gateaux and petits fours.
As well as the traditional éclairs, danishes and croissants, sweet tarts and savoury pastries there are also lesser known French classics. Try the creamy religieuse - a custard-filled choux pastry, shaped to resemble a nun’s habit - and the flaky pithiviers: a puff pastry tart filled with a sweet frangipane (almond cream).
Specialists in gluten-free, Bonjour Patisserie stocks one of the largest ranges in Brisbane. The bakery may be small, but the quality is big.
Brewbakers
- 1/337 Sandgate Road, Albion
Tucked into a small strip of shops on busy Sandgate Road, at Brewbakers, it all starts with bread. Shelves are piled with a variety of loaves in all shapes, sizes and flavours. Don’t miss the sourdough and make sure you taste the unique tanginess of the standout pain au levain. A satisfying range of European breads also includes a light rye Vienna, ciabatta, the dainty ficelle, Como Vienna, multigrain Como Vienna, and Como baguette.
Brewbakers bake up an authentically chewy assortment of bagels including chocolate chip, sourdough, multigrain, sesame and poppy.
Café Portofino
- 650 Brunswick Street, New Farm
If you have a sweet tooth, you will love the generous displays of Italian biscuit, pastry and cake specialities at Café Portofino. All these Italian delights are prepared on the premises, and any selection makes the perfect accompaniment to a strong Italian coffee or hot chocolate.
Favourites include the coffee spiked tiramisu, the snow white Italian nougat, torroncini, or the smooth and light torta di ricotta, or Italian cheesecake.
There's a wonderful range of biscuits including jam-filled buttery shortbread, occhi di bue (delicate lady’s kisses), baci de dama and liquor-flavoured, chocolate amaretti cookies.
Dobos torte - a famous Hungarian cake. Baked and photographed by melangerbaking.comDolci Sapori
- 828 Sandgate Road, Clayfield
What an overwhelming assortment of dolci (pastries and biscuits), tortes (cakes) and tavola calda (savouries) on offer at Dolci Sapori! All the traditional staples are house-made on the premises using recipes that have been handed down for generations. There’s also a great variety of gluten-free and wheat-free options on offer.
Italian classics include brutti ma buoni, cornetti di mandorla, amaretti, baci di Sorrento, delizie, praline di nocciola, fior di nocciola, fichi secchi, pasticceria secca, Florentines and the bestseller, pistacchi. To satisfy any savoury craving there are also arancini balls, mini quiches and pizzas. Enjoy an assortment of treats with a strong Italian espresso in the dining area, or take a selection home.
Leavain Bakery
- Colmslie Plaza, shop 8, cnr Junction & Wynnum Roads, Morningside
With a name like Leavain, you know you are going to walk into sourdough heaven. (A levain is the natural starter used to create bread without the use of commercial yeast, often synonymous with sourdoughs.) Sourdoughs on offer include rye, olive and rosemary, spelt batard, onion and caraway seed, multigrain and the popular baguette. Priced between $4 and $6, this bread could be one of the best deals around.
Miettes Boulangerie Patisserie
- 8/158 Graceville Avenue, Graceville
Miettes delivers the standards of European baking to Graceville. Treats include flaky croissants, assorted danishes, sour cherry, pistachio and macadamia nut tarts and fresh cinnamon rolls.
The drawcard at Miettes is the bread which includes crusty baguettes, sourdoughs, and ciabatta, but also speciality items that change daily including walnut, pumpkin, triple-seeded rye, fruit yoghurt bread, and haloumi and mint. All the sourdough is made traditionally with a natural levain and no commercial yeast. Everything is made from scratch and baked on the premises.
Rose and raspberry macaroons - a classic French confection. Baked and photographed by melangerbaking.comPetite Treats
- Silverton Place, 8/101 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill
Petite Treats always offers an assortment of freshly-baked sweet and savoury items. You will be rewarded with perfectly mouth-watering viennoiseries including danishes, croissants, and almond croissants. Be tempted by a small assortment of old-fashioned slices including apple and apricot, as well as chocolatey brownies and delectable petit fours.
The savoury line-up includes quiches, pies and sausage rolls. There is also a small collection of flavourful artisan breads which are baked fresh daily.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Bakery
- 500 Logan Road, Greenslopes
Rock ‘n’ Roll is on one of the busiest roads in Brisbane, but a trip to this bakery is more than worth battling any level of traffic congestion. This is a must-visit destination.
Try the hearty pasta dura, the rustic campagne, pagnotta and Italian ring, or the olive, haloumi and capsicum-injected Cyprisian. Their pies are a favourite and rate as among the best in Brisbane. Fillings are generous and include combinations such as hot curry and chicken spinach.
The range of cakes and desserts is rich and tempting. Winners include crème brulée, citrus tarts, couverture-quality Callebaut dark chocolate praline cups and opera slice. This bakery is a find not only for the residents of Greenslopes, but anyone living southside.
Other top selections
Cheung’s Cakes and Café
- 1/256 Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley
The sugar buns, sweet coconut buns, sausage buns, ham and egg buns, curry beef buns, custard buns, red bean buns, taro buns, and barbecued pork buns all beckon. Priced $1.80–$2 per bun, there may be no better valued snack around. Cheung’s Cakes and Café could be one of Brisbane’s best-value bakeries around.
Jocelyn’s Provisions
- Centro on James, cnr James & Doggett Streets, New Farm
The large glass cabinets flaunt an array of pies, tarts, slices and cakes. A selection of rich breads and traditional pastries don’t disappoint either. A small range of gluten-free cakes and slices is available at Jocelyn's too.
Poached fruit & ricotta tart from Jocelyn's ProvisionsManila Bakehouse
- 3/841 South Pine Road, Everton Park
Move past the familiar items (white breads, pies, cakes and pastries) and you’ll be rewarded with a selection of Filipino specialities specific to this suburban bakehouse.
If you are looking for something different, Manila Bakehouse is a must. All made fresh on the premises, it’s no wonder the Filipino items fly off the shelf.
King of Cakes
- 3/286 Oxley Road, Graceville
For 20 years, King of Cakes has been a popular destination for authentic German and European breads, cakes, and pastries. German breads are wonderfully diverse using a variety of grains. Buy their products from their stores in Fortitude Valley, Taringa, Graceville or the Jan Powers Farmers Markets.
This list of top bakeries in Brisbane has been supplied by 'Brisbane Budget Bites'. You can find their complete list of brilliant bakeries in the 2011 edition. The bakery section was written by Julia Tuomanien.
