Love it or loaf it: The best bakeries in Toronto
Now let’s see – a fresh loaf of artisan bread versus store-bought. Is there really any comparison? Sinking your teeth into a fresh-baked slab of handmade bread is one of life’s great pleasures that shouldn’t be denied. Taste the difference real hands make at these local artisan bakeries. [Feature image: Blackbird Baking Co.]
St John's Bakery
153 Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON M4M 2E9Posting James Beard’s quote about good bread being “the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods” is a smart way to drum up business. Those words appear on the website and this bakery makes good on the promise. It’s also a social enterprise affiliated with the St. John’s Mission and United Way of Greater Toronto. Their handmade sourdough loaves are made with locally-sourced organic ingredients and sold at various locations, including their retail store in Riverdale.
Matachioni
1617 Dupont St, Toronto, ON M6P 3S8Former Terroni pizza stylist David Mattachioni has gone solo with his own neighbourhood grocer in the Junction Triangle. Artisanal Italian loaves and rolls are baked fresh daily, and are the indisputed backbone of his takeout food menu. Porchetta and prosciutto panini sandwiches are served on house-made ciabatta, while the tomato focaccia comes laden with fresh mozzarella and mortadella. Looking for take-away? Crusty, burnished rounds of white bread are available to-go – while quantities last.
ACE Bakery
1 Hafis Rd, North York, ON M6M 2V6Former Terroni pizza stylist David Mattachioni has gone solo with his own neighbourhood grocer in the Junction Triangle. Artisanal Italian loaves and rolls are baked fresh daily, and are the indisputed backbone of his takeout food menu. Porchetta and prosciutto panini sandwiches are served on house-made ciabatta, while the tomato focaccia comes laden with fresh mozzarella and mortadella. Looking for take-away? Crusty, burnished rounds of white bread are available to-go – while quantities last.
Blackbird Baking Co
172 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L8That Toronto feast for the senses known as Kensington Market is blessed with several artisan bakery. In the midst of international food shops, cheese boutiques, produce markets and a tornado of aromas is Blackbird, churning out crusty sourdough loaves made on-site, with stone ground and unbleached flours. You could try to walk by without stopping in, but the rustic decor and fragrant smells wafting out the front door will make doing that pretty hard.
Brick Street Bakery
27 Trinity St, Toronto, ON M5A 3C4This local chain bakery and café incorporates their made-fresh-daily artisan breads into everything on the lunch menus at all four Toronto locations, including the landmark spot in the Distillery District. The BLT, pulled pork, roasted turkey and meatloaf sandwiches are served on Brick Street’s signature buns and loaves. Regulars are hooked on the sausage rolls and cornish pasties as well as the addictive butter croissants made with all-natural ingredients that are sourced from Ontario farms and dairies.
Mastrandrea Commercial Bakeries Ltd
609 King St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1M5The modern industrial-style bakery at King and Bathurst pays homage to the traditional Italian baking of the owner’s youth. Andrea Mastrandrea is a third-generation baker, using recipes handed down in his family. He quit his day job three years ago to make sure the bread he loved would continue to be made and sold. He uses only whole and ancient grains and nothing artificial in his foccacia, sourdough, cornbread and fruit and nut loaves. Sweet tooths will be happy to know that the bakery has biscotti, almond cookies and other sweet delicacies on offer, as well.
Mabel's Bakery
323 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2M6One of the allures of the so-charming Roncesvalles Avenue has to be the aroma of fresh-baked bread wafting out of Mabel’s. It’s one of the main attractions on a street renowned for its kitschy flavour and small town charm. Founded in Toronto in 2008, there are three branches in the city, all of which make artisanal loaves from high quality local and organic ingredients.
Petite Thuet
1162 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W 2L9Renowned baker and chef Marc Thuet imported a petit morceau of Paris when he founded his midtown shop to bring gourmet-quality breads and homemade products to Toronto. This Rosedale haunt is a magnet for local foodies, who are drawn to the selection of jams, preserves, patés and, of course, rustic baguettes and loaves. In fact, a visit to Petite Thuet may be the quickest way to feel like you’re stepping into a neighbourhood boulangerie in France.
Cliffside Hearth Bread Company
3047 Kingston Rd, Toronto, ON M1M 1P1It’s hard to imagine anyone more passionate about bread than the owners of this east side enterprise. Self-described flour junkies, David Aplin and Camelia Proulx have been slinging handmade bread excellence for over a decade. If the substance in question was anything other than bread, friends and family might have staged an intervention. Instead, they are grateful for the amazing array of loaves created here daily. They had us at “Super Holy Ciabatta.”
