Auckland’s Top Bakers On Their Best Loaves & How They Love To Eat Them

From bakeries that have been on the job for a decade (or more than two!) to a plethora of newcomers, we are well served for excellent bread in Tāmaki Makaurau. Anna King Shahab opens the oven door to see what’s cooking at some* of the city’s best bakeries, and chews the crust with bakers to get their tips on the best loaves for the job.

Daily Bread took the artisan bakery concept, proved it and baked it – over and over. In 2018, its first year in business, its Point Chevalier shop sold 60 loaves a day. Today, that one shop alone sells 1200 loaves and it’s joined by a bunch of others, not to mention the plethora of retailers and hospitality outlets the brand supplies. Daily Bread is name-checked on dozens of menus around town, including at myriad burger joints.

What’s the best bun for burgers?

Brioche is enriched with butter and eggs, while potato buns are vegan, made with mashed potato and oat milk, says Daily Bread’s Josh Helm. Some people enjoy the slight sweetness as a contrast to the savoury insides of a burger, but Helm’s pick, and the preference of most burger joints now, is the potato bun. “It’s less rich … with a juicier crumb,” he says.

Daily Bread has locations around Auckland. Dailybread.co.nz

Earlier this year Parnell darling Vaniyé opened a second branch in Onehunga encompassing the kitchen, shop, and family home above. While Le Cordon Bleu-trained Sonia Haumonté is famed for elegant cakes and pastries, she has also cut a reputation for making the best baguette in town. Her baguette, she explains, isn’t typical. Her recipe eschews the usual high-protein flour that can cause digestive discomfort and exacerbate issues such as the psoriasis Haumonté herself suffers from. Overnight fermentation adds flavour, and rye flour gives the baguette a darker crust, chew and an earthy note. “Most bakers would raise their eyebrows”, she says, “but the flavour and texture speak for themselves.”

How long will a baguette stay fresh?

Vaniye, 1/7 Windsor St, Parnell, 2/15 Fleming St, Onehunga. Vaniye.com

Ex head-baker of Amano, Dan Cruden, began The Real Bread Project in his garage in Helensville, baking bread to sell at markets and to hand-deliver to folks around the village, before going on to open his own shop. Embodying the term “craft baker”, Cruden brings wheat harvested in Canterbury into the Helensville kitchen where it’s milled into flour through an Osttiroler stone mill.

What loaf makes the best garlic bread?

Ciabatta, says Cruden. “Cut the loaf into 3cm thick slices, but don’t cut all the way through. Smother the slices with garlic and parsley butter, wrap in tinfoil and heat for about 10 minutes in an oven heated to 200 degrees Celsius.

Ciabatta should have “A thin, chewy crust with an open crumb”, says Cruden. Open crumb – baker speak for large holes in the interior of the bread.

The Real Bread Project, 103 Mill Rd, Helensville. Instagram.com/therealbreadproject

Since opening La Voie Francaise in Mt Roskill in 2013, Tetsuya Namekawa – who trained in the famous Pierre Hermes school – quietly goes about making some of the city’s best (and best value) French-style loaves and pastries. The bakery’s signature pain de campagne is made with a liquid levain that’s been nurtured by Namekawa for 20 years, and is a good choice if you want sourdough without the sour: “We constantly check the PH level to make sure that it doesn’t have too acidic a flavour to it,” explains Namekawa.

“Originally, baguette was used – ‘croque’ comes from the crunchiness of its crust”, explains Namekawa, who explains pan de mie – a soft tin loaf – became a popular alternative when people ran out of baguette. He personally prefers a baguette for the job but for the croque monsieurs at La Voie Francaise they use pain de mie because its even-slicing ability makes it more efficient. At home, opt for croque/crunch, versus ease.

La Voie Francaise, 4/875 Dominion Rd, Mount Roskill, instagram.com/lavoiefrancaise

Cafe and bakery Moreno makes a small range of Filipino-style breads alongside European sourdough. Co-founder and chef Chino Salazar explains that’s his home country’s staple, pan de sal, evolved from pan de suelo, a Spanish-Filipino version of the baguette; the lower grade flour available resulted in a “softer, lighter bun that was palatable to the masses…Contrary to its name it’s slightly sweet”, he explains.

What are some ways to enjoy pan de sal?

“At breakfast, it’s traditionally served with quesong puti (soft goat or buffalo cheese) alongside kapeng barako (coffee) or sikwate (hot chocolate), says Salazar, who adds that in modern times it’s often topped with popular spreads Cheese Whiz or Lady’s Choice. He also recommends it for mopping up sauces from savoury dishes, or “stuffing it with anything delicious and rich”.

Moreno, 29D Woodside Ave, Northcote. Morenocafe.co.nz

The grand daddy of artisan bakeries, Wild Wheat last year celebrated its 25th anniversary. Owner Andrew Fearnside remembers wondering back in 1999 “whether sourdough would ever really catch on”. And here we are. Today, Wild Wheat has six stores and 160 employees. Start with its famous kūmara sourdough, then work your way through the plethora of loaves to choose from, including monthly specials which give its bakers a chance to flex creative muscle.

The gutsy crust and chewy texture that grownups love in a sourdough is the same thing that puts many younger folk off… is there a happy medium?

“Authentic sourdough will usually have a sturdy, chewy crust [because of] a slow cold fermentation. My kids eat around the crust as the interior is still soft and moist – they just won’t get curly hair!” Fearnside says a sourdough tin loaf is something they’ve been working on for some time and are ready to launch soon. “It has the taste benefits of long fermentation, but the crust is not so hard”. The “old-style porridge technique” makes a softer loaf overall, with a longer shelf life, he says. “This will be a good one for the kids, and those who want a more regular-sized slice.”

Any tips for slicing bread without working up a sweat or initiating an ACC claim?

“All our stores can slice for you. At home, just pop the bread in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes; this helps make it a bit easier to handle and then run a sharp bread knife through.

Wild Wheat has locations around Auckland. wildwheat.co.nz

Plenty of local bread heads reckon the wholewheat sourdough at petite Grey Lynn bakery Florets is the one. Owner Maya Handley is “interested in how bread can be highly nutritious” by virtue of slow fermentation (courtesy of her starter, named “Ryan”) and the use of whole grains; to that end she uses grain grown organically and stone-milled in Canterbury.

What’s the best way to store sourdough?

“In lightly waxed home-compostable paper (which is what our bread comes wrapped in when you buy it), or [wrapped] in a tea towel. Store your bread in a cool dry place; don’t store it in the fridge - that will dry it out. The Lactobacillus bacteria in our sourdough culture acts as a natural preservative, the bread does not need to be in the fridge.”

Which loaf would you recommend for serving alongside chunky winter soups?

“A slice of hearty rye bread toasted with butter; it absorbs soup so nicely.”

Florets Bakery, 596 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn. florets.nz

Another slice…

Symonds St bakery Mizu bread is under new ownership, rebranded as Ano-ne Bread and Matcha, with a sister store and cafe in Britomart. Owner Yoko Shimoyama recommends shio pan – a salted butter roll — as its signature item. Nibble on one alongside a matcha or freshly brewed coffee.

Youtiao – Chinese fried bread sticks – are excellent for dipping into congee as well as fragrant curry or a bowl of pho. Silver Lake in Sandringham has a reputation for making some of the best around.

Flatbreads reign for serving alongside Indian and Middle Eastern fare. Buy naan fresh from the tandoor at Sandringham’s Paradise, or in packets along with roti and chapati at Indian grocers. For freshly baked pita, head to Shefco and Pita House, or get in early to nab a pack from Carmel’s. Hesari Bakery’s hybrid Afghan-Persian bread is sold at its two shops, plus at Caspian in Mt Eden.

Turns out it was jam and bread, not German bread that Maria was singing about having with tea…but if you do seek German bread, Diehl’s in Glenfield is the place. Among its loaves, the black bread is a great pick topping with salami, cured salmon, aged cheeses, as well as for fixing a Reuben sandwich.

*Some being the operative word – don’t @me, this isn’t a ranking or lengthy list!

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