Source :  the age

NSW motorists are never far from an exceptional bakery, after five turbulent years of pandemic woes and economic pressures led skilled pastry-chefs and self-taught sourdough specialists to set up shop in regional areas.

Almond croissants at Millers’ Local Bakehouse in Wollongong.Wolter Peeters

From driving through the picturesque small town of Pambula on the Far South Coast, to turning off the multi-lane Pacific Motorway at Billinudgel on the Northern Rivers, this road trip along the state’s coast includes a great bakery for every two hours (or less) of travel – ensuring you’re only ever moments away from your next chunky steak pie or hand-rolled croissant.

Wile Rye in Pambula.
Wile Rye in Pambula.Supplied

Wild Rye’s Baking Co, Pambula

Bakers take it slow and steady at Wild Rye, where every product is carefully hand-crafted – from the loaves of long-ferment sourdough bread to the chunky steak pies. Todd Wiebe, who co-owns the bakery with wife Ruth Hamilton and Matthew and Casey Crossley, says the humble pie is their signature. It’s chuck steak, slow-cooked in a beef stock, then encased in a flaky house-made puff pastry. Arrive at opening time to score their 72-hour ferment sourdough pizzas fresh out of the oven.

Good to know: Wild Rye’s also operates its own coffee roastery, just around the corner on Toallo Street.

26 Quondola Street, Pambula; wildryes.com.au; open daily

Honorbread in Bermagui.
Honorbread in Bermagui.Supplied

Honorbread, Bermagui

The spirit of small-town Australia is baked into every well-fermented loaf of sourdough bread at Honor and Tim Northam’s sustainable family-owned bakery. “There’s so much joy in sharing something freshly baked,” Honor says, and that’s particularly true when serving a close-knit town of just 2700 people. “You get to know people’s families and their stories, and that creates a deep sense of accountability and support.” As part of their commitment to the community, the bakery is working towards the establishment of an Employee Ownership Trust.

Good to know: There’s a leafy courtyard filled with bees and native plants, where you can enjoy Honorbread’s famous kardemummabullar (Swedish cardamom buns).

8 Bunga Street, Bermagui; honorbread.com; open daily

Fruit danishes from Pascale Artisan Bakery on the South Coast.
Fruit danishes from Pascale Artisan Bakery on the South Coast.Supplied

Pascale Artisan Bakery, Moruya

If you’re passing through Moruya on a Saturday morning, stop in at the riverfront country market for some exceptional viennoiserie crafted by self-taught Mauritian baker Pascale Hattwell. The menu changes week to week, but has included croissant and butter puddings, rum baba cakes soaked with yuzu and passionfruit, and raspberry cheesecake danishes – every aspect made from scratch, from the puff pastry to the almond cream. “We have even gone to the extreme of sourcing and importing our own Madagascan vanilla,” Hattwell says.

Good to know: Keep an eye on social media for specials and dessert boxes available to pre-order and pick up on alternate days.

Moruya Country Market, Ford Street, Moruya; instagram.com/pascale.artisanbakery; open Saturday

A collection of pastries at Buerre Noisette in Milton.
A collection of pastries at Buerre Noisette in Milton.Supplied

Buerre Noisette, Milton

French pastry chef Alex Pautonnier crafts classically made croissants, caneles and croque monsieur sandwiches at the small sunlit bakery he opened with wife Tess Pautonnier in October. The venture fulfils a long-held dream for the couple, who relocated from Europe (where Alex worked for acclaimed Nice chocolatier LAC) to settle in Tess’s hometown during COVID. Croissants are Alex’s specialty, thanks to his “attention to detail and deep love of butter”, says Tess.

Good to know: Alex was the head baker at must-visit Lagom Bakery before leaving to open Buerre Noisette. Find it a short 15-minute drive north.

41 Wason Street, Milton; instagram.com/beurrenoisettemilton; open Thursday-Monday

Slow Dough by the Sea at Kiama.
Slow Dough by the Sea at Kiama.Supplied

Slow Dough, Kiama

“It all started in Melbourne during COVID when I, and everyone else in the world, decided to start making sourdough,” says Lucy King, who co-founded Slow Dough with husband Richard in 2024. The pandemic changed a lot for the Kings, who stuck with their passion project, moved to the scenic South Coast town where they’d “gotten stuck” during border closures, and sold so many loaves out of their garage they decided to open their first bakery, in a former minister’s home. Slow Dough now sells various takeaway breads and pastries using local produce, including a herby focaccia topped with tomatoes from the Berry community garden (available this weekend only).

Good to know: The front yard is family-friendly, with games for children.

19 Bong Bong Street, Kiama; slowdough.com.au; open Friday-Sunday

The signature almond croissants at Millers’ Local Bakehouse.
The signature almond croissants at Millers’ Local Bakehouse.Wolter Peeters

Millers’ Local Bakehouse, Wollongong

Millers’ Local Bakehouse is best known for its almond croissants: buttery, flaky and filled with an almond cream which is darker and deeper in flavour than most. That’s because Millers’ uses freshly ground, skin-on almonds, says owner and head baker Emma Huber, who has refined the recipe for more than 10 years. They’re so good they caught the attention of former Rockpool pastry chef Riccardo Malvicini, who came knocking for a regional job after trying one. He’s behind Millers’ gelato pop-up at Bulli, which transforms local produce into icy treats such as pineapple and rosemary sorbet.

Good to know: Keep an eye on social media for monthly specials such as plum and hazelnut tarts (available in January).

Various locations; millerslocalbakehouse.com; check website for various opening hours

Burnt Honey Bakery baker Matty Castle with a loaf of their sourdough bread.
Burnt Honey Bakery baker Matty Castle with a loaf of their sourdough bread.Supplied

Burnt Honey Bakery, Central Coast

This is a cosy bakery with a big focus on sustainability and community, so you can feel good about scoffing that extra custard tart with your coffee. Wife duo Hayley Thorncraft and Joanna Fairall, who met while working at Sydney’s Black Star Pastry (home of the watermelon cake), founded Burnt Honey in 2019. An exceptionally challenging year led to the closure of their second Long Jetty store this year, but the original beachfront location pushes ahead with regular specials such as the galette des rois (king cake).

Good to know: You’ve got to try their brown sugar cinnamon buns with burnt butter glaze.

Shop 1/224 Del Monte Place, Copacabana, burnthoneybakery.com.au; open Wednesday-Sunday

Baked Uprising, Newcastle

From baking cakes in her home kitchen, to learning to make sourdough for a weekly farmers’ market stall, to operating a bustling Maryville bakery with more than 50 staff and a full line-up of tarts, meringues, and sandwiches – Newcastle local Alice Rees has come a long way since 2009. Now, Rees works with local producers like 2 Pops Honey and Just Been Laid eggs to create her menu, which attracts customers from as far away as Brisbane (one of whom travels with an empty suitcase to fill with bread).

Good to know: Always wanted to learn the craft of sourdough? Baked Uprising hosts regular workshops.

21/25 Downie Street, Maryville, bakeduprising.com.au; open daily

Sourdough bagels at Two Bobs Bakery in Nelson Bay.
Sourdough bagels at Two Bobs Bakery in Nelson Bay.Supplied

Two Bobs Bakery, Nelson Bay

You’ll have to turn up early to score some of the sourdough goodies at Two Bobs, which sells out of everything from croissants to brisket burgers throughout the school holidays. The popular bakery was built from the ground up in 2018 by classically trained chefs Nicky Bowden and Rob Daniels, who met while working at Gordon Ramsay restaurants in London. “Our regulars often brag that their Sydney friends are asking them to bring goodies down from little old Two Bobs in Nelson Bay, and that says a lot,” says Daniels.

Good to know: Two Bobs has opened a second location on Hunter Street in Newcastle.

8 Yacaaba Street, Nelson Bay, instagram.com/twobobsbakery; open daily

Palms Artisan Bakery, Forster

When husband and wife team Keiren and Lara Weber moved to Forster 10 years ago, they couldn’t get their hands on a decent loaf of sourdough. Neither had a background in hospitality, but they decided to give baking a crack – learning to make old-school sourdough using organic stone-milled wheat in the wood-fired oven Keiren built in the backyard. They sold loaves to friends, but demand quickly outpaced capacity (“We were selling out within half an hour each day,” Lara says), encouraging the transition to a fully fledged bakery selling bread, pastries and cups of specialty coffee.

Good to know: Sourdough remains the specialty, but keep an eye out for seasonal specials using local produce. This weekend there’ll be miniature pavlovas with whipped vanilla ganache and apricot and rosemary compote.

1/48 Wharf Street, Forster; palmsartisanbakery.com.au; open daily

Croissants at Baked Culture in Wauchope.
Croissants at Baked Culture in Wauchope.Supplied

Baked Culture, Wauchope

The pastry cabinet is a sight to behold at Baked Culture, filled with slices of birthday cake, blackcurrant cheesecake donuts and chocolate chip cookies made by pastry chef Ben Zahn. Zahn, who has been perfecting his craft since the age of 16, owns Baked Culture with Lorissa Simpson, a veteran barista who ensures each treat is paired with an excellent cup of coffee. Croissants are the specialty here, made over three days with a sourdough starter and Australian-grown heritage wheat flour from Wholegrain Milling.

Good to know: While you’re in Wauchope, check out the heritage theme park Timbertown, where you can take a ride on an old steam train.

2/3 31 High Street, Wauchope; bakedculture.com.au; open Monday-Saturday

The baked goods at Peaches Patisserie in Dorrigo.
The baked goods at Peaches Patisserie in Dorrigo.Supplied

Peaches Patisserie, Dorrigo

Some of the most beautiful pastries in NSW are hiding behind the screen door of Peaches’ quiet shopfront in the mountaintop town of Dorrigo. Owner Beth O’Loughlin, who returned to leafy Bellingen Shire to raise her family after honing her pastry skills in Melbourne, fills her tiny pastry cabinet with up to 15 sweet and savoury products – from the seasonal, such as mango caramel tarts, to the staples like croissants. Arrive early and hungry.

Good to know: Hearthfire in nearby Bellingen is another great option, where local produce is transformed into delicious pies, toasties and danishes.

53 Hickory Street, Dorrigo; peachespatisserie.com.au; open Friday and Sunday

Peach & Wolf, Woolgoolga

This artisan bakery is one of the go-to options on the Mid North Coast for giant sausage rolls, sourdough bread and long-fermented pastries. Owner and head baker Laura Gonzales (who formerly worked in corporate finance in Sydney) prioritises local produce in her pastries, sourcing it from surrounding NSW farms to support the community.

Good to know: AllPress Specialty Coffee is on hand, served in home-compostible cups (though it’s encouraged to BYO mug).

The Kiosk, 4 Market Street, Woolgoolga; peachandwolf.com, open Wednesday-Sunday

Baker-owner Jack Fowler and partner Suzannah Ahearn at 44A Bread in Yamba.
Baker-owner Jack Fowler and partner Suzannah Ahearn at 44A Bread in Yamba. Supplied

44A Bread, Yamba

Head baker Jack Fowler has come a long way since his part-time gig at famous San Francisco bakery Tartine. The energy there was inspiring, he says. And contagious, maybe, because 10 years on (and with a bit more baking experience back in his hometown of Melbourne) he’s set up shop in Yamba with partner Suzannah Ahearn. You’ll find them behind the takeaway window of a heritage-listed home (next door to the local bowlo), where they exclusively sell loaves of organic sourdough bread.

Good to know: There’s usually about six types of sourdough to choose from. The country loaf is most popular, but it’s worth trying the Tartine-inspired Danish rye.

44A Wooli Street, Yamba; instagram.com/44a.bread; open Tuesday-Saturday

Billi Bakehouse, Billinudgel

Humble Pie was once considered an essential pit-stop for travellers on the Pacific Motorway, before the company closed in January 2020. But hope is not lost for those seeking a solid feed: Wardell Pies have taken over the space with Billi Bakehouse. Here you’ll find the same golden, buttery pies which have lured motorists to an old butcher shop in Wardell (south of Ballina) since the late ’00s. “Every pie is hand-rolled, with puff pastry top and bottom, using all local ingredients,” says current owner Nigel Buchanan.

Good to know: Give the signature duck and mushroom pie a crack, it’s their bestseller.

2-4 Mogo Place, Billinudgel; instagram.com/billibakehouse; open Monday-Saturday