Meet some of Aotearoa’s best – and tiniest – artisan bakeries.

Myrtle

23 Kent Terrace, Mount Victoria, Wellington

Sarah Bullock and Jacob Brown’s restaurant The Larder in Miramar, Wellington, has always relied on stellar bread, from focaccia to rye. But The Larder’s kitchen is small, and the team ended up baking out of a satellite kitchen for a year, before finding it had outgrown that as well. It was time to open a bakery.

After six months of searching, Jacob and Sarah stumbled on a semi-industrial space in Wellington’s Mount Victoria, complete with lofty ceilings and full-length windows. They opened Myrtle there in late 2021 and decided to name it after Sarah’s grandmother.

“I’d go round to Nana’s house and there’d always be something in the tins,” explains Sarah. “She was the essence of love, and the myrtle plant in mythology is associated with love. We thought that worked really beautifully with what our bakery was about – traditional methods, a nod to family and community and the botanical link to love.”

Myrtle’s small but perfectly formed offering includes everything from wild pork and foraged herb sausage rolls to croissants stuffed with black pudding, onions and stinging nettles.

But locals know not to be so dazzled by the goodies out front as to forget about the bread behind the counter: Myrtle offers an innovative range, from 100 percent buttermilk rise mānuka honey to a crazily popular aged cheddar, thyme and shallot sourdough.

Most of Myrtle’s wholegrains come from Milmore Downs in Christchurch. The bakery also mills some of its own flour, so the bakers can add a little seasonal flour or some local grains into their loaves, a highly artisanal touch. Plus, all Myrtle’s ingredients are seasonal and locally sourced where possible. “With baking, you’re only really as good as the ingredients you use,” explains Jacob.

Jacob and Sarah love that being small-batch gives them plenty of creative freedom and scope for whimsy, and are enthusiastic about providing artisan bread and pastries for their local community.

“Artisan bread is just a better product than something that’s produced in a commercial volume. It’s got more personality – once people taste it, it’s hard to go back,” Jacob says. Artisan bread made with high-quality, freshly milled flour is more nutritious, too, he adds, and it lasts better.

Still, being small has its challenges. At present, Myrtle’s team numbers only six, and Jacob and baker Zoe Paris do most of the baking, starting at midnight and working through until four the following afternoon.

“That’s not the long-term plan, but artisan sourdough has a personality of its own,” laughs Jacob. “You need to be there to juggle it a little bit because depending on the temperature, the humidity of the air… the dough changes, and you have to be present to manage that. It’s like having another child.”

Opening in the middle of the pandemic was “a little bit stressful”, Sarah and Jacob admit, but with the support of the local community, they have found themselves thriving – and even plan to open a lunch bar onsite. The simple à la carte menu will feature plenty of the bakery’s products, as well as the likes of homemade rye pasta. “The artisan philosophy of the bakery will be present through the whole menu,” Jacob promises. “We’re really excited about it.” myrtle.co.nz@myrtle.bakery

Gypsy Oven Queenstown

Corner of Camp Street and Shotover Street, Queenstown

Leo Wortzman and Javier Perez, the duo behind Gypsy Oven Queenstown

Uruguayan Javier Perez and Argentinian Leo Wortzman met while working as chefs at Walter Peak in Queenstown. As fellow South Americans, they soon got reminiscing about some of the food they missed from home – and something that repeatedly came up was… bread.

“In our countries, we have a strong culture of bread,” explains Javier. “For us, it’s very common in the morning to wake up and go to the bakery and get some fresh goods. We were missing that kind of product.”

Between them, they hatched a plan to start making their own baked goods on the side and sell it at the weekend markets. They began in 2018, baking a range of viennoiserie in a rented commercial kitchen for markets including the Remarkables Market and the Cromwell Farmers and Craft Market, while keeping up with their chef roles. “It was a busy time,” admits Javier. “I also had a baby girl at the same time!”

But they quickly realised they were onto something bigger than they’d expected. After their huge popularity at the markets, they began making sourdough bread in addition to viennoiserie, and began offering wholesale. Now, they offer seven different types of artisan bread, from sourdough to multigrain loaves, as well as 14 kinds of danish and sandwich.

The pair planned to open a brick-and-mortar bakery in March 2020 – but, understandably, things didn’t go quite according to plan. “We were pretty much in the new kitchen for two weeks, and then we went into the first lockdown,” remembers Javier. “The past three years have had a lot of ups and downs. Luckily, we have been able to use the quiet periods to improve our baking.”

Despite the scuppering of their original plans, Javier and Leo managed to keep business going throughout the various lockdowns, selling their bread and pastries wholesale and online to locals, and opened their first brick-and-mortar store in June. And while it’s currently just the two of them in the kitchen, they hope to expand soon.

One of the bakery’s ham and cheese croissants.

Gypsy Oven is best known for two South American products. Top of the list are its medialunas – a traditional croissant from Argentina finished with a glaze, so it’s moist inside and subtly sweet. And its dulce de leche croissants, filled with a traditional milk caramel, are the talk of the town.

“A bit like pavlova for Australia and New Zealand, all the Latin American countries claim dulce de leche,” laughs Javier. “They all have different names for it, but it’s the same product and it’s very, very popular – not just with Latin American people, but with everyone.”

Javier believes the pandemic has helped people see the value in artisan baked goods. When Kiwis started making their own sourdough during the first 2020 lockdown, they realised how much skill goes into a loaf. “When people start cooking more in their homes, they realise how much work they have to put into a loaf of bread,” says Javier.

And despite the long hours he and Leo put in, he can see himself happily baking forever and is excited to see Gypsy Oven grow. “I love the whole process of making bread. It’s a bit magic, how from just flour and water you can get something really delicious,” he says. gypsyoven.co.nz@gypsyoven

Grizzly Baked Goods

33 Buchan Street, Sydenham, Christchurch; 22 Welles Street, Christchurch Central

Grizzly’s Buchan Street window.

The story starts, as many good stories do, with bagels. In 2013, keen baker Sam Ellis began hand-rolling bagels to sell at the Christchurch Farmers’ Market, having noticed what he calls “a severe lack of proper bagels” in the city. They proved a big hit, and in 2015, he began wholesaling both bagels and sourdough to a few cafés in Christchurch. As the Grizzly team’s reputation grew further, they shifted to larger premises – and in 2018, they opened Grizzly Baked Goods on Buchan Street, where they now make a vast array of baked goods, from flaky bear claws to pillowy doughnuts to (of course) some of the city’s finest bagels.

Grizzly’s iconic hole-in-the-wall spot in industrial Sydenham remains the beating heart of the business, and you’d be hard pressed to find a local who hasn’t stopped by the window for a coffee pecan morning bun and a cup of Embassy espresso. All Grizzly’s products are baked in the Buchan Street space, but in late 2019, Sam also opened a second site at The Welder in the Christchurch CBD, a tiny, diner-style space where patrons can not only pick up a loaf, but also snag a booth and enjoy a toasted sammie. On top of its two shops, Grizzly still has a stall at the Christchurch Farmers Market and delivers scores of baked goods to local cafés, restaurants and caterers every week.

With a team now numbering 35, including eight bakers, Sam is amazed to reflect on how Grizzly has developed. But despite the bakery’s growth, Sam’s commitment to high-quality artisan goods has never wavered and the wide range of bread and pastries on offer rely heavily on a slow sourdough process. The bakery’s regular ‘breadheads’ return for the high-quality sourdough loaves, while other regulars head straight for the viennoiserie and buns: “The local fire brigade are always keen to wipe us out of our stock of cheesymite scrolls on the daily!” admits Sam.

A few loaves from Grizzly’s extensive bread range.

Using exclusively New Zealand grains for its flour (sourced from Farmers Mill and Milmore Downs in Canterbury), Grizzly produces top-notch sourdough with a focus on the nutritional aspect of the bread. But the bakery is also known for its creative flavour combinations: think truffled leek and pecorino danishes; Creme Egg cruffins; rhubarb and raspberry doughnuts; or cheesy kimchi croissants.

Some of the earliest feedback on new items comes from Sam and wife Sara’s four kids. “They’re not afraid to let us know which items are a hit and which are a miss,” laughs Sam. But the Grizzly team also enjoy hearing the feedback of their customer base, which helped them weather the pandemic.

“We have an immensely loyal following who shop with us every day or week,” says Sam. “We’re not afraid to be idiosyncratic with our offerings and we’ve built enough trust with our customers over the years that they’re willing to try whatever we dream up – whether it be a jalapeño popper croissant or a roast potato sourdough loaf.”

What’s so special about artisan baked goods? Sam insists that despite Grizzly’s stellar ingredients and inspired flavours, the real charm lies elsewhere. “The people are what make it special,” he says. grizzlybakedgoods.com@grizzlybakedgoods

The Real Bread Project

103 Mill Road, Helensville

The Real Bread Project offers a vast and ever-changing range of creative viennoiserie and bread.

Dan Cruden never thought he’d be a baker. He first put on his apron while studying 2D animation, when he picked up a part-time job at Pandoro Bakery over the summer. But straight away, he knew he was onto something – and when he was offered a role in an animation programme, he turned it down to continue baking.

Gradually, he worked his way up the ranks, baking for Bakers Delight and various supermarket bakeries. In 2011, he started working for Auckland restaurant conglomerate Hipgroup and led the team that opened the now-legendary Amano Bakery. During his stint at Amano, the bakery began milling its own flour onsite and became known for everything from its vast array of sourdough to its peerless croissants.

Dan and his wife Carolyn had always wanted to open their own community-focused bakery and after buying a house in the friendly neighbourhood of Parakai, Helensville, they knew it was time.

The couple started The Real Bread Project from their garage in February 2018; within five months, they’d grown enough to need an actual space. Dan signed the lease for the industrial Mill Road space the day he saw it.

He ran the bakery part-time alongside his job at Amano, before turning his attention to it fully in August 2018. It’s been going strong ever since, with one part-time and five full-time bakers now on the books.

The tiny 100m² space presents its challenges, with the team staggering shifts to make it work, but it’s all part of the charm for locals. “I think they love that we are there,” says Dan. “It’s a bit like a hairdressers’ shop some days with banter.”

The Real Bread Project, which sells out most days, offers a range of artisan bread, as well as viennoiserie, superlative pies and sausage rolls and coffee. Top-quality, locally sourced ingredients are a priority – especially the bakery’s flour, which is sourced directly from a wheat farmer in Canterbury and milled onsite – and the menu changes frequently. Dan is known for his inventive pastries – think nacho croissants or vanilla and quince cruffins – but admits that while everything is popular, the pies have become
a local legend. “We only make pies on Friday and they sell out before 9am,” he says – and with flavours like ‘brisket, Liberty Prohibition porter brown onion gravy and smoked cheddar’ and ‘pork belly and parmesan béchamel’, it comes as no surprise.

Despite 20 plus years in the business, Dan’s joy at sharing excellent baking remains undimmed. “I love being able to create something from nothing, and watching the look on the customers’ faces when they eat it,” he says. “A lot of love has been put into it.”

Enjoying a still-warm pain au chocolat in the serene surrounds of Helensville is a hard experience to beat. But if you’re not able to make the trek, never fear: The Real Bread Project also supplies bread and pastries to several outlets around Auckland, including The General in Epsom and Rosie in Parnell. And if you’re further afield, you can always eat with your eyes by following Dan’s Instagram – although don’t blame us if you find yourself suddenly drooling. @therealbreadproject@danthebakerdownunder

Mibo

30 Enfield Street, Mt Eden, Auckland

Some of the weekend goodies on offer at Mibo.

Wander down Enfield Street on a Saturday morning and you’ll be met with round-the-block queues, people perched with coffees on every available surface and the tantalising scent of butter. Hole-in-the-wall bakery Mibo opened its doors in February and has run a roaring trade since its first day.

It’s the brainchild of Emma Zhao, hospo old-hand and owner of nearby sister café Benedict’s. She’s always been interested in baking, but has no formal training. For years, she and her long-time colleague Kris Hsu played around with making cakes, slices and cookies – but about a year ago, they began experimenting with pastries to sell on the weekend at Benedict’s.

“We started with the cinnamon cruffin,” Emma recalls. “And then we started doing croissants, a different flavour each week. We had so many people asking about it and it was selling really well... at some point, we wanted to experiment with more flavours and Benedict’s just didn’t have enough space.”

She had hunted far and wide before signing the lease for Mibo’s Enfield Street space last year. “I wasn’t sure which area was right,” she explains. “But I knew I wanted somewhere that has a community built right into it, someplace we can get to know our locals.”

She’s certainly struck gold with where they ended up. Set amid a sea of apartment blocks and offices, Mibo is perfectly placed to tempt a host of regulars with its array of baked treats.

Mibo is a tiny space, but the baking team – consisting of Emma, head baker Kris, Lucia Jedináková and, part-time, Naomi Miyata – does pretty much all the prep on site. Together, they turn out all the classics and some: think pistachio croissants, maple-glazed monkey bread, seasonal danishes and fresh sandwiches on house-made focaccia.

The name ‘Mibo’ comes from the Shanghainese dialect word for ‘bread’, reflecting Emma’s upbringing in Shanghai, and she’s keen to bring more of the flavours of her childhood into her pastries. Mibo’s existing pastries featuring East Asian flavours – such as the matcha and red bean danish and the black sesame croissant – are top sellers. But Emma hopes to experiment further with red bean, as well as taro, chestnut and savoury egg. Her own favourite pastry at the moment features apple, caramel and naisu, a buttery, milky Chinese paste.

“We want to bring in these other flavours gradually and combine it with the traditional pastries because we don’t want to be too crazy,” she explains. “Hopefully that way people will try it, like it and be maybe willing to try more.”

Emma has been delighted to watch Mibo’s success, and the rise of artisan bakeries in Aotearoa more generally. “I know it’s a cliché, but artisan baked goods… they’re made with love,” she says. Mibo’s laminated doughs take at least two days to prepare and the process can’t be rushed. Artisan bread and pastries are special, Emma says, because the dough behaves differently day to day and you only know the end result when it comes out of the oven. “But you can always taste how much care has gone into it,” says Emma. “I can’t imagine ever getting sick of pastries.”

It would be very difficult indeed to get sick of Mibo’s pastries. Run, don’t walk.
@mibo_bakery