Best of the Gold Coast 2018: Top 10 bakeries
WE can’t get enough of the carb-filled naughty foods that bakeries serve up so well. But where is the best place for a doughnut, pie or loaf of bread on the Gold Coast? Last year the strong vegan movement propelled plant-based Flour of Life to take the crown. This year, there’s a new winner.
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WE can’t get enough of the carb-filled naughty foods that bakeries serve up so well.
But where is the best place for a doughnut, pie or loaf of bread on the Gold Coast?
Last year the strong vegan movement propelled plant-based Flour of Life to take the crown.
This year, there’s a new winner.
FLASHBACK: TOP 10 BAKERIES OF 2017
10. Highland Park Hot Bread
Highland Park Shopping Centre, 106 Alexander Drive, Highland Park
Everything in this busy Highland Park bakery is made from scratch daily.
Tom Nguyen and his wife Nancy Le have been producing bread, pies, cakes and slices for the past eight years, using local suppliers.
“The meat for the pies comes from the local butcher,” Nancy says.
“We source everything locally so it’s as fresh as it can be and that comes through in the taste.”
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As well as the usual bakery favourites, keep an eye out for a house specialty, pineapple and passionfruit tarts.
“They have been so popular, we’re making more of them all the time. I don’t think they’ll ever be off the menu.”
Nancy says pie sales are hotting up with the cooler weather with many a customer commenting they’re better than ever.
9. Paddock Bakery
20 Hibiscus Haven, Miami
Although Paddock has undergone some transformation from its artisan bakery beginnings, owner Chloe Watts says the historic woodfired oven remains the soul of the establishment.
“It’s lit 24 hours a day and we are baking fresh all day,” she says.
“It’s what our customers love us for.”
Indeed, Paddock’s delectable baked goodies still have people queuing. Its iconic sourdough recently took out the Toowoomba Show’s prestigious King of the Bakers’ Award for Best White Sourdough and its cranberry and walnut loaf picked up Best Specialty Bread.
Paddock also has a milk bar serving gourmet milkshakes and smoothies, an event space and is fully licensed.
If you need to duck in for a warm-from-the-oven loaf of bread, perfect pie or stunning sausage roll, there are now 40 paved car spaces.
8. Flour of Life
20 Siganto Drive, Helensvale
Owner Steve O’Brien says Flour of Life has many customers who still don’t know it’s a vegan bakery.
Steven, a herbivore himself, launched the venture 18 months ago when he saw a gap in the market for a plant-based baker.
“We don’t really market it as a vegan bakery,” he says.
“We’ve got all the same things a regular bakery has, it’s just that it’s all plant-based. You can’t really tell from the taste, even the ‘meat’ pies.”
Steven says since he’s opened his business, plant-based food choices have blossomed on the Gold Coast.
“It’s the fastest growing market sector and the Gold Coast is right up there in embracing it.” As well as being egg-free, dairy-free and meat-free, Flour of Life also offers gluten-free options.
7. Bakery 165
165 Maudsland Road, Oxenford
Bread may be a staple of life and in the spirit of modern convenience, Bakery 165 offers a drive-through service, believed to be only the third in Australia.
Time-poor commuters can also pick up a decent coffee with their order.
All 165’s goodies: bread, pies, doughnuts and a selection of sweet classics, are baked on the premises.
6. Foster’s Bakery
1/2227 Gold Coast Highway, Nobby Beach
This Nobbys institution has been feeding locals and holiday-makers for 36 years.
The original Foster, Kevin, passed the baton on to son Stuart in 2007 (although he’s known to appear behind the counter every now and again).
The old formula’s still much the same although Stuart has introduced the odd item to give a nod to the changing times, including the newest vegan pie filled with sweet potato and lentils.
“It’s a real community bakery and that’s what we’re aiming for,” Stuart says.
Keep an eye out for the vintage pic framed on the wall of Kevin as a 15-year-old apprentice pastry chef in 1962.
Some of his original recipes, including the house custard, remain unchanged. It’s worth getting a custard slice just for the nostalgia hit.
5. Bam Bam Bakehouse
2519 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach
If the Mother’s Day queues for breakfast in bed orders were anything to go by, it’s safe to say Bam Bam’s handcrafted baked goods are approaching icon status on the Gold Coast.
Bam Bam’s pastry creators are still turning out their famous three-days-in-the-making croissants as well as a slew of luscious artisan pastries, while traditional bakery classics are lovingly perfected.
Front of house manager Daniel Cresswell says everything at Bam Bam is baked fresh throughout the day.
“You can’t beat getting something hot from the oven,” he says.
“We have our full range on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so they’re the best days to find all the favourites.”
Due to popular demand, Bam Bam is now offering its popular strawberry tarts in large, cake-size versions.
“There are more and more people asking for birthday cakes now so that’s something we’re exploring.”
4. 5b2f Bakehouse
55 Brooke Avenue, Chirn Park
Internationally-decorated pastry chef Moonsun Yoo has been lighting up the small Chirn Park shopping strip since opening his own bakery 18 months ago.
5b2f (as in the biblical five bread, two fishes) features an array of artisan sweets and pastries. Moonsun says, as well as perfecting Aussie favourites, he’s introduced his customers to some new delights.
He’s particularly pleased regulars are now asking for his traditional French/Italian Mont Blanc desserts.
“They weren’t accustomed to the European chestnut flavour to begin with,” he says.
“But now they have the taste for it. Another developing craving is for matcha tea in cakes and pastries.”
3. Gumnut Cafe Bakery
Mudgeeraba Market Shopping Centre, 25 Swan Lane, Mudgeeraba
You can get regular loaves and artisan breads at this local’s favourite fronting the leafy courtyard of the Mudgeeraba Market Shopping Centre but it’s arguably the cakes and coffee that draw the crowds on shopping days.
Everything is made from scratch on the premises using fresh ingredients, just like grandma used to make.
Co-owner Luke Chilcott says cakes are the house speciality and there are a wide range of sweet treats to choose from but his personal recommendation is the chocolate sponge.
“It’s nice and light and made with fresh cream,” he says.
There are gluten-free options too and many a local will tell you won’t find a better pie for miles.
2. Burleigh Baker
13/50 James Street, Burleigh Heads
Owner Geoff Dance is not so much a baker as a health crusader.
After working in the grain industry for many years, Geoff found it increasingly difficult to find a decent loaf of bread so came out of retirement to make his own.
That was four years ago and his handmade, slow-fermented, stone hearth baked sourdough breads have gone from strength to strength.
“I’m in the shop as much as I can be, telling people you’ve got to eat proper bread that’s good for your gut, not bad for it,” he says.
“Everything we do is nutritionally based.” Burleigh Baker uses only certified organic/sustainable flour, leaven, sea salt and filtered water.
The trick is in the long, cool fermentation to develop the doughs’ complex flavours and optimise digestion.
“It’s real bread,” Geoff says. “It’s how it’s meant to be. Word is spreading.”
1. The Flying Pieman
1162 Pimpama-Jacobs Well Road, Jacobs Well
Nine years ago Tim and Kellie Cook weren’t happy with where bakeries were headed, so in Kellie’s words: “Tim said bugger it, we’ll do it ourselves!”
“We only bought it to keep the baking industry alive ... people weren’t making anything from scratch anymore,” she continues.
“So we make everything from scratch, nothing is ever frozen even down to the pastry for the pies.
“People say, ‘Oh my God, I haven’t had pastry like that since I was a kid’.
“Those comments make it all worth it.”
Old-school values means an old-school offering — so old school Kellie was surprised they won this online voting poll, considering many of their biggest fans aren’t the tech savvy age group.
“We do everything in breads, and there’s no sugar in any bread. Then we do things like
bee stings, jelly cakes, old fashioned carrot cake, date loaves, sponges — we still use old recipe for our sponge that everybody adores.
“Then general stuff like custard tarts, pies — our Ned Kelly pies go off, they’re made with mince, egg, cheese and bacon. And our salad bar, we’ve got people driving for miles for our salad bar.”
Kellie says the Jacobs Well community has really gotten behind The Flying Pieman, so it’s only fitting that they give back in the best way possible.
“We donate everything we don’t sell at the end of the day to different charities,” Kellie says.
“Things like bread and cakes, anything OH & S lets us give away we do.
“I always say to people if you or someone you know is doing it tough just let us know, we’re here to help and there’s no shame in asking.”