Baked bread is so 2020, but if you’re tired of your kitchen, here are 11 area bakeries
Raise your hand if you didn’t eat enough bread in 2020.
No one?
Along with the start of COVID-19 came a rise in home baking warriors, churning out loaf after loaf of banana bread, sourdough, Kindred’s milk bread. We all baked, and then ate, and then found new recipes and baked again.
But it’s December, and we’re tired.
Bread takes hours to make, along with lots of patience. There’s the kneading, rising and baking of the dough to the perfect shape.
It’s OK, we don’t have to do it alone. Charlotte’s bakeries are here for us this holiday season.
This guide will help you find bakeries in the area that offer awesome dinner rolls, the perfect sourdough for a sandwich and so much more.
(1) Breadsmith
2000 Highway 160 West, Fort Mill, SC
All of Breadsmith’s artisan breads are made from scratch and are baked in a four-ton European hearth stone oven. The menu includes: Dutch Crunch Bread, Blueberry Pie Bread, Frontier Bread, Power Bread and Pretzel Bread. Check its menu under the “Weekly” section to see when Breadsmith’s options are available.
(2) Copain
6601 Morrison Blvd.
Copain is a slice of Europe, complete with a cafe and bakery. The menu features traditional flaky croissants with European butter, baguettes with heirloom buckwheat flour from Anson Mills and seeded Copain sourdough topped with freshly milled oats, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds.
Check out the shop’s Instagram to take a look at the beautiful designs on its bread.
(3) Great Harvest Bread Co.
Multiple locations
Its signature Honey Whole Wheat has five ingredients: Freshly ground whole wheat flour, pure honey, filtered water, salt and yeast. The Dakota adds sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and millet into the honey whole wheat dough.
For a touch of something sweet, try the Cinnamon Chip bread, made with flour, cinnamon chips and inverted sugar, with cinnamon chips in every bite.
(4) Local Loaf
800 E. 35th St.
Local Loaf’s daily bread selection includes Brioche, Whole Wheat, Sourdough, English Muffins, Brioche Buns and Brioche Hot Dog Buns. Seasonal choices at Local Loaf include pumpkin chocolate chip bread, cinnamon raisin bread and Pumpkin Spice loaves.
(5) Manolo’s Bakery
4405 Central Ave.
You already shop here for the bakery’s sweet treats, but next time you stop by, make sure to grab some of Manuel Manolo Betancur’s fresh-baked Colombian bread as well.
(6) Nova’s Bakery
1511 Central Ave.
Nova’s Bakery is closing Dec. 13, but there’s still a sliver of time to get a taste of its European-style creations. Its bread menu includes classic baguettes, 26 kinds of loaves, and a variety of dinner rolls and hoagie buns.
(7) Renaissance Patisserie
6401 Morrison Blvd., #4A
Looking for a French boulangerie? Here’s your stop, with award-winning Viennoiserie, French loaves and baguettes. Founder/Chef Sylvain Rivet said on the website, “My café offers no better place to feed the senses; as soon as you enter, the aromas, sounds, and atmosphere take you to a small corner of France.”
(8) Suárez Bakery
4245 Park Road
Plan your Saturday around the Suárez Bakery’s Cuban Bread that is only available on Saturdays. The white bread that has been a Latin American staple for years is what the bakery’s Optimist Hall location uses to make its pressed Cuban sandwiches. Check out its full menu here. Cuban Bread is available for online preorder every Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
(9) Sunflour Baking Company
2001 E. 7th St.; 220 East Blvd.; 14021 Conlan Circle, #B-9;5040 Hwy. 49 South, Harrisburg
Sunflour Baking Company, a family-owned Charlotte bakery and café. Grab bread by the slice or loaf in sourdough, multigrain or rosemary olive oil.
(10) Tropical Bakery Cafe
11100 Monroe Road, Suite E, Matthews
This authentic Brazilian bakery features Pao De Queijo, which are ball-shaped cheese breads, along with other Brazillian-style breads baked daily.
(11) Whole Foods Market
6610 Fairview Road; 400 E. Stonewall St., Ste A; 7221 Waverly Walk Ave.
In the Whole Foods Market bakery section, you can find Rustic Italian bread, Cranberry Walnut bread and Ancient Grain bread. According to the Whole Foods Market website, the baked goods are made with unbleached, unbromated flour and cage-free or better eggs — and Whole Foods Market bakery doesn’t use hydrogenated fats or high-fructose corn syrup. Its bakeries are on site and bake fresh goods daily.
Still feeling the urge to bake it yourself? Check out Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen’s winter breads class on Dec. 15. A $70 ticket will earn you a lesson to baking Chocolate Swirl Bread, Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Bread and Prosciutto and Herb Scones.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 4:24 PM.
