In bread we trust…

While many residents have sworn off carbs (at least when anyone is looking), thankfully there are still many bastions of baked goods across this city where the rest of us can indulge. Here are our favourite home-grown bakeries.

Viking Bageri

As a young boy, ‘The Viking’ watched his father bake delicious varieties of bread in their Nordic home kitchen. It was during the Covid lockdown and as a way to de-stress, that he revisited his childhood memories and set about finding the recipe for the one thing his father had never baked – the perfect crispy French baguette. The result? A masterpiece in bread-making. Seriously, try it for yourself. We recommend serving simply with butter and sea salt, or slathered with some creamy cheese and fig jam.

Order online at vikingbageri.com. Follow @vikingbageri.

Birch Bakery

On a mission to feed the community with wholesome, nutritious bread, Birch uses good-for-you ingredients and sources its wheat from small sustainable family farms in the US. If you try one thing on the menu, go for the country loaf (a classic white loaf with a beautiful, blistered crust). But we’d also recommend that you sneak a signature morning bun into your basket too.

Order online at birchcafe.com. Follow @birch.bakery.

For the Love of Bread

Out of frustration for constantly being told not to eat bread in order to lose weight, Rami Badawi embarked on a mission to create a 100 per cent organic, sourdough bread, which would provide an accessible and healthy replacement to supermarket bread. For the Love of Bread’s staple menu consists of two organic sandwich loaves and two free-form loaves, plus a bread of the month (ask about the olive za’atar – it’s superb).

Order online at fortheloveofbread.ae. Follow @fortheloveofbreadbakery.

Honest Kitchen

This gluten-free and refined sugar-free food delivery service was set up by three Emirati ladies on a mission to nourish a healthier community. We’re big fans of their grain-free flatbreads, which suit almost all dietary requirements and are made from really simple ingredients. Choose from either an almond or cassava (nut free) flour base, and use them for shawarma wraps, taco shells, pizza bases, or even tortilla chips.

Order via WhatsApp on +971 52 225 2018. Follow @honestkitchen.ae.

Rise&Dawn Bakehouse

Rise&Dawn was created by Bull&Roo (the team behind Tom&Serg) in 2017 to supply delicious pastries, cakes and bread to their string of cafes. Located inside The Sum Of Us, the bakery has proved so popular that they’re now offering home delivery services. Order the chocolate sourdough, not just for its novelty value, but for its earthy flavour, unique taste and hard crust. Serve it with good quality butter or cream cheese and berry jam, if you like it sweet.

Order in-house or via riseanddawnbakehouse.com. Follow @_riseanddawn_.

Vanilla Sukkar

In 2010, a mother-daughter duo started a home business baking cakes and desserts inspired by Emirati culture, and opened their first café on Al Wasl Road in 2018, complete with sourdough kitchen. They’ve been working on their sourdough starter for the past six years and have affectionately named it Mimi. Don’t miss their melt-in-the-mouth sourdough pastries, the turmeric country loaf, and the cheese and chili country loaf.   

Order via WhatsApp on +971 50 278 5190. Follow @VanillaSukkar

Words: Sarah Henson
Images: Supplied