Everything you 'knead' to know about where to buy fresh bread: We’ve found the crunchiest ciabattas, best-ever baguettes and sassiest sourdoughs in Singapore to feed your mini bread monsters.
Fresh bread may be a diet downfall, but we think crunchy baguettes, fluffy ciabattas, and banging bagels are worth the potential muffin-top. We’ll go to the gym tomorrow, honest! However, we’ve struggled over the years to find high-quality loaves in Singapore and have even had a stab at a spot of home-baking. No time? You’ll love this guide to the best bakeries in Singapore, so you know where to buy fresh bread. But be warned – one slice is never enough…
The best bakeries in Singapore
1. Tiong Bahru Bakery
This iconic bakery chain is one of our top spots if you want to buy fresh bread and French pastries, plus it makes a mean cup of coffee. Kids will love the butter or chocolate croissants, and the cereal rye sourdough gets our seal of approval for a healthy bread that tastes as fantastic as it looks. Hands down, we reckon Tiong Bahru Bakery is one of the best bakeries in Singapore.
Where: Tiong Bahru Bakery, various locations including Chip Bee Gardens, Raffles City, TANGS Orchard, etc.
2. Maison Kayser
Baking at Maison Kayser starts early, and the bread experts use long fermentation processes to ensure a great flavour in its top-quality range of breads, pastries, and snacks. Its Chocolate & Hazelnut Ekmek bread is simply amazing. Make sure to try its famous croissant – it’s been named as one of the best by none other than Paris’s Figaro newspaper! Various locations around Singapore so you can buy fresh bread easy peasy!
Where: Maison Kayser, various locations including TripleOne Somerset, Scotts Square, Suntec City, etc.
3. Mother Dough Bakery
“Mother Dough” refers to the fermentation starter that is used in making sourdough bread. Lovingly handcrafted and baked fresh daily, its breads and bakes are flaky and buttery, with complex flavours and textures. If you are unsure of what to get from this bakery, go for the almond croissant – there’s a reason why it is Mother Dough Bakery’s most popular bake!
Where: Mother Dough Bakery, 3 Jalan Kledek, Singapore 199259
4. Woodlands Sourdough
Been searching high and low for a bakery that specialises in all things sourdough? Then look no further than Woodlands Sourdough. Their rotating menu of fresh bread and bakes is sure to tempt your tastebuds: crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside… our mouths are watering just thinking about it! Their sourdough brownies are top notch, if you’re looking for something sweet.
Where: Woodlands Sourdough, 183 Upper Thomson Road, #01-03, Singapore 574332; and 31 Club Street, Emerald Garden #01-02, Singapore 069468.
5. Bakery Brera & Fine Foods
This hidden gem of a bakery serves up a good selection of wholesome artisan breads: from sourdough, ciabatta to the good ol’ brioche. Bakery Brera also has a variety of sweet and savoury pastries, our favourites include the sweet and buttery kouign-amann, warm croque monsieur, and cruffins of assorted flavours! Oh, and let’s not forget their scrumptious pies – choose from farmhouse apple, dark cherry genoise, and pecan.
Where: Bakery Brera & Fine Foods, #01-05, 8 Empress Road, Singapore 260008.
6. PAUL
France’s largest chain bakery (established way back in 1889!) cooks up fresh bread loaves, perfectly flaky pastries and beautiful baguettes right here in Singapore. Worth a special mention is PAUL Bakery’s Charlemagne. While we’re on that note, we’re going to take a moment to mentally devour one of its chocolate tarts. There are several locations of this bakery in Singapore, so be sure to pop in!
Where: PAUL, various locations including Takashimaya, Tanglin Mall, Paragon, etc.
7. Two Men Bagel House
Those little rings of doughy, bagel-y goodness keep us coming back for more… and more. That’s our excuse to head back to Two Men Bael House and get our fix. They even do office catering if you’re in need of a bagel on business time. We’re all over the Avo-baco: bacon, avocado, greens, tomatoes, fried egg and lashings of aioli, or the Lox – a generous pile of smoked salmon with a thick smear of cream cheese, beetroot, pickled red onions, capers and dill. Nom-worthy.
Where: Two Men Bagel House, located at Enggor Street, Royal Square, and Lorong Liput.
8. Boulangerie Asanoya
With three bakeries to pick from, super-popular Japanese bakery chain Asanoya whips up a range of baked treats that hit the doughy spot. On the must-try list: curry donuts and the bacon quiche.
Where: Boulangerie Asanoya, located at Queen Street, Paragon, and Bukit Timah Road.
9. Artisan Boulangerie Co. (ABC)
We think we’ve already established that the French really bring banging bread to the table, and here’s another French baker who really knows a challah bread from a croissant – Eran Mayer and his Artisan Boulangerie Co. You’ll find tasty loaves including olive bread, walnut sourdough, gluten-free bread, country white and pavé on the extensive bakery menu. A fab bakery in Singapore.
Where: Artisan Boulangerie Co., locations in 312 Balestier, Killiney Road, and The Metropolis.
10. Baker & Cook
Baker & Cook is more than just a bakery. This fresh bread hotspot and kid-friendly cafe is a gourmet food store that also opens early for a great cup of coffee and kid-friendly bites. Helmed by renowned baker Dean Brettschneider, he’s used his 25-plus years of bread knowledge to create the perfect sourdough. You’ve got to eat it to believe it!
Where: Baker & Cook, various locations including Loewen Road, Namly Estate, Chip Bee Gardens, etc.
11. Cedele
If you’re keen to visit one of the best bakeries in Singapore, you can’t go wrong with Cedele. Luckily for you, there are heaps of locations around the island, so you’re never too far from a top-notch farmer’s loaf, a fresh ciabatta, or a light and lovely baguette. Stay for lunch and make the most of its ‘eat all you can bread bar’ when you order the delish homemade soup! Fresh breads are free from nasty emulsifiers and artificial ingredients… hurrah!
Where: Cedele, various locations including Wheelock Place, Paragon, Great World City, etc.
12. Simply Bread
Simply Bread is another great place to grab great loaves. From rye breads to pesto ciabattas, sourdoughs to batards, this place is a must-visit for real fresh bread fans! It’s also a quaint cafe if you have time for a snack with the kiddos.
Where: Simply Bread, located at 1 Fifth AVenue, #01-03 Guthrie House, Singapore 268802; and 501 Bukit Timah Road, #02-07 Cluny Court, Singapore 259760.
13. Carpenter and Cook
Check out this lovely spot – you can expect excellent fresh bread daily from this artisan cafe. You won’t just find baked goods here. It’s also a cute-as-a-button vintage home store run by Phoebe (the Carpenter)! A top bakery where you can buy fresh bread… with shopping perks – winning!
Where: Carpenter and Cook, 19 Lorong Kilat Road, #01-06, Singapore 598120
14. Baker’s Well
Bread, cookies, pastries, cakes… this super-duper place has it all! East Coast residents will be no stranger to its lip-smacking wares, while the rest of us don’t mind making the special trip for a dark rye or spelt loaf. Keep an eye out for its seasonal fresh bread offerings, too. The best bakery in Singapore, say East Siders!
Where: Baker’s Well, 35 East Coast Road, Singapore 428754.
15. Choupinette
Indulge in a slice of Paris at this cute French café nestled along Bukit Timah Road. Our advice? Pop on over for some of the best bread in Singapore, but stay for brunch! The eggs Benedict and croque monsieur are superb. Don’t forget to bag danishes and macarons to go with your take-out bakery goodness!
Where: Choupinette, 607 Bukit Timah Road, #01-01, Singapore 269708.
16. The Whole Kitchen
Lunchboxes have well and truly been jazzed up in our household thanks to The Whole Kitchen, but did you know it also bakes up gluten-free sourdough bread, too? Fermented overnight then baked to give a golden crust, the yummy flavours are available for delivery.
Where: The Whole Kitchen, located at 11 East Coast Road, Odeon Building, #01-16, Singapore 428722; and 120 Robinson Road, #01-01, Singapore 068913.
17. Schmear
Smoked salmon, delectable cream cheese, a scattering of capers… we can’t help but drool every time someone mentions ‘bagel’ in the office. The team at Schmear get up early each day to bake the freshest NY-style bagels and, topped with some of the handcrafted cream cheeses on offer, they’re the perfect morning fix. They also boast ‘pizza bagels’. Taste one. You won’t regret it. One final thing: home delivery…
Where: Schmear, Quayside Isle, 31 Ocean Way, #01-03, Singapore 098375
Don’t bread down and rye – go on and get your fresh bakes from any (or maybe even all) of these bakeries in Singapore!
Top image: Tiong Bahru Bakery via Facebook