I thought this question best answered in its own thread, slightly misinterpreting @SaltyOpinionsUnlimited 's question to mean not “favorite bakeries” (of which I have no single one) but which are “a few of my favorite things”. In no particular order,
Most things at Sofra.
The cranberry-pecan bread from Iggy’s, any of their “ancient grains” breads (khorasan, anadama – although availability is unreliable these days)
The ancienne baguette at Clear Flour, all their dense Germanic breads, anything olive-y, their financiers, and their small cannelé (better crunch to interior ratio than their large).
Croissants from Forge in Somerville or Praline in Belmont (which also has an interesting, creamy take on that old chestnut, the ham&cheese).
The lovely pistachio, almond and hazelnut confections at La Saison (I’m a little underwhelmed by their bread).
The maple-walnut scone at Hi-Rise, their Tuesday walnut bread, their daily potato loaf, and when in season their apple-walnut muffins (fall) and their Irish soda bread (March, duh).
A very chewy pistachio-almond macaroon from Flour – not your father’s old-macaroon, perhaps, but mine (reminiscent of similar confections in Bombay).
Wow, I bow down to the one true holder of fabulous opinions! And knowledge of how to navigate this onion. I am going to try each of the yummy things you listed. Will check back as I do! Thanks for such a warm welcome.
love iggy’s cranberry-pecan bread, also the rolls.
praline also has a location in central square. agreed about their croissants, and must mention their outstanding quiche.
hi rise does a cheddar-sourdough thing — think it’s called a pinwheel — that i love. they used to do a great cheddar-mustard scone, but stopped doing savory scones during the pandemic and, sadly, haven’t resumed. really miss that one.
but mariposa in central square does a nice kale parmesan scone.
Iggy’s Francese has been our favorite white bread with a sour tang for a long time. The crisps they make with the cranberry-pecan bread are delightful with cheese and just plain snacking. It’s worth a trip to their store on Fawcett St. in Cambridge at least once so you see it all fresh from the oven and the widest selection.
The croissants and chocolate chip cookie at the new Michette French bakery in Somerville are wonderful. Also baguette there. The chocolate chip cookie is a revelation. Oh, also their cannelé,
Yafa Bakery also in Somerville has great Middle Eastern baked goods, sweet and savory. Especially a version of what I’ve seen elsewhere called Jerusalem bagel.
Elmendorf Baking Supplies in Cambridge is a real treasure. Their chocolate chip cookie at the small cafe was our absolute favorite before we tried the Michette version. Still worth seeking out (their small cafe offers sandwiches and other items) and the shop is full of very high quality and reasonably priced baking supplies of all kinds and cookbooks. The owners used to work at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge.
The Hi-Rise cheddar savory small bread is called cheddar snail. I can’t resist it when I see at a farmers market. Everything from Hi-Rise I’ve tried over decades is great…including their soups and sandwiches and breakfast items. On the pricey side for sure. High quality ingredients.
I think I might see a tasting for our young adult son’s birthday next month.
Chocolate chip cookie:
Michette (close to home in Somerville)
Elmendorf (Cambridge, close to home in Somerville)
Clear Flour (in Brookline, not close to home, but decades ago I lived a few blocks away).
Yes, that cheddar-sourdough thing at Hi-Rise is good. They call it a “snail”. (ETA: I now see @Madrid noted this above.)
Their cheddar-mustard scone comes and goes. They had it as recently as last fall, but not since.
cheddar snail — don’t know how i could forget! thanks. i have to get one at the farmers market, as well.
made it to michette a few weeks ago @ 11. no croissants left, so i tried the toasted oat cookie with orange marmalade, which was great. next time, i’ll have to drag my ass out of bed earlier, or preorder.
Michette says they bake throughout the day; close around 2 pm. If you don’t see something, ask; it might just about to come out of the oven. I asked about the jambon sandwich last week when it wasn’t on the counter. I was first told, no, only the caprese sandwich was available. I asked if they would ever have the jambon again. Front person went to the back and returned saying, “he’ll be happy to make you one.” And it was great.
Weekends there is always a long line out the door.
I looked at ordering online a couple of times and online ordering was closed. Maybe try the day before. A highly anticipated bakery which is at its limit for capacity until the owner can hire another baker. I live just a few blocks away so we just drop in from time to time.
This might be behind a paywall; recent Boston Globe article.
Our family loves most of the items out of Breadboard Bakery in Arlington. The baker there was at Clear Flour for many years and it shows in the lovely bread. I particularly like the seeded sourdough, challah, and their cookies/wacky cake, which are not too sweet. I believe the newly opened Momma’s market on Mass Ave in Cambridge Carrie’s bread from Breadboard.
Second the ancienne baguette at Clear Flour. Also love the snail pastry at Yafa and the green tea pound cake at La Saison.
The Morning Bun from Butternut Bakehouse in Arlington, MA. Flaky, buttery soft layers with just enough cinnamon/sugar and none of that gloppy sugar white stuff that ruins many local cinnamon buns.
Was just about to chime in with this. It’s so iconic you can get it printed on a onesie or other merch.
I also nominate the lavender biscuit from 3 Little Figs. Sadly, both of these are off limits for me now that I’m gluten free, so the GF nomination of the moment goes to Tatte’s tahini brownie. As an aside, I sampled several gluten free baked goods from Violette, a dedicated GF bakery in Cambridge, last week and I can’t recommend any of them.
I should also give a shout-out to Seven Stars bakery out of Providence, RI. Their Morning Bun (they call it a cinnamon bun) is no slouch either, same goes for their little lemon cakes which are excellent.
In fact, I like most of their wide range of breads and pastries. A pity that their products aren’t more widely available in the Boston area (Whole Foods carry some of their breads)
