really want to try the chocolate babka.
Yes, especially if you can snag one where some of the filling has oozed out during baking giving you crisp, caramelized edges.
I am currently torn between Clear Flour in Brookline and Salt in Newton Centre for my bakery needs. I’m right in Newton Centre which makes Salt more convenient. Their Passionfruit tart, tiramisu (in an edible box!), Oreo and Ferro Rocher eclairs, and scrap amman are all outstanding. At Clear Flour, we love the Pan de Mie (the best white bread ever), the gruyere and apricot croissants, all their cookies, and the decadent Cream Puffs (only on special occasions like Mother’s and Father’s days).
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Stopped into Bakey about a year ago (?) and bought a chocolate babka. We thought it was just OK, nothing great. We are spoiled I guess, as my wife (who is the baker in the family) has made some great ones.
Google reviews are crazy positive, including the comments that their bagels are the best ever! (?) Makes me wonder if I got a not great loaf or if tourists are driving the google reviews lol
yeah — reviews can be misleading… although the negative ones can actually be helpful.
sounds like it’s not worth a special trip. but, the next time i’m downtown, i stop by.
We love the za’atar feta and the pesto gruyere scones at La Saison. The borek at Sofra is also a favorite, although I’m not sure it fully qualifies as a baked good per the topic.
My kids love the pretzel sticks from Iggy’s (not my favorite, but that means more of the rest for me!)
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I love the Green’s brand of babka (both chocolate and cinnamon). Made in NYC, available for a premium from Zabar’s, but also available directly from Green’s. Wegman’s also carried it for a while.
I tried Bakey recently and thought the chocolate babka was amazing; equal in flavor to any I’ve had in NYC, but perhaps a touch less moist. They also had a bunch of other flavors, many of which I’ve not seen elsewhere. I really want to return soon and try the almond one in particular, as I’m a sucker for anything marzipan.
While there I also tried chocolate chip cookies, which were very good (but not excellent); and a loaf of sourdough, which was merely edible.
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Yes, Bakey is an indulgence when I go in that area. If you like fruit, try the raspberry babka. I liked the chocolate, and I loved the raspberry. It really surprised me how nice it was.
Does the renewed Japonaise bakery still sell the red bean cream puffs? Those used to be sooo good.
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I agree with @Stiv and @Parsnipity - the morning bun at butternut bakery is incredible. I’ve been to Bakey twice, once at each location. Tremont was great - I loved the cinnamon babka - but everything we tried in Brookline was dry and disappointing.
I live in the metrowest area, and we have zero good bakeries. I tried Salt and thought the kouign Amman was pretty bad.
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Hmm, I was in the Boston Public Market recently and noticed that the George Howell outpost there was selling a range of Seven Stars pastries including their cinnamon bun which I really like. I wonder if the GH cafe on Walnut Street in Newtonville carries them as well? I’m never in that area but it sounds as if you are.
We’ve been admiring the croissant at Salt – flakey, better than many we had on a recent trip to France.
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You believe correctly, but they only get deliveries thrice a week, Wednesdays, Fridays (or as they told me sweetly today: yesterday and tomorrow), and a third day I now forget (Mondays?).
They’re a terrific looking outfit, though, based on my first look around today.
momma’s is on my list, but their website is pretty useless — haven’t been able to figure what days and hours they’re open.strong text
now that I’m gluten free
There are several dedicated gluten-free bakeries in the area:
- Twist has locations in Millis and Burlington. Their pastries and cupcakes are pretty damn good, even deemed “real” by my gluten-eating family members. (I didn’t love their bread, but I’ve been working on trying to solve GF bread for myself.) https://twist-bakery.com/
- White Lion recently opened a location in Newton - haven’t been there yet. https://www.whitelionbaking.com/
- Inna’s Kitchen is also in Newton; I’ve had their babka and it was good. https://innaskitchen.com/
Thanks for the warning about Violette too. It wasn’t on my radar - I try to avoid Cambridge! - but now it won’t ever be on there.
Sundays, I believe. Breadboard is a small outfit and sells bread only on W, F, and Sundays.
I finally got to try Momma’s soft serve this week, which was delicious and not too sweet.
Back on the topic of baked goods, I also love Seven Stars, and put a vote in for the pecan crescent cookies (?) at Iggy’s.
We had the maple soft serve yesterday. It was fantastic – one of the two best soft serves we’ve had in recent years (the other was the creamsicle at the MoMA sculpture garden earlier this year) – not too sweet, as you say, yet intensely maple-y.
Anyway, don’t want to wander too far from baked goods. At some point soon Momma’s should get its own thread. It deserves one.
thank you! you have to click ‘more,’ then ‘contact us.’
i’ve never understood why places make it so hard to find this kind of basic information: address, hours should be on the 1st page.
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I’ve not understood this either. Fewer and fewer websites list this information upfront.
