Bred co Sourdough Bakery

If you're after a bakery in Albany, Western Australia, Bred co Sourdough Bakery is a small, busy spot that puts its grain front and centre. It's a micro bakery making sourdough and pastries with flour milled on site from grain grown in the Great Southern region, and their own line about the journey from grain to loaf being the shortest of any bakery in Australia gives you a fair idea of the approach.

Sourdough is the heart of it. One local reckons it's the best bread they've had in a long time, light and fluffy, with creative blends like tomato or jalapeño turning up. We've also heard good things about the continental rolls, and one regular who has been buying their bread for over ten years says there's nothing else quite like it in the region.

Pies and savoury pastries get plenty of love too. People talk about a meaty, flaky sausage roll, a chicken pie, a curry pie with good-textured veg, and a generously filled lamb pastry. On the sweet side, the almond croissant has been tried, along with a lemon cream roll, danishes with a delicately flaky outside and soft middle, and cinnamon swirl and butterscotch pastries. Everything is baked in-house, and the fresh-from-the-oven feel is a big part of the appeal.

You can dine in or take away, and they do catering as well. There's a small seating area inside and outdoor seats for a coffee and a pastry in the sun. Locals describe a lively, friendly atmosphere, and the staff get a warm mention. Coffee, breakfast, free street parking and a free car park are all part of the picture, and the entrance and car park are wheelchair accessible. Cards and mobile payments are accepted.

A couple of people have found a pastry or sausage roll didn't hit the mark, and one felt prices weren't clear, while the coffee seems to depend on who's on the machine. The overall word on the street is strongly positive though, and the bakery is open daily, early through to the afternoon. Pastries and bread can run low later in the day, so it's worth heading in earlier if you have your heart set on something.