In choosing my top bakeries, I had two things in mind: quality and authenticity. Of course, between these words you’ll find my personal taste. While compiling this completely subjective list, my aim was to bring to light the artisans whose hands have baked the kind of goods that have left me satisfied and craving for more. That’s a contradiction in terms only a very good croissant or an excellent baguette can masterfully balance.

You may say, what about The French Baker or Art-is-in, and I say, yes—the bread of the first and the sandwiches of the latter are well known and have gained the kind of attention they rightfully deserve. I could have included them and many others in this list, but that’s just a consequence of the process of selection: I focused on bakeries that I considered to be the best in one aspect; the kind of place that makes you go out of you way to buy that one product you simply can’t find elsewhere.

In no particular order, here are five places of baked wonder, of sweet delight and savoury goodness. May they broaden your palette and stretch your spectrum of baked goods.

Branch Out Bakery

The hidden jewel of baked goods, this bakery on wheels delivers straight to your home, on bike. Authentic for its sustainable practice and choice of ingredients, all of Branch Out’s baked goods are free of dairy, eggs, gluten and nuts. It’s healthy to vary nutrients and it gives you a sense of wonder at some baked staples, like for example, chocolate chip cookies. There is a wonderful aftertaste that I can’t recognize because it’s not the sweetness of sugar. It’s nutty and subtle and I recommend you try them. It’s relatively affordable: $20 for 12 cookies plus $5 for delivery, that’s still about $2 per cookie.

To contact Branch Out Bakery, or to place an order, click here.

La Balade des Douceurs

Cross the river for this bakery, it’s worth it! La Balade des Douceurs is home to the best croissants, if you ask me. I spent seven years of my life in Geneva and a year in Paris, and I’ve always longed for the European-type croissant. While there are many very good options in town, none are quite as excellent as that of La Balade des Douceurs. They have a chocolate almond croissant that simply melts in your mouth. I don’t know who’s eating who when I devour them, it’s that good. While you’re at it, try their Olive bread—even if you don’t like olives—it’s salty with that particular flavour only olives can produce.

La Balade de Douceurs is located at 166 Montcalm, Gatineau.

Bread and Sons

Centretown is full of bakeries and they all deserve thumbs up for keeping up the artisanal tradition, but no one in town makes vegetarian pizzas as well as Bread and Sons. It’s all about the thin crust, the variety and the quality ingredients. All their ingredients come from local producers (there’s a map on your right with each one) and end up sitting well in your stomach. While doing research for this piece, I tried their kale pizza with olives, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach. I may have missed an ingredient or two—it was that decadent with veggies. Just under $4.50 a slice, it makes for the perfect lunch. If you haven’t already, try their speciality coffees: espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, mochaccino or café latté. It’s not just coffee. It’s an experience.

Bread and Sons is located at 195 Bank Street.

Première Moisson

I was surprised when Première Moisson opened a branch in Ottawa. I never miss making a stop to buy their Parisian baguettes when I’m in Montreal. Baguettes are my favourite type of bread and it’s all about the crust. It has to be perfect, not too hard, not too soft—definitely not saggy. Then there’s the actual taste of the bread, which brings me right back to my childhood in Geneva. You could say I grew up on baguette and cheese, baguette and chocolate bars (the typical Swiss snack), baguette and saucisson, and the list goes on. It’s located in the new Social Sciences building at the University of Ottawa and while I’m not a student there, I often stop by for the perfect baguette.

Première Moisson is located at 120 University Drive.

The Wild Oat

I might have overlooked this notorious Glebe bakery a few years ago, but it’s become a must on my list because of its gluten-free bread. Made with white rice flour instead of your regular wheat, it tastes just as good, if not better than most bread I’ve tried. It simply eats itself, reminds you of how important quality bread is. Particularly beneficial for your diet too, as varying between ingredients is good for your body, not just your taste buds. It’s a strange thing to state that my favourite bread is a gluten-free option even though I have no food allergies. I recommend you try it at least once. If you can’t find it in the fresh bread section, there are always frozen ones in their fridge.

The Wild Oat is located at 817 Bank Street.