Nothing rushed, nothing mass-produced — just patience and small-batch baking

Although every bakery has its own style, three local bakeries share a common belief: exceptional bread can’t be rushed. Through different techniques, recipes, and traditions, Brio Bakery, Breadlove and Bon Ton Bakery have each built their reputations on patience, craftsmanship, and carefully developed sourdough.

At Brio Bakery, director Milos Cvijanovic says the foundation of their old-world breadmaking process is collaboration and attention to detail. “Brio’s unique bread is carefully hand-crafted by our small team of skilled bakers working together in constant dialogue regarding feel, temperature and timing,” he says. Using only flour, water and salt, the bakery relies on high-quality organic flour and a carefully maintained mother culture that “imparts all the magic to our breadmaking process.”

Brio’s Prairie Loaf is its most popular bread. Made with a blend of wheat flours that includes 10 per cent wholegrain flour from a local miller, the loaf features “a delicate tang to the creamy interior crumb,” balanced by “robust caramel malt notes” from its dark crust. The Prairie Loaf also serves as the base for olive sourdough and date-and-seed sourdough variations, while Honey Spelt and Whole Wheat sourdoughs appeal to customers looking for heartier wholegrain options.

Cvijanovic says the bakery has also been exploring European-inspired rye breads, including a 66 per cent German Dark Rye and a 100 per cent rye Tourte de Seigle. He believes Brio is one of the few bakeries in the Greater Edmonton Area offering these distinctive loaves.

For Laura Rogerson, owner and founder of Breadlove, the secret ingredient is simple: time. “Our sourdough loaves go through a 72-hour fermentation process. Nothing is rushed,” she says. The slow rise creates the bread’s flavour and the chewy, open crumb is a quality customers notice immediately. Breadlove bakes in small batches every day, ensuring each loaf receives individual attention rather than being mass-produced.

Sourdough dominates Breadlove’s best-selling breads, from Classic Sourdough to Spelt Oatmeal and Light Rye varieties. Rogerson also points to Olivia’s Chocolate Pear Bread, which she created as a loaf that “can go sweet or savoury,” and the bakery’s original pan buns, which return only for holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

Another customer favourite is the Salty Stick, Breadlove’s own interpretation of a baguette. Rather than trying to replicate a traditional French baguette, the bakery adapted the recipe to its own flour and process. The loaves are brushed with olive oil and finished with Maldon sea salt before baking, producing a softer crust with a chewy interior that’s ideal for sandwiches, bruschetta or serving alongside a meal.

Rogerson says customers may not realize how much work still happens by hand. “There’s no shortcut version happening behind the scenes,” she says. “We’re a true small batch house,” adding that every loaf is one the team would proudly serve on its own table.

At Bon Ton Bakery, co-owner Gerry Semler says their sourdough begins with a room-temperature bulk fermentation before being shaped and moved into a cooler for about 24 hours. The bakery also produces shorter-fermentation sourdough pan-breads without commercial yeast, creating a softer texture than its traditional 40-hour sourdoughs, which develop a crisp crust and light crumb.

Bon Ton’s sourdough breads are its most popular products, with as many as eight varieties available depending on the day. Semler’s personal favourite is the Cranberry Raisin Nut Bread, built on the bakery’s Organic Heritage Sourdough and filled with cranberries, raisins, almonds and pecans. He recommends trying it toasted with Gouda or used for a Waldorf salad sandwich.

While each bakery follows its own path, all three demonstrate that outstanding bread is created through patience, careful technique and a commitment to quality that customers can taste in every slice.