8 St. Louis businesses where you can buy freshly baked bread
The St. Louis culinary scene has so many highlights that sometimes the bounty of bread bakers here gets overlooked, but some of the best loaves can be had in the Lou. Here are just a handful of the many places around town to get some top-tier, fresh-baked goodness.
Breadsmith
Like all locations of this artisan baking company, the St. Louis franchise specializes in scratch-made delicacies baked in a 5-ton European hearthstone oven. This Kosher bakery boasts cookies, muffins, pastries and, of course, breads. Loaves run the gamut from country white to rustic Italian to sourdough.
10031 Manchester Road, Warson Woods, 314.822.8200, breadsmith.com
Damn Fine Hand Pies
In addition to their eponymous portable pastries, Damn Fine partners Gene Bailey and Madeline Hissong make an array of baked goods, including some damn fine breads. Faves include vegan olive oil and sea salt focaccia, sourdough country loaf and sourdough brioche. They also offer rotating flavored foccacias and make brioche dinner rolls for special order. Currently, the duo’s wares are available at Tower Grove Farmers' Market—pre-orders can be placed via Instagram and picked up at the market or afterward at the DF commissary in Maplewood. Look for Damn Fine pop-ups and hopefully a brick-and-mortar location later this year.
Instagram: @damnfinehandpies
Great Harvest Bread Co.
Born in Montana (where all its wheat still originates), Great Harvest now has locations all across the country, including two in the Lou (Maplewood and Kirkwood). Great Harvest bread is made with fresh whole grain wheat flour ground onsite daily. Be sure to check your preferred location’s website for its baking schedule and daily offerings.
multiple locations, greatharvest.com
Knead Bakehouse + Provisions
At Knead, sourdough reigns supreme and takes the form of all manner of baked goods like doughnuts, cookies, kolaches and cakes along with bread. Breads available include a rustic loaf, brioche loaf or brioche buns. Fans can even buy some of Knead’s 10-year-old starter and try their hand at baking bread at home.
3467 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314.376.4361, kneadbakehouse.com
Mr. Meowski Sourdough
Baker Timothy Nordmann takes water, flour and salt and, with the magic of his cultivated starter named Moses, creates some of the finest sourdough loaves around. Fermented for 24 hours, Mr. Meowski sourdough bread is tangy, crusty and complex, makes the perfect complement for all sorts of sandwiches, soups and sundries and comes in a 800-gram artisan round loaf or a 1-kilogram pan-shaped loaf. Can’t drop in during the week? Online orders can be placed via mrmeowski.square.site starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday for Saturday pickup from 7 a.m. to noon. Special orders are available as well.
107 N. Main St., St. Charles, 314.922.9234, mrmeowski.com
Upper Crust
When he’s not working the bar at Planter’s House, Jeffrey Moll can be found crafting some of the best loaves in town under the name Upper Crust. His offerings include the country loaf, what he considers the “baseline representation” of his breads, and the rustic buckwheat loaf for those looking for something a little bit different. Ordering is done online from Sunday at 1 p.m. until Thursday at 10 p.m. Orders can be picked up on Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. or delivered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.
4932 Pernod Ave., St. Louis, 636.575.3224, uppercruststl.com
Union Loafers Cafe and Bread Bakery
Since opening its doors in 2015, Union Loafers has become the go-to bakery for quality breads like the French country sourdough light and mild, and the marble rye. Many of the breads can be sampled in sandwiches in the Loafers Cafe, and rotating seasonal breads also make appearances on the menu. ICYMI, the Loafers team just opened a bagel shop, Bagel Union, at 8705 Big Bend Blvd. in Webster Groves, for those who like holes in their rolls.
1629 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.6111, unionloafers.com
Winslow’s Table
Winslow’s is most known for its farm-to-table fare. But the restaurant also houses a bakery, which turns out such whole wheat sourdoughs as the calumet bread and the porridge bread which includes rice, buckwheat and oats. There’s also a semolina cranberry loaf and a rye bread available on select days.
7213 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.725.7559, winslowstable.com
