The countdown to tomorrow’s Great British Bake Off (GBBO) final has well and truly begun and has seen the nation become awash with baking fever.
GBBO has seen a proliferation of enthusiastic chefs and amateur cooks kneading, folding, icing and eating all manner of baked creations on our silver screens.
Silver fox judge Paul Hollywood has become an unlikely sex symbol while baking queen Mary Berry has been thrust into the nation’s cooking conscious after a conspicuous absence.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of independent bakeries in the UK went up by 5% last year while our obsession with all things dough has caused record sales in bakery utensils and items.
As people attempt to create tart tatins and croque-en-bouche in their own kitchens, another more revealing trend is our hunger for foreign breads.
According to the British Federation of Bakers the increase in people buying Indian naan breads and Mexican wraps at their local supermarket has made this the biggest growth sector in the British market in the past few years.
They say that easier and cheaper means of travel abroad coupled with consumers’ desire to experiment and a younger consumer profile mean it has even further potential to grow.
It seems only right to acknowledge five of the best bakeries in Manchester that can satisfy our desire for delicious international baked goods, so without further ado let’s take a look at MM’s top five bakeries.
5. Pastry House Ltd
There’s a lot of baking talent on offer along South Manchester’s famous Curry Mile. Chefs in the Mile’s many restaurants serve up peshwari naans, parathas, japatis and all manner of flatbreads straight from their onsite tandoors and ovens while shop windows are crammed with displays of Asian sweets like jalebi and halva.
Middle Eastern patisserie Pastry House, which is tucked away on one of the Mile’s side-roads, is one of the best places to get your fix of baked goods.
Their baklava – a traditional Middle Eastern sweet treat, mixes of pistachio and honey between layers of puff pastry are divine.
You can have any of their flatbreads, served piping hot from the onsite clay oven, with classical Middle Eastern food combinations like baba ganoushe, salty haloumi cheese or lamb and spinach.
Despite serving traditional pastries in the north west for more than 25 years their hours deviate from your average British baker meaning customers can grab a baklava right from 10am right through until 10pm.
Signature Bake: Their amazing honey and pistachio baklava are an archetypal Middle Eastern sweet treat.
Star Bake: The lamb and feta fatayers, a pizza-esque pastry, served piping hot from their ovens.
4. Ho’s Bakery
In Manchester city centre’s thriving Chinese quarter is Ho’s Bakery, a place which serves a wide range of traditional Hong Kong style sweet and savoury patisseries.
Despite the shiny slabs of fruity cakes on display it’s the savoury buns that are the real stand out things in the city’s first Chinese bakery.
Red bean twists, sweet corn and tuna buns and pork satay pasties are just some of the interesting combinations on offer from what is now the third generation of the Ho family.
Signature Bake: Their Five Spice Pork Bun is as far away from a Gregg’s steak bake as is possible to get.
Star Bake: The Coconut Bakewell is an exotic take on the British classic and is definitely worth a try.
3. G. Weinholt
Out in the affluent South Manchester suburb of Alderly Edge, the Weinholt bakery has been accruing something of a name for itself.
Mini raspberry brûlée tarts, crème meringues and what can only be described as a giant Malteser-like cake are just some of the desserts that have been wiping the floor with upmarket retailers.
Their distinctly German name harkens back to 1890 when master confectioner Ferdinand Wienholt moved from North Germany to Manchester and began to sell his vanilla slices.
Its doors only open three days a week but Kathleen Weinholt, now the family’s 5th generation of baker, says she spends the rest of the week baking incredible quiches, pies and pastries for their devoted customers.
Signature bake: Their best-selling vanilla slice is hand sliced by baker Mandy every morning.
Star bake: Their pork pies, packed full of meat with a thin pastry crust, are a cut above the competition.
2. State Fayre Bakery
This Middleton bakery represented the North West in ITV’s 2012 Best British Bakery where they impressed judges with their vast range of challah, kichels, kuchan, bagels and buns.
Since their appearance on the ITV show, they now have an onsite café where you can grab home-made granola, frozen yoghurt and, of course, coffee.
Signature bake: Fresh challah bread with its sweet, soft texture is a staple in Jewish households and perfectly baked in their onsite ovens.
Star bake: A bagel with tuna and salmon cream cheese at their café is an unrivalled pleasure.
1. The Barbakan
Just pipping State Fayre Bakery to the post is The Barbakan Bakery which arrived here from Poland 50 years ago.
The delicatessen was crowned winner of Manchester’s 2009/10 best food and drink outlet in the Manchester Food and Drink Awards by none other than the Hairy Bikers themselves.
Using the highest grade of flour from Rank Hovis and Abel & Schafer they have a perfect hybrid of British and Polish dough-y delights.
Locals flock to their shop in Chorlton to pick up their incredible cheese, bacon and tomato breads quiches and pies and, if you visit at lunch time, you’re sure to catch nearby workers dropping in for one of their toasted paninis.
As well as sweet pasties they have a meat counter and stock all sorts of Polish goods including gherkins, pickles and sweet treats.
Signature Bake: The Chorlton sourdough loaf pays homage to their South Manchester base.
Star Bake: A toss-up between their roast Mediterranean vegetable and feta toasted ciabatta or their Polish cheese cake.
Image courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing via YouTube, with thanks
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