4 Destination Bakeries Worthy of a Day Trip
By Allecia Vermillion September 19, 2016
Breadfarm's housemade graham crackers.
Chocolate sandwich cookies from Breadfarm.
A gonzo chocolate-peanut butter creation from Legendary Doughnuts.
Bremerton, WA: Saboteur
1 hour, 30 minutes including ferry
In a space wedged in the front of a Bremerton pole-dancing studio, a baker with a combined five stars of Michelin experience sells intricate twice-baked croissants and fluffy brioche sucré filled with dark chocolate or fruit with tangy mascarpone. The retail counter is spartan but the creations are elegant, technically impressive, and usually sell out by lunchtime. saboteurbakery.com
Auburn, WA: Legendary Doughnuts
35 Minutes
Enter the original location just west of Lake Tapps and you might require a few minutes of sensory processing before placing an order—sugary baking aromas float over a case jammed with the most wildly bedecked doughscapes this side of Portland’s famed Voodoo Doughnuts. Skip the gimmicky croissant-doughnut squares and embrace the confections with corny names, from the buttercream-filled Conan the Bavarian to Legendary’s signature Oprah, a brick-size maple bar topped with bacon. legendarydoughnuts.com
Doughnut ball from Legendary Doughnuts.
Saboeur's brioche sucré with apricot and mascarpone.
Redmond, WA: Midori Bakery
20 minutes
The actual trip is minimal (it’s in a strip mall near Old Redmond), but the payoff is pastries that mix European technique with American standards like snickerdoodles and an elegant faux Oreo. Don’t miss the yeasted German-Austrian kugelhopf. It tastes like a dinnertime breadbasket had a torrid affair with some ripe raspberries beneath a waterfall of powdered sugar. midoribakery.com
Twice-baked almond croissant from Saboteur.
Photography by Sara Marie D'Eugenio
Midori's apricot danish.
Midori Bakery's classic croissant.
A pair of "midoreos" from Midori Bakery.
A cream puff from Midori Bakery.
Edison, WA: Breadfarm
1 hour, 15 minutes
Half the charm is the location on the sleepy two-block stretch that constitutes the main drag in Edison, where Skagit Valley farmland approaches Samish Bay. The other half is the lineup of rustic loaves—like black olive baguettes—the bakery will slice upon request. Not to mention homey cookies (when’s the last time you had a really good thumbprint?) and Breadfarm’s deeply buttery shortbread and graham crackers that will make you feel deep, heretofore unexplored emotions about graham crackers. Bring cash—no credit cards here. www.breadfarm.com
