Prove Patisserie

Prove launched at a co-working space in Port Adelaide in 2020 and almost immediately began supplying its pastries to some of the best in the business – Exchange Coffee, Paddy Barry’s and Carton Deli among them.

This dedicated bakery, which arrived almost three years later, marks Anna Rogers and pastry chef Megan Bowditch’s first time as owner-operators. The pair – a former corporate lawyer and former Market Street pastry chef, respectively – met playing hockey, and quickly discovered their shared passion for pastry.

The space consists of a tiny shopfront for grab-and-go, but otherwise it’s all about what’s happening out the back. The team uses high-quality ingredients including Rohde’s free-range eggs, Fleurieu milk and flour from Laucke, Flinders Ranges Premium Grain and Small World Bakery. Everything’s local except for the French-imported butter.

The result is a luminous line-up of croissants (plain, pain au chocolat, choc-raspberry and almond), scrolls (cinnamon, butterscotch and the occasional baklava special), and seasonal danishes like rhubarb and pistachio, and pear and honey crumble.

There are also one-off savoury specials inspired by the neighbourhood. When Broadsheet visited, there was a beef-ragu pastry, made with sauce from Italian restaurant Ambrosini’s across the road; and za'atar and feta, inspired by the flavours found next door at Lebanese restaurant Arz.

Since moving to Stepney, the team now has capacity to bake bread. Pick up a loaf of plain, seeded or rye sourdough, or baguettes and ciabatta rolls. There are also specials – like olive and rosemary fougasse – which sell out every Saturday.