Baker Bleu Caulfield North

As a kid Mike Russell was known as “Blue”, thanks to his strawberry-blonde hair. He revived the name – albeit in French – for his bakery, which opened in Elsternwick at the beginning of 2017. In 2019, Russell made the move to a larger, 400-square-metre site in Caulfield North, which replaced the original bakery.

Baker Bleu quickly gained a reputation for shaping some of the best loaves in Melbourne. It makes sense: before this, Russell worked at Melbourne’s Baker D Chirico and Sydney’s Iggy’s and Bourke Street Bakery. The three spots are considered among the best bakeries in the country.

Russell and his team work exclusively with sourdough. Bagels, baguettes, white and rye loaves are fermented for 48 hours, resulting in beautiful caramel-hued crusts favoured by many top restaurants including Attica and Gimlet. Weekly rotating specials feature ancient grains such as emmer, spelt, purple wheat and kamut. Freestanding racks hold the day’s offerings, which empty quickly as locals duck in and out to collect their daily bread.

You can also pick up sourdough pastries like pain au chocolat, custard tarts, twice-baked almond croissants, seasonal danishes, mini babkas and classic croissants – all made at its Hawksburn location. There’s also a small range of providore items including olive oil, salt, jam, honey and anchovies.

A selection of seasonal sandwiches, pizza and sausage rolls, plus brews from Market Lane Coffee are also available to takeaway or enjoy under umbrellas and outdoor seating at the front of the bakery. Plus, get challah regularly on Fridays as well as seasonal fougasse, in flavours like olive with feta and onion, from Fridays through to Sundays.