Hunter Bread

Hunter Bread is a community bread shop by partners Hunter Carlberg and Shannon Malone, who serve outstanding sourdough and baked goods from their low-key bakery space inside the Bicton Central Shopping Centre.

The star here is the chewy, 24-hour-fermented sourdough, shaped into a variety of loaves ranging from “super longs” to dainty rolls. Rolls are sold by the piece or as part of a “wheel” containing 36 segments. You might also find breads baked with spelt and khorasan, some of the alternative wheats Carlberg – an alumnus of legendary Sydney bakery Iggy’s Bread – sources from Wholegrain Milling, a sustainably minded stone-ground flour mill in New South Wales.

Alongside Carlberg’s breads, Malone bakes a rotating selection of cakes – such as an almond and chocolate number – that are available later in the day or the following morning. You’ll also find good filter coffee available to take away.

This being a community bread shop, personal connections are seemingly everywhere. Malone’s stepfather helped transform the former Brumby’s store into a sparse, stripped-back storefront where flour and timber dominate (many of the wooden bowls, boards and details were dropped off at the shop by Carlberg’s grandmother). Setting up shop in the area is especially significant for Malone, who grew up a few streets over.