Fiore Bread

Fiore Bread is a tiny sourdough bakery in McMahon’s Point by partners Samantha Dean and former Iggy’s Bread baker Alberto Dal Bosco, who’ve modelled their place after the Italian alimentari – a little grocer selling good bread, pantry staples and more to takeaway.

It’s one of several Sydney bakeries (among them A.P Bakery and Staple) using sustainable, heritage and ancient grain flours from Wholegrain Milling in Gunnedah, a pioneer of old-world wheat varieties lost to modern farming practices. Dough is fermented slowly over three days to improve aroma and texture, resulting in a loaf with a sturdy dark crust and a moist, flavoursome crumb.

Every day there’s a different bread selection, from wholemeal with walnuts to sweeter styles laced with cacao and hazelnut. As well as loaves, Fiore bakes sourdough brioche and a version of Iggy’s famous wheel: a tearable cluster of panini rolls baked into a doughy disc the size of a small tyre. Individual rolls are used to make the daily sandwiches, with fillings such as mortadella or LP’s salami paired with a sharp Italian cheese; tomato, bocconcini and basil; or eggplant roasted in the bread oven.

Fiore also showcases goods not easily found north of the bridge: Ultra Culture hot sauces from Melbourne, Lulu’s Remedy chilli oil from Sydney’s inner west, Mount Zero olives and oil from the Grampians region in Victoria, and Olasagasti anchovies from Spain. Fiore also sells milk, butter and house-made granola, and will even slice you up a few hundred grams of deli meat to take home.

Named after the Italian word for flower (a subtle play on the bakery’s hero ingredient), Fiore is a pretty little spot. A design by Dean’s sister’s creative studio, The Make Haus, retains the space’s original terrazzo floors and stained-glass windows. Funky stools by Italian designer Martino Gamper are strewn out the front, where you can pull up with a coffee and a panini and bask in the sun.