The Best Bakeries to Support this Real Bread Week

The Real Bread Campaign believes that any product made using any additive should not be called bread. The campaign's definition of bread allows any other natural ingredients, from salt and baker's yeast to seeds, nuts, cheese, milk, malt extract, herbs, oils, fats and dried fruits to be included in the bakes (as long as they contain no artificial additives).

Last year saw the popularity of bread making and new bakery startups rise. And while many of us took to our kitchens in an attempt to become a Great British Baker, not all of us were successful. Thankfully, there are plenty of brilliant bakers across the north who bake our delicious daily bread. Here’s where to get yours…

Big River Bakery, Shieldfield
This small batch bakery specialises in slow fermented, handmade breads and baked goods, made with locally-sourced ingredients. They’re also a social enterprise contributing to the wellbeing of our community. Try their sumptuous stotties and sourdoughs, or try and make your own with their bread making kits.
bigriverbakery.com

Bluecorn Bakery, Norton
This independent family business has been supplying the local community around Norton for almost a decade. Although their creative cakes may distract you at the counter, their bread is always freshly baked and delicious.
facebook.com/BluecornBakery

Forge Bakehouse, Sheffield
This bakery, patisserie and café runs evening events and bread classes, as well as offering breads which are long fermented and predominantly sourdough, all made from scratch.
forgebakehouse.co.uk

Good Bread & Better, Harrogate
Expect sourdough, yeasted and domestic grain bakes here. With more than 30 years of natural bread making experience, it’s all about great quality bread made in wood fired ovens. They also offer day courses to teach you how to make basic bread, rolls and simple sourdoughs to up your skills.
facebook.com/goodbreadandbetter

Grants Bakery, Corbridge 
Traditional baking is at the heart of Grants Bakery thanks to owner and award-winning continental patisserie chef, Andrew Cotterell. From cobs, sourdough and dusties, there’s plenty of choice. The bakery also puts together essential boxes to get you through the week featuring four pints of Northumbrian Pedigree milk, salted butter, a multi-seed cob, a small white loaf, six finger buns, two freshly-baked Northumbrian pasties, two steak pies, a Victoria sponge and some sweet treats.
grantsbakery.co.uk

The Grateful Bread Bakery, Hexham
This small, family-run artisan bakery in the heart of Hexham specialises in organic sourdough bread. Paired with their Ampersand Dairy cultured butter and bags of freshly roasted coffee by Ouseburn Coffee Co, it’s all you’ll need to start the day off right.
gratefulbread.co.uk

Haxby Bakehouse, York
This artisan bakery and delicatessen’s bread is baked using traditional methods of slow fermentation. They use low-yeasted overnight sponges, natural sourdough levain or a combination of the two. This means the bread they produce is full of flavour without artificial flour improvers, preservatives or emulsifiers.
haxbybakehouse.co.uk

Chefonabike, Sheffield
This baker offers meals on wheels with bread made from locally-sourced Worsborough Mill flour, delivered to you by bicycle. Owner Dave is a keen supporter of Real Bread Week and prides himself on his fresh bakes including a variety of sourdoughs.
facebook.com/loafonabike/

Northern Rye, Ouseburn 
Northern Rye also specialise in sourdough breads alongside pastries, sandwiches and great coffee. Their breads are made using organic flour, water and salt and their flour comes from Shipton Mill and Gilchesters, as well as Foricher Les Moulins in France, who produce flours with no additives or enzymes.
northern-rye.co.uk

PureKnead Artisan Bakery, Whitley Bay
The daily collection of freshly baked breads here includes seeded, rye and yeasted breads as well as focaccia and bloomers. Along with their homemade products, they also stock a wide range of complementary items from top artisan suppliers including tea and butter.
pure-knead.co.uk

The Secret Bakery, Harrogate
Wholemeal sourdough, rye sourdough, spelt sourdough, white boule and focaccia are all for sale here, with extra special breads available on Saturdays such as chocolate, olive and Italian herbs, cheesy bread and cheese and marmite bread. Their flour comes from Marriages Millers, a family-run business which has been producing quality flour for almost 200 years.
secretbakeryharrogate.co.uk

Summit Bakery & Wholefoods, Kirkbymoorside
There’s a range of real bread on offer here, including sourdough, alongside a variety of ethical products including Ecover, BioD, Faith in Nature, Suma wholefoods and locally-made preserves.
summit-kirkbymoorside.co.uk

Vanora’s Bakery, Ripon
At Vanora's they only make sourdough breads using a natural levain with a long fermentation process, and no commercial yeasts additives or flour improvers, to give their bread structure and flavour.
vanorasbakery.co.uk

Wearside Bakehouse, Sunderland
Last but not least, this small artisan bakery produces hand-crafted breads and Viennoiserie for Sedgefield farmers' market and Birtley food market, as well as local independents, including The Little Refill Shop in Seaham.
instagram.com/Wearsidebakehouse 

Whichever baker you're supporting, you can find out more about Real Bread Week at realbreadcampaign.org