The bakery trade has a long tradition in the state capital. But where do people still bake by hand today? And who still bakes freshly every day? Here is a selection for you.
Do you believe that nothing can beat granny’s cakes? Kuchentratsch came up with a great idea to not only to use grandma's recipes, but even let her stand at the mixing bowl herself. The business offering catering and a café near the Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest fairground) calls itself a “social bakery“. This is because the bakery employs older people, who want to do something meaningful in their everyday lives and pursue their passion for baking.
Every cake is baked with love, and the person who baked it is always mentioned on a sign in the display. You can find out more about the baking grandmas and grandpas on the website. Besides the baked treats, you can also buy baking mixes or book a cake catering service for home or work. A great social concept – that also tastes good!
www.kuchentratsch.com, Theresienhöhe 30
Hand-shaped pretzels and freshly baked rolls from Mama Balci: You can get them at Chocolatte Bakery, a family-run business that has been firmly established in Munich since 2004. The two siblings Yurdi and Memo Balci run the two shops in Bogenhausen and Haidhausen district.
Each day, the family bakes fresh products, shapes pretzels and welcomes regulars. The bakery has an inviting family atmosphere and there is always time for conversation over the counter, just as you would expect from a village bakery on the Mediterranean. And yet, the speciality of the shop is something that is not at all Mediterranean: Pretzels. Chocolatte's pretzels are so good that people from the neighbourhood often queue up for them. It's definitely worth it.
www.Chocolatte.website, Prinzregentenstrasse 111 and Wörthstrasse 1
If you love bread, you should definitely shop at Julius Brantner. On weekends, the queues in front of the bakery in Schwabing and the old town are visible from afar. But queuing is worth it – the bread dough ferments for 24 hours and is made from regional organic ingredients. Freshly baked until late afternoon – and what's sold out is sold out.
The open concept of the bakery with its adjoining shop even allows passers-by a glimpse of the bakers at work through the large windows. In this way, Julius Brantner bakery offers full transparency – in the figurative and actual sense. So it's worth a visit, a look and a taste.
www.julius-brantner.de, Nordendstrasse 23, another branch in the city centre
The Japanese word “tanpopo“ means “dandelion“. Just as the dandelion scatters its seeds in the air, the cakes and tarts of Tanpopo are meant to enrich the whole of Munich. Kanako Okada has fulfilled her lifelong dream with her own pastry shop, true to her motto “cakes make you happy“.
In her café in Neuhausen, you'll find a culinary mix of classic patisserie pastries with Japanese and Bavarian influences, as well as savoury treats. At lunchtime, you can enjoy homemade quiches, delicious salads and home-cooked soups in the café – also vegetarian and vegan. If all the baked goods and sweet smells make you want to bake yourself again, you can even take part in a baking class at Tanpopo.
www.tanpopo-cafe.de, Maillingerstrasse 6
Ludwig Neulinger came to Munich as a junior baker and stayed on as a master. He has been running his own bakery in Volkartstrasse for 20 years. At that time, it was one of the few remaining cellar bakeries in Munich. The fact that Neulinger knows his trade is also proven by the wood-burning oven he built himself, in which the bread is baked fresh every day.
When he took over the bakery in 2001, he made some changes. He wanted to return to real handicraft and use only the best ingredients. Since then, eggs are sourced exclusively from free-range chickens, milk from organic farms and they bake according to traditional recipes. Because Neulinger places so much value on this, there is an open day every few months where you can find out about the ingredients and visit the bakery - which moved to Gotzinger Strasse in Sendling in 2018.
www.baeckerei-neulinger.de, Gotzinger Strasse 48, further branches in Haidhausen, Neuhausen and in Schlachthofviertel
When it is about patisserie and the art of baking, there’s one thing that you definitely shouldn’t forget – the mother of patisserie: France. Boulangerie Dompierre is now well known throughout Munich and is represented in five districts. It has a reputation as “the“ French bakery of the city. And rightly so.
If you prefer staying in Munich to taking a short holiday in France, you should definitely try the eclairs. The choux pastry is filled with a cream or custard and glazed. Also, their classic tarte aux pommes (covered French apple pie), the brioches and the pains (breads) are original “French”. And certainly delicious.
www.dompierre.de, Türkenstrasse 21, further branches in Schwabing, Maxvorstadt, Neuhausen, Glockenbachviertel, Werksviertel and in Grünwald.
If you can't get enough of French baking, you should also pay a visit to a stall on Viktualienmarkt (market): Lea Zapf's market patisserie combines French and German recipes, using regional products such as organic eggs from Eching and flour from the Hofbräuhaus Kunstmühle (mill).
The pastry chef bakes in her small nine-square-metre bakery right at the stall and creates edible works of art. by combining the unusual with the traditional. Here, you can get something classic: the cheesecake, something special: the Chantilly salted caramel meringue, and something down-to-earth: the cinnamon brioche. The one-woman show at the Viktualienmarkt attracts visitors and locals alike and invites you to take a break or a relaxing moment at the bustling food market.
www.leazapf.de, Viktualienmarkt, Abt. III Stand 20/21
