Open since June, Wayfarer Bread has quickly become a popular destination for bread lovers and baked good aficionados.
Owner and lead baker Crystal White is a culinary veteran who co-founded Proof Bakery in Los Angeles and, most recently, mastered breadmaking at Tartine in San Francisco. Her values at Wayfarer are refreshing simple: Always make in small batches. Always use the highest quality locally sourced ingredients. Always sell fresh.
Each morning, the display is stocked with savory scones, tarts, and laminated pastries of all sorts. Look for sweet and savory scones and creative flavored croissants, like plum hazelnut and the soon-to-debut pear brown butter.
The cinnamon buns (also made with croissant dough) are a favorite of Crystal’s because of the crunchy, caramelized layer of butter and brown sugar that forms on the bottom during baking.
If you come in search of bread, you can’t go wrong with the sourdough. The recipe is very similar to Tartine’s, and features a levain starter that gives the bread its characteristic flavor and aids in digestion. Don’t be put off by the deep brown hue of the crust—the caramelization boosts the flavor and helps the loaves stay fresher longer.
If you prefer a seeded variety, Crystal recommends the 100 percent rye—a dense German-style loaf with flax and sunflower seeds.
Like most bakeries, being an early bird has its benefits. The shop is predictably busy on weekends, but Tuesday to Friday before 8 a.m. tends to be quite mellow.
If you’re keen on croissants, make sure to arrive before 10 a.m. for the freshest selection. Breakfast sandwiches are offered starting at 9 a.m. and the kitchen crew rolls out sandwiches and salads for lunch at noon.
And there’s pizza! Every Thursday evening, two different flavors of Neapolitan-style pizza are fired up for dinner, including a vegetarian option made with in-season produce sourced from Chino Farms, Nopalito Farm, and Stehly Farms Organics.
Later this fall, look for peach and ginger croissant buns, maple blackberry scones, and classic doughnuts, plus traditional pies, candy and decorated cookies for the holiday season.
Wayfarer Bread
5525 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla
Typical hours: 7:30am to 3 pm; Pizza nights on Thursday until 9 pm; Closed on Mondays.
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