Sonoma’s story goes back to the early 90s, when co-founder Andrew Connole went to San Francisco to learn the art of baking naturally fermented sourdough bread in a woodfired oven. He then smuggled the sourdough starter he’d been using back into the country to recreate the artisan loaves Down Under. These days you can buy Sonoma’s loaves in delis and supermarkets around the country, but the eat-in bakeries still offer perfect toast, sandwiches, cakes and loaves in the form of moreish fruit bread and their signature round dark miche (a favourite of chef Kylie Kwong).

If you haven’t heard of Yugoslavian-born Igor Ivanovic’s brand of naturally leavened, hand-cut bread, you must have been living under rock. Iggy’s sweet, nutty, spongy sourdough is on café and top-end menus around town, and while his eastern-suburbs bakery has expanded into larger premises (still in Bronte), the goods still often sell out before lunchtime. The French-style ficelle is a mini baguette coated in seeds that has a great crunch, but you can’t beat Iggy’s sourdough, which is the stuff of dreams, in loaf or roll form.

It may be home of the world’s most Instagrammed cake, but there’s more to Black Star Pastry then just almond dacquoise layered with watermelon and rose cream. Bread may be off the menu, but there’s a whole pastry cabinet to explore, stocked with lamb shank and red wine pies, goats cheese and leek quiches, ginger ninjas and kouign amann. While lesser known, the dragon cake, made from finely sliced dragon fruit on a pineapple cream and pomegranate jelly sponge, might just be the next sweet sensation.

While there are now 11 locations across the city, the tiny flagship on Bourke Street still draws a crowd. Come for the expertly made Aroma coffee and the best sausage rolls, ginger brûlée tarts and croissants in town – and that’s a fact. The bread selection offers a daily rotation of the house sourdough, rye, brioche and ciabatta, plus loaves studded with the likes of apple, raisin and cinnamon and potato and potato and rosemary. Wannabe bakers can sign up for a baking class, too.

What it lacks in size, this Chippendale bakery makes up for in flavour. Perfectly crusty, chewy sourdough loaves draw a line on a Sunday morning, while Mecca coffee and a counter flush with the likes of spiced Persian love cake, pandan choux, black sesame coconut cookies, apple tarts, savoury galettes and lamingtons soften the wait. The daily breakfast and lunch blackboard menu might include the cult broccoli sandwich, toast with avocado, or toasted muesli with fruit and yoghurt. 206 Cleveland St, Chippendale. brickfields.com.au.

Berkelo’s dedication to bringing back the art of good bread translates as slow-fermented sourdough made from natural yeast and sustainable stone-milled grain from Gunnedah’s Wholegrain Milling Company, with honey instead of refined sugars for sweetness. They bake twice daily in their Scandi-chic Brookvale and Mosman stores to ensure the freshness of their loaves. The rich, nutty ‘Berkelo brown bread’ is made from ancient grain khorasan (kamut) flour, malt and honey; the croissant from house-made cultured Jersey milk butter; and the hearty ‘German-ish rye’ from sprouted rye grain, beetroot, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and caraway for spice.

An institution for connoisseurs of the cinnamon scroll, this family-run south Sydney bakery – which started out as a Lebanese pizza shop in 2010 before the chef started experimenting with desserts – has now diversified their offering with scrolls in every imaginable flavour – think banoffee, choc-raspberry coconut, mocha, red velvet, salted caramel and tahini pistachio. Oregano Bakery’s 6-pack boxes are also available on Uber Eats.

Papa’s, as it is affectionately known to locals, is the spot for ricotta cake in Sydney. Set in the heart of little Italy on Ramsay Street, Haberfield, (and now with outposts in Five Dock and Bondi) this traditional Italian pasticceria has a counter overflowing with cakes, tarts, Italian doughnuts, biscotti and ricotta cake in all sizes, plus savoury options including arancini, filled focaccia and pizza. The bread is typical pane di casa, with a light crust and soft, marshmallow-textured centre. A recent renovation means you can dine in the cafe or outside in the courtyard.

The team at Dust, in the new Tramsheds precinct in Glebe, mill their own flour on-site, using a custom-built stone mill, then every loaf is slow-fermented for a minimum of 48 hours. As a result, the sourdough is a standout, but it’s the rest of the baked goods, made using heritage grains such as bok, chick pea flour, amaranth and quinoa, that make a visit or a meal here so delicious. The menu echoes owner/baker Cesare Salemi’s Italian heritage, and the schiacciata (Tuscan flatbread) is a standout.