Baked Goods
Bunner's Bake Shop
Bunner's Bake Shop became a dedicated storefront in late 2010 after its home-baked treats gained overwhelming response at local farmers markets. Owners and boyfriend/girlfriend duo Ashley Wittig and Kevin MacAllister began selling their vegan treats in the Distillery District during summer months. While they aren't gluten intolerant themselves, they saw a definite interest in their select gluten-free products. "People just went bonkers for them," Wittig tells me.
My history of gluten-free baking is a series of dark tales with unhappy endings. I'm not intolerant (officially) but I sometimes engage in post-body-image-meltdown cleanses involving cutting out everything delicious. Every rice-flour cookie or wheat-free muffin I have ever attempted, however, has emerged from the oven with a consistency more like a hockey puck than a baked good.
There's really an art to finding just the right blend of flours and a balanced wet/dry ratio. Wittig's treats contain a varying blend of up to seven different flours, including chick pea for its fluffy results. "I use a lot of apple sauce, too," she adds. I could learn a thing or two from this clever girl. Or I can just leave the tricky baking to the experts.
While I can still digest gluten with some ease, I'd be a regular at Bunner's if the trip didn't involve a 40-minute TTC ride including transfers. In fact, Wittig guesses that approximately 90% of her customers are not shopping for allergy reasons. "The neighbourhood is very supportive," she says of her Junction spot. And people come for the yum-factor - it's about what's in the baking, not what's left out. I needn't suffer withdrawal from the delicious supersonic gypsy cookies, though, just because I'm not in the 'hood. The bake shop delivers cookies and cupcakes across the city for a flat rate.
I would be a tease if I mentioned the gypsy cookies - the bakery's bestseller - without giving them some well-deserved word-count of their own. They're the all-dressed chip or everything-bagel of the cookie world. While the generous chewy mounds are marketed as cookies, though, I'd argue that they could easily run with the breakfast crowd. Oats, dried cranberries, chocolate and sunflower seeds are packed into one powerhouse of a treat. Also on the menu are cakes, creamies (cookie and "cream" sandwiches), cupcakes, mini donuts and savoury stuffed pastries.
With more wholesale on the agenda for 2011, Bunner's might shortly be available at cafes a little closer to home. And Wittig already has sights on a second downtown location. While the baked goods may be worth a two-bus trek, I'm looking forward to a short (calorie-burning) walk.
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Congratulations on the top spot ;)
Though vegan cuisine hasn't made my taste buds or stomach happy, yet. :P
I bake gluten free for myself (gluten intolerant) and my mother who is a full blow celica. I am often in the Junction and have been by the bakery a few times and they are always friendly and very helpful.
Just to comment on an above message. Chick pea flour in my opinion is one of the best GF flours I have used. It makes great bread that bakes up fluffy and toasts wonderfully. The trick with GF baking that this shop has down pat is the need to combine lots of things to replace the gluten.
Try Bunners out you will love it for sure!
Thank you a million times for opening this shop, I'm forever grateful and will always be a devoted patron.
Chickpeas are a great source of zinc, folate and protein. They are also very high in dietary fiber and provide a healthy source of carbs for persons with insulin sensitivity or diabetes. And 0 gluten. Ashley's committment and hard work to combining flours including Besan is nothing short of genius. This bakery is also a God send to a lot of parents with sick kids who cannot even eat their own birthday cake. Now they can!! Bunner's is the Bomb!
I am looking to have something made up - then i will take it and pitch on the Dragons Den. Is there someone you may recomend me too? Frank
I LOVE Bunner's!!!
Their goodies are unlike anything I have ever had as a vegan, I am so thankful for their bakery. The owners (Ashley & Kevin) are the nicest people I have ever met, and their staff.. let's just say AMAZING!! :)
Hands down, the worst baked goods I have ever paid for. Also almost $8.
Dry, poor taste, and WAY too sweet. Made my teeth hurt.
Someone please open a real bakery in the Junction. Dairy all the way.
I have given up on this place and fyi
Yes too much $
Yes to sweet at times.
When we got there, there was barely anything on display. There were the gypsy cookies, one type of pocket (chickpea curry), about 3 cupcakes and some tarts. The little they had was positioned in a way that made it look like there was nothing there. They should really invest in keeping fuller stock, it did not inspire me to come back. Oh, there were a few cinnamon buns too but they did not look appetizing. They were huge, blocky, and smothered in a thick layer of icing.
My friend got the chickpea pocket. The pastry wasn't bad. Flaky, though a bit too dark for my taste. The filling was alright, not outstanding in any way.
The girl at the counter was busy with very talkative customers who were buying up all the gypsy cookies and only acknowledged us when the other customers took their boxes and left. If we have to wait for almost 10 min. to get something out of a very very limited selection, and if you know that the customer is going to take up a lot of your time, it is usually a good idea to smile and greet the other customers and acknowledge them in some way. A simple "hey how are you, I will be with you in a minute!" would've made our experience a lot better.
The cookies were good but I really don't think they're worth the trip to High Park and Dundas West. It's out of the way for most people, not easily TTC accessible and they barely have anything in stock. Glad I tried it so I know what to expect but overall it was disappointing.
I've had the baked goods at pretty much every g/d-free bakery in Toronto, and I've eaten cupcakes, cookies and donuts at many specialty shops in NYC, and Bunner's seems to be the only place where the baked goods taste like some sort of strange chemical.
I don't mind traveling out of my way to the Junction; I don't mind paying a little more for g/d-free baked goods. However, I think Bunner's needs to step it up a little and find a way to produce goods that don't taste like...what the heck is that strange chemical-ly flavour??
I bought two cinnamon rolls and my friend and I split one 'cause they were filling and satisfying. More important, they didn't taste 'healthy' and didn't skimp on the icing.
Also bought a loaf of the regular bread and at first was shocked by the price, but after eating it I think it's worth every penny and plan on making weekly trips for it. Tasted great and was easy to slice, not disintegrating into a mess like some homemade breads I've had. When the alternative is buying a gluten-free supermarket product that resembles the toy food that my nieces play with, I'm glad I now know that Bunners exists. Thanks BlogTO for these lists.