Bread Club

“Our saffron scroll - it’s like the feeling of a warm blanket or a hug. It reminds me of the smells and flavours of my childhood and it’s my favourite treat at home with a coffee.”

Surfing buddies and French expats Brice Antier and Tim Beylie are the bakers and brains behind Bread Club in North Melbourne, the standout bakery that’s often marked by a snaking line along Queensberry Street.

Since 2019 they’ve grown a community of loyal customers who wax lyrical about their enormous garlicky fougasse, flaky croissants and of course, those pillowy saffron scrolls.

Both a baker and pastry chef by trade, Tim grew up in the industry as his dad was a baker and pastry chef. Brice started out as an apprentice at fourteen in his homeland before heading to England and eventually, Melbourne.

“Tim and I met when we worked together at Cafe Vue and Baker D. Chirico. For many years we’d talk about starting something ourselves and eventually we were both at a point where we wanted to do our own thing and make our own decisions,” explains Brice.
“Tim lived in North Melbourne and he felt that the suburb was missing artisanal community bakery. So we decided to rebuild the former premises of a barber into the home of Bread Club.
“At the beginning we had a lot more seating and it was more of a cafe bakery, but we quickly got too busy. So we switched to just take away because that was what was in demand.”

While Bread Club doesn't advertise itself as a French bakery, hungry patrons will find French specialty products lining the glass cabinets, with different items available at any time of day.

“In the morning until 10am there are mainly pastries and sourdough loaves and baguettes. At lunchtime our sandwiches and pies are popular, and every day of the week we have different fillings such as egg salad or roast chicken. Some items, like our chocolate and toffee cookie, are available all day.”
“Most importantly, we only make a small batch of every item so you can be sure that it’s fresh that day.”

Tim and Brice both work in the kitchen, taking inspiration from family recipes, ideas from the talented baking team and visiting bakeries overseas on their travels.

Sourcing local and seasonal ingredients and making all products in house is key.

“The starter for our bread is naturally fermented - it’s very active, very alive - and we don’t use commercial yeast. We also use freshly milled single origin flour from Rock Paper Flour which gives more depth to the flavour. The fougasse uses the premium olive oil from Mount Zero; the chocolate in the sweets is by Hunted & Gathered. We make all our toffee, garlic oil, pickles and mayonnaise.”

While the team pride themselves on the artisanal quality of their products, Brice emphasises that their aim is to be an accessible neighbourhood bakery.

“We don’t want people to come here just for special occasions; we want to feed our community their daily bread. We love hearing that we have been the best part of someones work day or that they have been looking forward to their treats all week. That’s something special.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio