Traditional Bakeries and Bakery-Cafés

Turtle Bread Company
3421 W. 44th St., Mpls., 612-924-6013; 4762 Chicago Ave., Mpls. 612-823-7333; 1 Financial Plaza, 6th St. at 2nd Ave. S. (skyway), Mpls., 612-455-2552
One of the first places that made truly artisan bread, Turtle still makes sourdough rye that's tangy and satisfying. Pair it with sharp cheese and a good stout and you’ve got dinner. The classic slicing loaf has smooth, milky flavor and delicate texture, and the chocolate bread, loaded with dark chips, is moist and dense, great with strawberries and Champagne. You’ll find spice buns and cardamom braids, all manner of croissants, Danish, and scones, along with challah that folks line up for. Everything is made from scratch, and still delicious after all these years.

Wuollet Bakery
Edina, Mpls., Robbinsdale, St. Paul, Wayzata, White Bear Lake
Whimsical cakes (decorated with dinosaurs or soccer players) and far more—from marzipan to strawberry-soufflé cakes to crumbles and glossy tortes. It’s a sure bet for office doughnuts on Friday or sugar cookies for the school meeting. Traditional and consistent, count on Wuollet to be reliably good.

Yum! Kitchen & Bakery
4000 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, 952-922-4000
This crisp café is all shiny white subway tiles and stainless steel chic. The servers in cheery red baseball caps bob behind the counters, gathering retro wonders: sticky caramel pull-aparts, supersweet Nut Goody Bar bars, a rhubarb upside-down cake (tart and rich), an endearingly old-fashioned coconut layer cake with seven-minute icing, plus cupcakes and sacks of mini chocolate chip cookies. Yum!