Breaking bread: Hutt Valley bakeries

Tucked down a Lower Hutt side street, Little Bread Loaf is a tiny artisan bakery offering goods to take away. You’ll find everything from fresh sourdough to sweet tarts and handmade pies.

Famous for its sweet and savoury pretzels and cinnamon scrolls, Little Bread Loaf makes everything from scratch in its pint-sized kitchen.

Grab a coffee to-go, a freshly made scone or — for a truly Kiwi experience — sample the hāngī pies or traditional rēwena bread.
On the weekends, you’ll find the Little Bread Loaf team selling their baked goods at the Riverbank, Brewtown, and Newtown markets.

A small artisan bakery, Jean’s produces French-style pastries and baked goods from scratch.

Here you’ll find flakey danishes, fresh sourdough, little tarts, and sweet treats. A true labour of love, the croissants take three days to make, but about three seconds to devour. Paired with a coffee, these crisp pastries make the perfect start to the morning.

This petite neighbourhood coffee shop has become a favourite amongst locals. Get in early to secure your delicious start to the day.

Dough Bakery has perfected the craft of artisan bread making using the best local and seasonal ingredients. The bins are full of crusty sourdough, soft focaccia, and aromatic rye bread. The bagels, milk buns and brioche have all been lovingly kneaded and proved overnight. Take a loaf home, or linger in the café with a coffee and something from the cabinet. There are doughnuts, fresh sandwiches, and crispy house-made pies to choose from, along with decadent sweet treats. The menu champions bread, with eggs on sourdough, toasted sandwiches, and more. Set inside Whirinaki Whare Taonga, the huge light and bright gallery space is one of community and connection.

At Dough Bakery HQ the dough is kneaded, doughnuts filled, and sourdough is baked ready for you to take home. Everything is made from scratch and designed to take away. There are fresh sandwiches, crispy house-made pies and decadent treats. Coffee and a selection of juices are all ready to grab and go. Dough HQ is where all the baking magic happens before the finished products are distributed to three other Dough Bakery outlets across Wellington.

Specialising in artisan baked goods, Eastbourne Bakery serves up carby goodness to residents of the eastern bays.

With more than 25 years of baking experience behind him, owner Mark Armstrong opened the bakery in 2022.

Among a growing selection of baked goods, you’ll find the bakery’s signature Eastbourne loaf (a rustic white sourdough). There are also seeded cobblers, doughnuts, and pastries. For sweet lovers, there’s a selection of cakes and slices. Stay for a coffee to dunk your pastries in, or grab a hearty pie or sandwich to go.

Fix Federation is a busy bakery in central Lower Hutt offering a range of freshly baked goods to take away.

The team at Fix have your lunch covered with their selection of loaves, hot pies, salads, sandwiches, and more.

The little sister bakery to Janus Bakkerij, you’ll find every item crafted to the highest quality. The decadent-filled doughnuts are the talk of the town, with flavours ranging from cinnamon sugar to Oreo caramel crème.

Along with coffee to-go, there’s a small range of local artisan products, packs of biscuits, jams, and gourmet goodies to take home.

A busy bakery and café, Janus Bakkerij offers a range of baked goods inspired by traditional European recipes.

Opened 25 years ago, Janus Bakkerij has become a popular spot for locals to grab their weekly loaf, stop in for coffee, or pick up lunch for later. Here you’ll find crusty loaves, decadent doughnuts, pastries, sandwiches, cakes and more. You can grab items to go or dine in the spacious café, of which the menu champions the house-made breads.