Steeles Bakery

Bakery: Steeles Bakery
Address: 6235 Bathurst St., North York ON
Website: http://www.steelesbakery.com/
Style: Russian, Jewish
Price: $$

I was driving along Steeles from Yonge when I started wondering whether there were any bakeries in the Bathurst bakery strip that still needed reviewing. And turns out there were. :)

Steeles Bakery, located in the Price Chopper plaza, is one of these blink-and-you'll-miss-it bakeries. The small sign under the overhang doesn't help, but neither did the rolled down blinds that made me wonder if it was open at all. Driving right up to the door revealed someone standing behind the counter, so the car was parked and a mad dash for baked goods was made. :D   

The majority of baked goods (and products) are housed right in the front window: a variety of large yeast buns, rings, rugullah (sp?), and pastries line the shelves while some cakes (cheesecake, notably) are located further down by the cash. Most, though not all, items were priced and at $3.50 for a bun and $4.00 for a rugullah, I found the prices somewhat steep, particularly in comparison to nearby bakeries.

However, I just pounced on the poppy seed ring ($10), which looked stunning! Poppy seed tucked between layers of fluffy dough and coated in glaze, the occasional slivered almonds, and rock sugar, the outside held much promise. I was, however, pretty disappointed that the amount of poppy seed on the outside did not reflect the amount of poppy seed on the inside. The latter contained little more than a soft, rather airy dough reminiscent of sweet bread; there wasn't that much poppy seed after all. I also thought that, although the top was the best part of the ring, there was too much of the rock sugar, which ground against your teeth and was not the most pleasant of sensations.

Great tasting on the whole, but it didn't manage to wow me in the way I thought this baby would. :(

Rating: ***