Toast House is one of the most exciting bakeries to open in Melbourne for a while. The Camberwell spot, which first opened for a brief period in April, churns out mochi buns, loaves made with fruit juice, pretzels stuffed with coconut and pistachio creams, mini sweet and savoury ciabatta sandwiches, and salted-garlic-butter rolls.

It’s by Irene Lin, a full-time investment analyst who has been baking cakes and bread at home for over a decade, and her husband William Chen. The bakery reopened this month after kitchen renovations. Here are five Toast House goods worth dropping in for.

Salted egg yolk and taro half-and-half toast – $9.80

This namesake loaf – shaped like a storybook house – comes in a number of flavour duos. The half-and-half loaves are split down the middle and include strawberry with matcha red bean, and Chen’s favourite: black sesame and sultana.

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

This particular combo was inspired by two snacks from Lin’s childhood in Guangdong: salted egg custard buns and deep-fried taro dumplings. On one side of the loaf is a salted egg and butter dough, and on the other the base dough with taro paste and a salted egg crumble swirled in.

Coconut and mango wild yeast loaf – $6.50–$7.80

Toast House uses an apple juice wild yeast starter for a moist, sweet and tangy dough that comes with dried fruits and blended powders mixed through, although Chen says it also tastes good plain. (Lin is experimenting with mango, lemon and lychee juice, and she plans to switch to another fruit next month.)

The coconut and mango version is a “tropical” summer treat. It’s studded with dried mango and topped with shredded coconut. Other renditions include matcha and white chocolate, jasmine tea and red bean, and rose and sultana.

Walnut brownie bread – $7.80

Lin experimented with brownies in cake and toast before landing on a surprising idea: proofing sourdough with brownie mix (sans sugar) folded in. The result is “massive” as Chen points out. “It’s larger than the face of my three-year-old.”

Raspberry cream cheese mochi bun – $6.50

These milk buns are filled with chewy glutinous mochi that encases different house-made fillings. There’s a flower-shaped taro paste version, and one with a matcha-flavoured bun and red bean filling. Lin’s initial vision for a fruity version was a strawberry-cream cheese flavour, but it ended up being too sweet. After experimenting with different homemade jams, she landed on a tart raspberry jam that cuts through the milky cheese crumble atop the bread.

Coconut latte pretzel – $6.50

While pretzels aren’t traditionally stuffed, they’re served cream-filled at Toast House. The fillings include: black sesame, coconut latte, chocolate cream cheese, and pistachio cream cheese. When asked about the coconut latte filling, Chen answers with a question of his own: “Everyone loves coffee, everyone needs coffee, how can you sell bread in Melbourne without a coffee flavour?”

Toast House
541 Riversdale Road, Camberwell
0466 724 666

Hours:
Thu to Tue 9.30am–5pm

@toasthouse_melbourne