Upper-Crust O.C. Loves Its Bakeries

Bread, as Jonathan Swift said, is the staff of life. But there’s a difference between opening a bag of Roman Meal and sampling a hot, seasoned loaf from the oven.

As the holiday season rolls along, pastries--cookies, scones and other items whose names you might not even know--are more popular than ever.

“The holidays are important this year,” said Nancy Hampton, vice president of marketing for Corner Bakery. “People want to draw their families and friends close, and they want the right food items to get that sense of warmth. It’s a holiday tradition that we express through food.”

If you’re strapped for baking time, Orange County offers a number of places to pick up fresh goods. The offerings range from traditional to recipes from around the globe, but all share one creed: made from scratch, on location, with nothing frozen, shrink-wrapped or nuked.

Corner Bakery has five locations in Orange County and 67 across the country. It began in Chicago in 1991. A sit-down restaurant serving three meals a day, Corner Bakery also specializes in pastries, bagels, poundcakes and more, and offers full catering and delivery. Locations in Orange County include the Block at Orange, two in South Coast Plaza and two in Irvine. Corner Bakery, the Block at Orange, 20 City Blvd. W., (714) 939-8410; inside South Coast Plaza mall, 3333 N. Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 885-9125; sharing a building with Maggiano’s in South Coast Plaza’s parking lot, (714) 546-1555; 17575 Harvard Ave., Irvine, (949) 399-0999; 13786-D Jamboree Road, Irvine, (714) 734-8270. Hours vary by location.

Another popular local chain is French’s Pastry Bakery, which opened its first shop in Costa Mesa 36 years ago. A homey place, with the daily menu on chalkboards, French’s bakes cookies, cakes and other dishes to order; just bring them the recipe with two days’ notice and they’ll prepare it from scratch. The bakery’s signature dessert is a wagon-wheel coffeecake, a pizza-size pastry in more than 40 flavors. French’s Pastry Bakery, 1170 Baker St., Costa Mesa, (714) 546-6386; 14443 Culver Drive, Irvine, (949) 262-9270; 24000 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo, (949) 830-9560. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday.

If it’s cakes you’re looking for, try the similarly named French’s Cupcake Bakery, a family owned business that has been a Costa Mesa mainstay since 1956. French’s Cupcake Bakery makes custom cakes for weddings, birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and more, and even gourmet doggy treats. French’s Cupcake Bakery, 273 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 642-0571. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday.

Orange County has several authentic German-style bake shops. German Home Bakery & Deli in Costa Mesa serves American favorites, along with schnitzel, Swiss chocolate and other home specialties. A few miles north, Herb’s Black Forest Bakery & Deli prides itself on German rye bread and Black Forest cake, which combines chocolate with cherries. Both locations feature table service with complete menus. German Home Bakery & Deli, 2950 Grace Lane, Costa Mesa, (714) 540-0281. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Also open Sundays, Dec. 9 and 16 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Herb’s Black Forest Bakery & Deli, 18225 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, (714) 964-2584. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Sunday.

For 30 years, the Ratman family has owned Katella Deli-Restaurant in Los Alamitos. With a staff of more than 40 bakers, it offers fresh Danishes and bagels every morning, along with the usual cakes and cookies. The restaurant’s choice item is the “alligator,” a coffeecake ring made with maple and pecans. Katella Deli-Restaurant, 4470 Katella Ave., Los Alamitos, (562) 594-8611. Daily, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Hungry for the sweets of Mexico? La Poblana Bakery near Old Towne Orange has large cookies in a rainbow of flavors as well as tres leches cakes, flans and tamales. This homey bakery, with glass cases brimming with breads and rolls, makes everything on the premises. La Poblana Bakery, 604 E. Chapman Ave., Orange. (714) 771-4465. Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday, 6 a.m.-2 p.m.

Any cheesecake lover knows the finest come from the Big Apple--and so does Gina DeMichael, owner of Pacific Whey Cafe, Baking and Coffee Co. in Newport Beach. Her uncle once ran the New York Cheesecake Co. “Uncle Vinnie’s New York Cheesecakes” are a favorite on the menu, as are the oven-roasted apple pecan Danish, the crispy cinnamon canellas, which are similar to French palmiers, and the fruit scones. A bakery and sit-down cafe, Pacific Whey makes its confections every day, in an oven that, DeMichael said, is “big enough to bake a Volkswagen in.” Pacific Whey Cafe, Baking and Coffee Co., 2622 San Miguel Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 644-0303. Daily, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Can’t start your day without that coffee and Danish? Poul’s Danish-American Bakery in Orange offers the popular breakfast pastry in its authentic mode, with 70% butter and rich European-style dough. Other Danish favorites highlight the menu, including the kringle and the princess cake, a seasonal favorite consisting of white cake, marzipan topping and a center of raspberry, custard and whipped cream. Poul’s Danish-American Bakery, 770 N. Tustin Ave., Orange, (714) 532-5101. Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Sunday.

There’s the old holiday joke that only one fruitcake exists; it just gets passed to someone new every Christmas. At Sunflour Natural Bakery, however, you’ll find this isn’t the case. Sunflour’s fruitcake, packed with fruits and nuts and without preservatives, is one of the bakery’s most requested items at this time of year. Another favorite is the cookie tree, a 14-inch sculpture made of tiny star-shaped sugar cookies. Sunflour imports its wheat from Montana and mills it on the premises. Sunflour Natural Bakery, 427 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 646-1440. Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday.

Also on Orange County’s roster is Zov’s Bakery & Bistro, whose Armenian owner offers food in both European and American styles. With the bakery open early in the morning and the bistro available for lunch and dinner, you can enjoy the eclectic cuisine inside and on the patio. Zov’s Bakery & Bistro, 17440 E. 17th St., Tustin, (714) 838-9495. Monday, 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.; closed Sunday.