Born & Bread Bakehouse is a bakery near Florida Southern College specializing in breads. B+B should be on the very top of your Things To Do list for your weekend trip to Lakeland.
Born & Bread Bakehouse (B+B) helps Lakeland live up to its tagline – A Little Mecca of Cool. How, you ask? The bread. The pastries. The CRUFFINS! People stand in a line that wraps around Born & Bread’s building, waiting for these incredibly fluffy, and oh so delicious baked goods. No worries, they are an efficient group of bakers so the line moves quickly – less than 15 minutes on average.
What makes this cool? People stand in long lines for similar breads, cakes, cookies and pastries in Miami (Zac the Baker) and San Francisco (Tartine Bakery).
It Began with Cruffins
Jennifer Smurr began selling her cruffins at Lakeland’s Downtown Farmers Curb Market in early 2015. I was lucky enough to hear about her before the masses and snapped the photo below after waiting in a very short line. Back then I’d try to explain why this incredible pastry was so good, but words failed me and I always ended with, “Just go downtown next Saturday and buy 3-4. If you buy just one, you’ll be super mad at yourself after the first bite. They are amazing.”
What B+B Serves and When
Today you will find Born & Bread Bakehouse in a cozy brick and mortar space in the Midtown (or Dixieland) area of Lakeland – on South Florida Avenue, west of Florida Southern College. Since opening, B+B’s hours have been limited to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., but recently B+B announced Wednesday evening hours from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – and everyone cheered!
Saturday
On Saturday, customers pick from a large variety of croissants, cruffins, loaves of bread, cakes and savory biscuits. Don’t forget to order a cup or two of Patriot Coffee (it’s roasted locally).
Wednesday
On Wednesday evenings, Born & Bread serves crafted sandwiches, desserts, pastries, baguettes with house-made butter (I’ve tried it and yes, I’ll be disappointed in store-bought butter forevermore). Follow Born & Bread on Instagram for their weekly specialty item. The night of their inaugural B+B Wednesday Night (May 15), the B+B Cobb will be available – butter lettuce, arugula, white cheddar, bacon, house pickled onions and cucumbers, tomatoes, soft boiled eggs, sourdough croutons and a made from scratch buttermilk dressing. Oh and B+B Wednesday Night is BYOB!
Social Proof
If you need more reasons to visit Born & Bread Bakehouse, check out the Press page on their website. Food & Wine named B+B in an Editor’s Picks: Must-Visit Bread Bakeries article.
Follow B+B on Instagram
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Visit B+B at 1113A S. Florida Ave. Lakeland, FL 33803
Read more at bornandbreadbakehouse.com.
