La Farine's Best Ever Morning Bun

Oakland's La Farine Bakery is about a half mile from the Rockridge BART station, a neighbor to the super-rated Wood Tavern and just steps from another local favorite, Cole Coffee.

The bakery is no secret to nearby residents. But you may be surprised to learn some people will travel miles for a taste of La Farine's morning buns. It seems to take just one pass through La Farine for people to declare these the best morning buns ever. And when that happens you may (just warning) find yourself detouring to La Farine on drives eastward, hauling bags of morning buns for gluten-addicted friends in places far away.

So, for the uninitiated, what is a morning bun? La Farine's own description: "Croissant dough rolled thin, spread with brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled into a log, then cut and baked in muffin pans...nothing short of decadent."

The rolled dough is the key to the eating -- pulling apart this pastry like a cinnamon roll. But it's less sweet, less gooey, and more interesting in its texture contrasts. Next time you're in the area, La Farine is at 6323 College Avenue (at 63rd). Cole Coffee also serves La Farine pastries, along with their own high-test and personally-dripped cups. And La Farine has additional locations on Solano (North Berkeley) and in the Dimond area of Oakland.

For a different take on morning buns, if you haven't already tried them (or even if you have), check out the beloved Tartine Bakery at Guerrero and 18th in San Francisco.

^{Photo © Stu Spivack/Flickr Creative Commons}