Bobby’s Bakery

Step into Bobby’s Bakery and you won’t actually find anyone called Bobby amongst the bread and pastry displays or in the spacious open kitchen.

“Bobby is my nickname, from my days working at Lune Croissanterie. They said I looked like Bobby Hill from King of the Hill,” laughs Sam Iverson, owner and head baker. “So when I started baking bread for my friends and coworkers, people would pop coins into a donation cup scrawled with Bobby’s Bread.”

What started as a side hustle from a shed at Sam’s mum’s place has grown into a full-blown neighbourhood bakery. Now almost twelve months in, Bobby’s Bakery has become a quiet sensation — not in spite of its small space, but because of it.

“Bobby’s Bakery was always going to be a takeaway spot,” Sam explains. “In North Melbourne we found a place that just felt right. It used to sell ashtrays, if you can believe it!”
Sam's path to baking wasn't exactly traditional. “I was studying creative writing and literature at uni,” he says, before dropping out to complete a baking apprenticeship in Sydney. His experience then led him to some of Melbourne’s best-known bakeries, including Wildlife Bakery in Brunswick East.
But it was always clear: “Even back when I was an apprentice, I wanted to open my own bakery. I was really excited about every aspect of it.”

Today, Bobby’s Bakery churns out a tight, thoughtful selection of croissants, sourdoughs, and pastries — with one item in particular causing quite a stir amongst Melbourne’s British expat community.

“We’re really well-known for our pasties,” Sam says. “My mum’s Cornish and I used to make them with my nan.”

While he’s crafted his own version, it’s steeped in tradition. “The recipe’s very simple — beef skirt, potato, onion, swede, a knob of butter and plenty of seasoning. We make a flaky pastry with butter. We used to use lard, but it’s tricky to source.”

Then there are the cinnamon stars — a happy accident turned bestseller. “They came from a mistake,” Sam laughs. “I was cutting croissants too big, so I trimmed the ends, and pressed the strips together into a star shape. People loved them. And they look like the logo. Total coincidence!”
Local ingredients are at the heart of Bobby’s Bakery. Sam uses Allpress coffee, kegs of milk from How Now Dairy (“the only ethical dairy in Australia, and using their kegs means less plastic waste”), biodynamic Woodstock Flour for feeding the sourdough starter, and Lard Ass butter for his croissants. It’s all intentional. “If we don't do these little things, what's the point?” he says.
You won’t find Bobby’s Bakery trying to become a baking empire. “I’ve worked in places like that. It’s not for me,” says Sam. Instead, the vision is clear: keep it small, keep it excellent, maybe add another hole-in-the-wall shop one day.
“Owning my own business is so exciting. I love to learn and I reckon you’ll never make anything perfect. There’s always something you can do better.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio