Amalfi Bread & Pastry

Amalfi is Etobicoke's lievito madre bakery: every loaf is leavened with an Italian stiff sourdough starter rather than commercial yeast and ferments for 36 hours before it goes into the stone-deck oven. The bread case runs sourdough ciabatta, baguettes and a Calabrese loaf alongside focaccia and focaccia farcita, and the pasticceria side turns out cornetti filled with Nutella, pistachio cream or Italian jams, tiramisù, babà and seasonal zeppole. Espresso, cappuccino and crema al caffè come from the same counter, which makes it a morning stop as much as a bread run — the shop opens at seven and the sourdough is often gone by mid-morning. Wholesale loaves go out to restaurants and cafés, and catering is arranged by phone.