Sourdough
Our signature sourdough. A long, slow ferment gives an open, tender crumb and a deep, burnished crust.
Signature
Edinburgh · Artisan French bakery since 2000Bread with
Bread with
nothing to hide
Slowly fermented loaves, hand-laminated croissants and French pastries, baked in Edinburgh from flour, water, salt and natural leaven. Nothing more.
Au Gourmand
A French bakery, quietly at work in Edinburgh
Since 2000 we have baked the traditional French way - the slow way. Around twenty different breads come out of our oven, each one given the time it needs to develop flavour and character. We are not a shop on the high street; we are a working bakery that supplies the city's delis, restaurants and markets.
Signature
The things we are known for
A handful of the breads and pastries our regulars come back for. See the full range.
Croissant
Our classic all-butter croissant, laminated by hand and proved slowly for an open, honeycombed crumb and a deep golden, flaky shell. Baked fresh in the early morning, the traditional French way.
Signature
Cinnamon Palmier
A classic French pastry generously coated with a blend of vanilla custard, fine-grained sugar, and high-quality ground cinnamon, then hand-shaped into a distinctive palm leaf form. Drizzled with icing for a touch of sweetness.
Cinnamon
Focaccia
Our authentic Italian focaccia is golden on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside, enriched with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. It is finished with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and fresh rosemary. It tastes delicious on its own or as the base for an exceptional sandwich.
ItalianOlive oil
The craft
Time is the only ingredient we add
Good bread cannot be hurried. Our method is old and simple: a living leaven, a long ferment, and four honest ingredients.
01
Natural leaven
Every loaf rises on our own natural leaven - a living culture kept alive day after day. No commercial yeast, no shortcuts.
02
Slow fermentation
We give the dough the time it needs, often a full day or more. Slow fermentation builds flavour, structure and a crumb that keeps.
03
Four ingredients
Flour, water, salt and leaven. That is all our bread asks for. The craft is in the hands and the timing, not the additives.
04
Baked by hand
Shaped, scored and baked by bakers, not machines. Around twenty breads come out of the oven this way, every baking day.
Our story
French heritage, Edinburgh hands
What began as a small French bakery has spent more than two decades feeding the city - one slowly fermented loaf at a time.
We have stayed deliberately small and deliberately traditional. The recipes are French; the flour, the water and the people are Edinburgh. That meeting of heritage and place is what you taste in every loaf.
Fresh this week
Featured breads and pastries
From the classic baguette to buttery viennoiserie - a rotating look at what is coming out of the oven.
Baguette
Made the traditional French way - crisp, crackling crust and a light, airy interior. Best eaten the day it is baked.
Classic
Almond Croissant
Our signature croissant given the classic French treatment: filled generously with velvety almond cream, crowned with toasted almond flakes and finished with a dusting of icing sugar.
Pain au Chocolat
The same laminated butter dough wrapped around two batons of dark chocolate.
Apple Chausson
A French apple turnover - flaky puff pastry folded over soft, gently spiced apple and glazed to a deep shine.
Provenance
Made in Edinburgh, found across the city
You will not find a queue outside our door - you will find our bread on the city's best tables and stalls instead.
From Stockbridge on a Sunday morning to Leith and the Grassmarket on a Saturday, and on the shelves of independent delis in between, Au Gourmand is woven into the way Edinburgh eats. We bake; the city does the rest.
Where to buy
Catch us at the markets
We trade across Edinburgh every weekend. Bring a bag - the best loaves go early.
Stockbridge Market
10am - 5pm
Saunders Street, Stockbridge
Our Sunday stall in Stockbridge - fresh bread, croissants and pastries through the morning. Come early for the full range.
Get directionsLeith Market
10am - 4pm
Dock Place, Leith
By the water in Leith every Saturday, with loaves baked that morning alongside the weekend's viennoiserie.
Get directionsGrassmarket Market
10am - 5pm
Grassmarket, Old Town
Beneath the castle in the Old Town, a Saturday fixture for bread, pastries and a long-standing crowd of regulars.
Get directionsStockists
Or find us at a deli near you
Independent delis, shops and restaurants across the city carry our bread and pastries. See the full list of stockists and markets.
Delis & Shops
- New Town DelisNew Town
- Real FoodsBroughton & Tollcross
- Victor Hugo'sThe Meadows & City Centre
- SisortiEdinburgh
Restaurants & Cafés
- Scottish Cafe and RestaurantThe Mound
- Artisan CoffeeEdinburgh
- Cafe CaltonCalton
- Blackwood CoffeeMorningside
- Thomas J Walls CoffeeForrest Road
Get in touch
Bread, pastries and wholesale enquiries
Looking to stock Au Gourmand, order for an event, or simply find out where to buy this weekend? We would love to hear from you.