I had read about the The Old Bread Factory after it opened in the summer, but the one time Mack and I remembered to stop there, it was already closed. We were in luck on a Saturday night recently, however, as when we passed by the small bakery in the Whitemud Crossing strip mall, we were greeted with a glowing “open” sign.
The Old Bread Factory
Though the hours of operation sign indicated they were only open until 6pm on Saturdays, the clerk said that they had extended their hours until 8pm that day, but hadn’t yet indicated the change on the sign. While we didn’t have too much time before our dinner reservation that night, our senses appreciated the fleeting moments in the bakery – immersed in the wafting smell of goods baking in the oven, taking in the sheer variety of pastries, breads and cookies on the shelves.
Interior
The Old Bread Factory operates like Garden Bakery – customers fill up a plastic tray which is brought to the clerk to be packed up and paid for. But boy, was it difficult to decide – most of the shelves had an accompanying label explaining the varieties in each section (Old World specializes in Mexican goods), but some were less clearly marked than others (with some different fruit varieties mixed in together). We probably could have asked for clarification if we needed it, but for that quick trip, we decided to stick to what was marked. It is also worth noting that everything is very reasonably priced – most pastries were under $1.50.
Fresh bread
Empanadas galore!
We ended up with a few sweet treats – a strawberry empanada and apple canasta (cupcake shaped cookie dough), and a savoury one – a Colombian Bunuelos, a deep-fried corn and cheese ball.
Colombian Bunuelos
The Bunuelos wasn’t as cheesy or as crunchy as expected, and with the dominant flavour being the corn flour, it probably would have been better warm. The canasta was all right – I would have liked a higher filling-to-dough ratio, but I appreciated the dense nature of the dough. The star of our treat selection was undoubtedly the empanada, liberally dusted with sugar. The thin layer of jam-like strawberry filling was subtly sweet, and complemented the baked shell well.
The Old Bread Factory is worth a visit when you’re looking to treat yourself, but might also be a place to keep in mind for your next potluck or office party – it would definitely be more unique than your typical box of chocolates or vegetable tray!
The Old Bread Factory
110, 4211 106th Street
(780) 466-5211
Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-8pm, Sunday 10am-4pm
Only Here for the Food 
It has an unfortunate name. Makes you think of stale bread. I know that’s not what’s meant, but still. Unfortunate name.
I stopped by the Old Bread Company a few weeks ago sporting an air cast and crutches as my accessories. A Latin customer sitting in a lawn chair in the middle of the bakery suggested I stop by West Edmonton Mall to pick up some ‘magic spray’ for my ankle from the people that operate the water massage near the Deep Sea Adventure. Haha! I love local places full of characters! And I agree with you Sharon, the empanadas were our fav too.
Debra – if you read the Journal piece, the family behind the bakery said they wanted a name that had a “broad appeal”. I’m not sure they got that, but I know my first thought relating to the name is that they have been around a long time (even though they haven’t).
Dajana – indeed, love characters!
Well, I think the name is not that unfortunate because the bread and pastries are actually old. My family and I used to go there frequently, but a couple of weeks ago we bought a bag of goodies and one of them (a chocolate croissant) was stale. I don’t think something like that can happen in a fresh baked pastry, so our conclusion was that it had been in display at least 5 or 6 days. Before that, we had even notice that the white buns are usually hard, like if they had been baked several days ago. It is true that the prices are reasonable, but I prefer to pay a little more for good quality stuff.
Hey Sharon, do you know what happened to the Old Bread Factory – I drove by it and I thought I saw that the space had been emptied out. Not sure. Can anyone confirm?
Hi Doreen – I have no idea. I can ask in my food notes, perhaps?
The Bakery doesn’t exist anymore. Signs in the window, space for lease. I have no idea if they just moved or went out of business.
That’s really too bad. It would be good to know what happened.