On the rise: Breadblok opens gluten-free bakery in Los Angeles

For almost two years, the Los Angeles-based bakery Breadblok has been bringing artisanal, gluten-free breads and pastries to the farmer’s market circuit in the city. It’s photogenic market stand, designed by fellow Angelenos Commune Design, combines a rustic alder wood frame with a canvas and linen patchwork covering by Adam Pogue to evoke traditional market structures in Europe – a subtle but poignant nod to the founder’s French heritage.

The market stand’s succinct design statement has been expanded into a brick and mortar store, which recently opened in the city’s Santa Monica neighbourhood. Materials such as alder wood for the shelves and millwork, terracotta for the floors, plaster for the walls and limestone for the countertops, were all chosen for their raw quality and ability to age beautifully over time. The counter appears to float above roughly hewn stone plinths while the walls boast a subtle patchwork pattern created from different tones of plaster. Handwoven rope baskets by local artist Dax Savage, used in the market stand to display loaves, are transformed into pendant lighting in the bakery.

‘For Breadblok, we wanted to celebrate our client’s roots in the south of France, but for the space to feel unmistakably Californian,’ says Commune’s Roman Alonso. ‘I feel we were particularly successful in doing that through the juxtaposition of certain materials like the plaster walls and rough travertine counter, reminiscent of buildings in Provence, with the Saltillo tile floor, which has a strong connection to LA’s Spanish Colonial past. Ultimately, Breadblok creates a high-quality artisan product and the space needed to communicate that in a nuanced way.’ 

With wares ranging from blueberry focaccia and sprouted seed loaves to croissants, matcha brioche donuts, salted caramel tartlets and brown butter chocolate chip cookies, Breadblok’s organic baked goods are as much about taste as they are about philosophy. Made using the finest ingredients and free from refined sugar, soy, gum and gluten, the bakery uniquely embraces generations of French Provencal influence while catering to the contemporary dietary preferences.