Scones and Coffee in the High Country
7 mountain-town bakeries and hot-beverage depots
This winter, stomp off your boots, head indoors, and bask in the warmth of fresh-baked pastries and, perhaps, a hot cappuccino. We’ve compiled a sampling of delectable bakeries in ski towns around the mountain west—the perfect escape from your romp in the snow.
1. THE GUILD CAFE
Crested Butte, Colorado
Photo courtesy of The Guild Cafe
Photo courtesy of The Guild Cafe
Photo courtesy of The Guild Cafe
At the top of famed Elk Avenue in Crested Butte, Colorado, The Guild Café is home to both Mountain Oven Organic Bakery and First Ascent Coffee Roasters. That means that under one warm roof—a newly renovated historic miners’ cabin, no less—you can find all kinds of organic breakfasts, lunches, sourdough breads, and single-origin coffees. Venture upstairs or to the deck for extra privacy and mountain vistas.
2. PERSEPHONE BAKERY
Jackson, Wyoming
Photo courtesy of Persephone Bakery
Photo courtesy of Persephone Bakery
Photo courtesy of Persephone Bakery
This French-inspired boulangerie and café located just steps from Jackson’s town square boasts a chic and airy design and, most importantly, an array of delicious treats—sweets, kouing aman, cupcakes, tarts, and sandwiches crafted from their artisanal breads and French croissants. Persephone also adds Intelligentsia Coffee, a Chicago-based artisanal roaster, and European hot chocolate to the mix.
3. THE BUTCHER & THE BAKER
Telluride, Colorado
Photo courtesy of The Butcher & The Baker
Photo courtesy of The Butcher & The Baker
Photo courtesy of The Butcher & The Baker
When in Telluride, one must stop by The Butcher & The Baker for handmade, local, and organic food—day or night (they even have a full bar with spirits, wine, and beer). On the full-service menu are to-order items incorporating homemade bread, bagels and English muffins, as well as handcrafted artisan pastries. And the design is elegant, cozy, and inviting.
4. WILD CRUMB
Bozeman, Montana
Photo courtesy of The Wild Crumb
Photo courtesy of The Wild Crumb
Photo courtesy of The Wild Crumb
Yeast, flour, and butter are the name of the game at Wild Crumb in Bozeman, Montana. Nestled into a corner shop with sleek and trendy minimalism, the shop offers artisanal baked goods in style. All breads are baked fresh daily and made with organic flour from central milling. All (save one) of their stone-hearth breads are naturally leavened with their own sourdough starters. Pastries, rotators, and breads dominate the menu—mouthwatering fare for the carb-lover at heart.
5. SMELL THAT BREAD BAKERY
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Photo courtesy of Smell That Bread Bakery
Photo courtesy of Smell That Bread Bakery
Photo courtesy of Smell That Bread Bakery
Smell That Bread Bakery is an appropriately named boulangerie/patisserie known for selling sourdough breads and assorted pastries to Steamboat Springs patrons out of a Dutch door attached to their kitchen—luring customers with the sweet aromas of their daily fresh-baked loaves and goodies. They outfit many foodie spots around town—Cafe Diva, Low Country Kitchen, The Laundry, to name a few—and are currently undergoing an expansion to become a full-blown retail operation, slated for the first half of 2017.
6. PUREBREAD
Whistler, British Columbia
Photo courtesy of Purebread/Evaan Kheraj
Photo courtesy of Purebread/Evaan Kheraj
Photo courtesy of Purebread/Evaan Kheraj
What started off as baking bread at home for friends and family turned into Purebread Bakery, with three Canadian locations: Whistler, Whistler Village, and Vancouver. With bakers working round-the-clock, Purebread-goers can delight in freshly prepared granola or an almond croissant for breakfast, a hot "Pudgie Pie" (with goat cheese, roasted potatoes, caramelized onions & chives) for lunch, and a slice of raspberry riot topped with hot pink raspberry lemon drizzle for an afternoon pick-me-up.
7. POLEBRIDGE MERCANTILE BAKERY
Polebridge, Montana
Photo courtesy of Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery/Steven Gnam
Photo courtesy of Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery/Steven Gnam
Photo courtesy of Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery/Steven Gnam
If you’re in Montana and want to get extra-rustic with your hunt for baked goods, travel the dusty North Fork Road to the historic Polebridge Mercantile & Bakery, located 26 miles from West Glacier and 45 miles from Whitefish. The mercantile was built in 1914 by a couple that ran the store and lived in the homestead cabin, which is now the nearby Northern Lights Saloon. The barn-red shop—which offers breads and pastries, as well as a selection of Montana crafts and keepsakes—is quite off the grid, generating over 75 percent of its electricity from renewable, solar energy. An adventure, indeed!
