Mission District Bakery Secret Revealed

Years ago, when we first moved to the north slope of Bernal Heights, near San Francisco’s Mission District, I started frequenting the panaderías on 24th Street. I tried a couple different bakeries and a variety of pastries, but as enticing as they looked in the window, invariably I found them stale, some to the point of needing a chisel.

I gave up on the panaderías, but one day after I had promised toddler Alex a treat, we passed a window showcasing rainbow sprinkle–covered cupcakes, and he had to have one. As I knew he wouldn’t much care about freshness—he would declare his cupcake delicious as long as it was brightly colored and sugary—inside we went. But this time, I realized the mistake I had made on previous visits.

Other customers were grabbing trays and tongs at the checkout counter and heading into the back of the store. We followed them and found ourselves in the bakery kitchen. There, workers were loading baking sheets directly from the oven onto carts, and customers were filling their trays with these freshly baked goodies. Fortunately, sprinkled cupcakes were on the day’s menu, so we grabbed one, plus a few sweet rolls, and brought our tray back to the checkout counter.

They were delicate and delicious, as to be expected from pastries that had just left the oven. The window pastries are for display only. Now I know.