Saltbox Bakery
Slow bread, made overnight, sold until it runs out
Portland, Maine
We make bread the slow way, because the slow way tastes better and we are not in a hurry. Everything is mixed the night before and baked between three and six in the morning. We bake what we think we will sell. When it is gone, it is gone — usually by early afternoon on a Saturday, so come early if you have your heart set on the rye. Two ovens, four bakers, one dog who is not allowed in the kitchen and knows it.
Services
Country sourdough
$8
Our everyday loaf. Overnight ferment, blistered crust, open crumb. Baked daily. This is the one to start with.
Dark rye
$9
Dense, sour, and built to last a week. Made Thursday through Sunday only, and it sells out first almost every time.
Morning pastries
$4 — $6
Croissants, pain au chocolat, and whatever the kitchen felt like on the day. Out of the oven by seven. Best before nine.
Whole-hog wholesale
By arrangement
We supply eleven restaurants and two markets around Portland. If you want a standing order, call us — we will be honest about whether we have the oven space.
Business Hours
- Tuesday — Friday
- 7:00am — 2:00pm
- Saturday
- 7:00am — sold out
- Sunday
- 8:00am — 1:00pm
- Monday
- Closed — the ovens rest too
Gallery
What our customers say
“I moved away for six years and the first thing I did when I got back was drive here. It is exactly the same. That is the highest compliment I have.”
Ruth Delacroix
“I have been buying the rye every Saturday for four years. I have never once gotten there late enough to get one after eleven. I have stopped trying to beat the system and simply come at eight.”
Tom Aguilar