Artisan Bakery Near Me by Farrer Road: Bakery Brera's Empress Road Ovens

Bakery Brera opens at 7.30am at 8 Empress Road, #01-05, Singapore 260008, a unit tucked behind Empress Road Market & Food Centre and about five minutes on foot from Farrer Road MRT. Its pain au levain costs S$9.80 and a French butter croissant S$4.40 on the bakery's own shop, and the bakers start work at 4.30am so that loaves are on the shelves by 8am. If you are searching for an artisan bakery near me in the Holland and Farrer Road area, this is a heartland shop where nothing arrives from a central kitchen.

The story behind the counter is unusual. The bakery's about page says its founder, Thrina Low, was an engineer, an HR professional and a mother before she was a baker, and that a providential meeting with a retiring baker at Empress Road opened the door to what became a new season of purpose. A 2023 Brands for Good profile adds that she spent eight years in engineering and another ten years in human resources.

Bakery Brera has been baking in Singapore's heartlands since 2016. The name and mission are inspired by the line "I am the bread of life" from John 6:35, and the team includes individuals with special needs, caregivers and young interns. That mix is part of why regulars describe the shop as a neighbourhood fixture rather than a trend.

The bakery is blunt about method. Its FAQ says everything on the website is folded, shaped and baked in-house at the Empress Road bakery, with no central kitchen, and the about page lists premium French and Japanese flours and real butter, with no premixes and no preservatives.

The pain au levain is described as a classic French sourdough made with whole wheat flour, the bakery's own starter and a slow 24-hour fermentation. The rustic country sourdough, S$17.30 sliced or unsliced, is naturally fermented for a crisp golden crust and an open, chewy crumb, while the traditional French baguette at S$5.20 is slowly fermented for 48 hours. The homepage marks both sourdoughs as egg-free and dairy-free.

Brera publishes approximate bake times, and they decide what you will find. Croissants, pastries and cruffins come out around 7.30am, artisan loaves, sourdough and baguettes around 8am, pies and tarts at 11am, a second batch of cruffins at 12.30pm, and buns and brioche at 1.30pm.

The store page says items may sell out quickly, so visiting earlier is best, and the FAQ adds that the shop may close before its listed hours once it sells out. A practical rule: come between 8am and 10am for bread, and after 12.30pm only if you are chasing the second round of cruffins.

Use the timetable to match your shopping list. If you only want one sourdough and a croissant, a weekday at opening time is the calm option; if you want the widest choice of pies, tarts and buns, late morning on a Wednesday to Saturday works better because the later bakes are out and the shop stays open until 5pm.

Laminated pastry is the other half of the reputation. The French butter croissant is made with Elle & Vire butter and costs S$4.40, the kouign-amann with its caramelised layers is S$5.50, and the almond croissant and pain au chocolat are S$6.50 each. The Ferrero Rocher cruffin, which the shop calls one of its bestsellers, is S$6.

This month there is a pink ribbon raspberry cruffin, also S$6, topped with pink icing for breast cancer awareness month. Canelés are S$4.90 each or S$17.90 for four, a slice of Basque burnt cheesecake is S$10.40, and the shio pan, a soft roll with a light sprinkle of sea salt, is S$4.40. The eight-piece Brera signature set costs S$43.60 and the six-piece classic set S$33.80 if you are buying for an office, and a brioche sandwich loaf for the week's toast is S$13.10.

You do not need a booking to buy bread. The FAQ says walk-ins get the widest variety, especially in the mornings, and some items, such as special danishes, weekend bakes and tiny-batch pastries, are walk-in only. Takeaway coffee is available, and there is an in-store toaster for warming pastries.

Online orders need three days' notice and full payment, and everything is baked to order under a no-cancellation, no-refund policy. Self-collection at Empress Road is free, while standard delivery is S$22 per location. The bakery lists items that may contain pork or alcohol, including the bacon epi, the bacon potato danish, the Basque burnt cheesecakes and the canelé, so it is not a halal option.

Empress Road is one of the quieter corners of the Holland area. The bakery sits behind the Empress Road Market & Food Centre, so a common Saturday plan is breakfast noodles at the hawker centre followed by a bag of loaves. Farrer Road MRT on the Circle Line is about 250 metres away, and Dempsey Hill is roughly 1.5 kilometres east by road, too far for a stroll but a short bus ride.

If you are in town instead, Bakery Brera Café at National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road, #01-06, opened in 2025 and serves pastries, sandwiches, salads, all-day breakfast and drinks in a sit-down space. It is about five minutes from City Hall MRT and opens daily from 9am to 7pm, which makes it the easier choice for an afternoon coffee.

Bakery Brera, 8 Empress Road, #01-05, Singapore 260008. Open Sunday to Tuesday 7.30am to 4pm and Wednesday to Saturday 7.30am to 5pm, or until sold out. Email order.brera@gmail.com for general enquiries.

Bakery Brera Café, 1 St Andrew's Road, #01-06, Singapore 178957, daily 9am to 7pm. Online orders need three days' notice; collection at Empress Road is free. Arrive before 10am for the full bread range. Nearest MRT stations are Farrer Road on the Circle Line for the bakery and City Hall for the café.