North Melbourne's Bread Club bakery goes south, more Monforte Viennoiserie pastries

North Melbourne's mint-green baking star of 2020, Bread Club, is heading south, opening a second store in Albert Park in late February.

The original opened just weeks before the first lockdown, but as a (fun) essential service, it quickly gained a reputation for its almond croissants, mortadella baguettes, hot cross buns and playlists curated by its owners, bakers-slash-DJs Tim Beylie and Brice Antier.

When the five-kilometre lockdown lifted, the team were inundated with requests from the south to open a local branch, and using the momentum from early success they chose their bright new shopfront.

Local suppliers will be used including Saltsmith Bacon for their weekend special fougasse and Inglewood for coffee. A cart will sit outside for rapid grab-and-go transactions, and extra weekend specials, including pizza slices, are in the works.

Both North Melbourne and Albert Park will be open daily for takeaway-only for the foreseeable future, though outdoor seats for walkers wanting a pause are in the works.

In other cult baked goods news, pastry gun Giorgia McAllister Forte has expanded the operating hours of her wildly popular Carlton bakery, Monforte Viennoiserie, from two days to include Thursdays and Sundays.

That's two extra opportunities a week for you to try (and often fail) to procure those sea buckthorn cream tarts, chocolate salt caramel buns, and peach and buffalo mozzarella danishes that sell out in a flash.

Bread Club at 65 Cardigan Place, Albert Park, will be open daily from late February, breadclub.com.au; Monforte Viennoiserie is now open Thu-Fri 8am-12.30pm; Sat-Sun 8.30am-12.30pm (or until sold out) at 585 Canning Street, Carlton North.