Cornerstone Bakes: Affordable sourdough bakes of all shapes and sizes tucked away in Balestier

I love all things bread; soft fluffy shokupan, rich butter zopf, sourdough bread, you name it. So when I heard about Cornerstone Bakes in Balestier, I couldn’t wait to try out their goods.

Cornerstone Bakes has found a way to convert any and every type of bake into its delicious sour-tanged counterpart. They sell classic sourdough loaves as well as sourdough shio pan, bagels and even cinnamon rolls.

Cornerstone Bakes is a one-woman show. From recipe testing to baking the breads and other treats to quality control, Auntie prepares everything meticulously in her small bakery.

From the moment I alighted the bus to head to her shop, I could already smell the heavenly aroma of butter and baked bread in the air.

What I tried at Cornerstone Bakes

As a huge fan of sundried tomatoes, I had come with the intention of buying the Sundried Tomato and Oregano Sourdough Loaf (S$9.80). To my dismay, the loaf was not available that day, so I settled for the Country Sourdough Loaf (S$8.80).

According to Auntie, she spreads sundried tomato pesto, cut-up sundried tomatoes and oregano on the dough and rolls it up before shaping it into loaves. She also said that customers have come back time and again for it, so I knew I would be  back, too.

Back to the Country Sourdough Loaf — the loaf had a delicious buttery smell and a beautiful scoring pattern on its surface. I could not wait to slice into it.

As you slice the loaf, you can feel just how airy and springy the inside of the loaf is. As I pulled the bread apart, the crispy, crackly sound of the ultra thin crust was music to my ears. The crumb of the bread was also incredibly even and had a nice spongy, springy texture.

The bread was delightfully chewy, with a slight sour tang that was not in the least bit overpowering. Even when eaten on its own, it was still very enjoyable but spreading some butter on it elevated the experience.

The Sourdough Bagels at Cornerstone Bakes caught my attention so I decided to get some, too. I chose the Blueberries Bagel (S$2.80) and the Oats Bagel (S$2.50). They were extremely large and tall, with their centre hole barely visible.

They also felt extremely dense, so I was interested to know how they fared in comparison to the sourdough loaf.

As expected, the bagels had a much finer, denser crumb to them. They also did not have the crisp exterior like the loaf, but a stiffer and more rigid crust instead .

Both bagels had a very doughy, dense texture that was definitely on the tougher side as compared to the Country Sourdough Loaf. Perhaps they needed a little help. Testing my theory, I decided to pop them in the toaster. Indeed, their stiff doughy exteriors transformed to give a decently crisp outside that contrasted with the denser crumb of the bagels.

Personally, I really enjoyed the Blueberry Bagel, which had a slight sweet-sour aftertaste from the berries in addition to the taste of the sourdough. It would probably make a nice base for a classic salmon cream cheese filling.

The oat bagel, though nothing exceptional, was still quite nice. However, I would probably reach for the blueberry over it.

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I also decided to give the Salted Butter Rolls (S$2.10) or shio pan from Cornerstone Bakes a whirl. Have you ever heard of a sourdough version of these? I know I haven’t. As with the Country Loaf, the smell of butter from the shio pan was to die for. What’s more, it had freshly come out of the oven, so I was eager to dig in.

Once again, the bread had a very unique texture. Like the bagel, it was definitely on the doughier side, but was also extremely soft and had an elasticity,  too, almost like brioche.

The shio pan was soft and buttery, with the crisp outside providing a perfect house to the buttery goodness. I did, however, find the shio pan slightly too doughy for its own good, as it lacked the springiness that I would have expected from the bread. If it was a bit chewier, I would probably have enjoyed it more.

Final Thoughts

Out of all the baked sourdough goods I tried at Cornerstone Bakes, I can say with confidence that my favourite was the Country Sourdough Loaf. Delightfully chewy with a nice, thin, yet crusty exterior, it made for the perfect everyday loaf and at a pretty reasonable price point.

The other breads, however, lacked that little oomph that I was looking for. Though I may not be back for the other baked goods at Cornerstone Bakes, I know for sure that they would be my new go-to for their sourdough loaves. Perhaps, it could be yours too.

Expected damage: S$3.20 – S$9.80 per pax

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