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South Australia Just Crowned Its Best Bakes — Here’s Where to Find Them
From a coastal bakery sweeping three pie categories to a Hills favourite reclaiming the sausage roll crown — the winners are out, and the bakery tour itinerary writes itself.
There’s something very South Australian about knowing exactly where to find the best pie, the flakiest croissant, or a vanilla slice thick enough to warrant a detour — and the South Australian Baking Show has just turned that instinct into something close to a definitive guide. These are the bakes quietly setting the standard across SA right now.
The Best Croissant in South Australia
Adelaide’s Finest Supermarkets takes out the top croissant honour — and before you dismiss a supermarket croissant, hear this out. Baked in a world-first supermarket open patisserie, it’s anything but ordinary. The butter is imported from Normandy, laminated into 27 precise layers, then baked into a croissant that lands exactly where it should: deeply golden, shatteringly crisp and impossibly light inside. It’s the kind of pastry that has quietly earned a reputation far beyond the deli aisle.
The Best Donut in South Australia
Orange Spot Bakery topped the iced chocolate donut category with a classic that proves simplicity still wins. Soft, pillowy dough and an even rise are finished in a smooth chocolate glaze that’s rich without tipping heavy. In the decorative donut category, Banana Boogie Bakery brings the flair, with layered finishes and playful toppings that push the format firmly into dessert territory.
The Best Vanilla Slice in South Australia
Banana Boogie Bakery continued their reign in the vanilla slice category — with thick layers of crisp pastry, a generous vanilla custard centre and a firm icing top that holds just long enough before giving way. Rich, nostalgic and unapologetically generous, it’s a signature bake with a following that stretches well beyond the cabinet — helped along by its cult oversized “Super Daddy” slab, a 52cm x 33cm version that turns a classic into a statement.
The Best Pie in South Australia
Goolwa Bakery absolutely dominated the pie categories, taking out first place in Chunky Beef, Poultry and Gourmet with a run of entries that balance variety with just the right touch of flair. The Plain Mince Beef Pie went to Banana Boogie Bakery, delivering a no-fuss, classic that gets the essentials right. Between them, it’s a clean split in style: Goolwa in full control of the more refined end of the table, and Banana Boogie keeping it grounded with a textbook staple done exactly how it should be.
The Best Sausage Roll in South Australia
Banana Boogie Bakery won Australia’s Best Sausage Roll. After coming up short last year, the team went back to the recipe book, made a few small but decisive tweaks, and this time reclaimed the crown. The result is a sausage roll that gets everything right: golden, flaky pastry with a crisp bite, and a rich, well-seasoned filling that stays juicy without feeling heavy.
The Best Sourdough in South Australia
Adelaide’s Finest Supermarkets has firmly cemented itself as the place to pick up a serious loaf of sourdough, taking out first place across White, Rye and Flavoured Sourdough categories. The white sourdough is naturally culture-based, and the rye has no gluten or improvers, while the flavoured varieties carry the same discipline with added character layered in without compromising the integrity of the bake.
The bakery rabbit hole doesn’t stop here. Our guide to SA’s best country bakeries was made for your next road trip — and if you’re after the people’s pick, find out who the Sitchu audience crowned best bakery in Adelaide at the 2025 Sitchu Awards.
