Black Cockatoo Bakery, Katoomba – SMH Good Food app listing

It’s not uncommon for a Sydneysider to line up for a ham and cheese croissant at Black Cockatoo Bakery, only to discover they’re not available on weekends. Locals know to check the baking schedule on their website, which will tell you that the twice-baked, cultured butter croissants, filled with Swiss gruyere bechamel and Feather and Bone ham, are only available on Thursdays and Fridays. Saturdays are for kale and ricotta quiches, while Sundays bring nectarine danishes – even then, flavours change with the seasons.

The bakery changed hands in September last year, but the breads and pastries are made the same way, using Australian stoneground flour, filtered water and sea salt, and a natural fermentation of over 20 hours.