Bakery$Tue-Sat 07:00-19:00, Sun 07:00-15:00Walk-in onlyMexican pan dulce
La Purisima Bakery on Indian School Road is a family-run panaderia, racking conchas, marranitos and pan dulce that Phoenix families buy by the tray.
Tip: Grab a tray and tongs at the door; closed Mondays, and the morning batch is the freshest.
Worth the queue: Conchas and marranitos
Bakery$Mon-Fri 06:00-14:00, Sat 06:00-12:00Walk-in onlyCakes, donuts and cookies
Barb's Bakery on North 24th Street is a long-running neighbourhood bakery, turning out cakes, donuts, cupcakes and cookies from a small storefront.
Tip: Closed Sundays and it sells out early; the donuts are the morning order.
Worth the queue: Old-school cakes and donuts
Bakery$Daily, morning through afternoonSourdough and croissants
Proof Bread on Main Street in Mesa bakes naturally leavened sourdough and croissants with locally grown and milled flours, the East Valley's destination loaf.
Order: A croissant and a sourdough loaf milled from local grain.
Tip: The Mesa flagship is the bake-on-site room; weekends draw a line for croissants.
Worth the queue: Naturally leavened sourdough and croissants
Bakery$Mon-Sat 06:00-19:00, Sun 07:00-14:00Walk-in onlySonoran flour tortillas
La Sonorense Tortilla Factory on South Central stretches the giant tortillas de agua that define Sonoran cooking, sold warm by the dozen in South Phoenix.
Tip: Buy a stack of the big flour tortillas warm; they are the base for a proper Sonoran burro.
Worth the queue: Large hand-stretched Sonoran flour tortillas
Bakery$Daily, morning through afternoonNaturally leavened sourdough
Noble Bread on North 24th Street is the Valley's reference sourdough bakery, ferments organic loaves over 36 hours and supplies the city's better restaurants.
Tip: The attached Noble Eatery serves wood-fired sandwiches on the same bread; loaves sell out by midday.
Worth the queue: 36-hour naturally leavened country loaf