BAK is one of Stockholm's most respected bakeries, founded in 2005, with around 40 bakers and pastry chefs based in Hökarängen. Since the opening of our flagship store, you'll find them at Birger Jarlsgatan 28, supplying the café with pastries daily. We sat down with Jonathan Lagerstam to talk about what makes a good pastry, what autumn means for the menu, and where to start if you've never visited BAK before.

Tell us about BAK, how did it start, when, and how did you end up in the Singular flagship at Birger Jarlsgatan?

”BAK started pretty simply. We wanted to make really good bread and pastries, in a place that didn’t feel too precious about it. Since then it’s grown quite organically. We’ve never really sat down with a five-year plan and mapped out world domination. It’s been more about finding good people, doing good things and saying yes when something feels right. That’s basically how Singular happened too. We liked what they were doing, they liked what we were doing, and it made sense to put the two together.”

BAK has built a reputation in Stockholm for a very specific kind of quality. How do you define that, what does a good pastry actually require?

”Good ingredients. Time. Technique. And people who care maybe a little more than is strictly necessary. There’s no real trick to it. You can’t fake good butter or something being baked at the right moment. We also don’t think pastries should just be sweet. They need texture, salt, acidity, and balance. Something that makes you want another bite. There’s a ridiculous amount of work behind something you can eat standing up in about three minutes.”

Seasons matter in baking. What does the shift into autumn mean for the BAK menu?

”Autumn is great for us. Summer is very fresh and direct. Berries, rhubarb, lighter things. Then autumn comes and everything gets a bit deeper. Apples, pears, plums, nuts, caramel, chocolate, warmer spices. Things you actually want when it’s dark at four and raining sideways. We try to follow what’s good rather than keep things around just because people got used to them. Some things disappear. Other things show up. It keeps us interested too.”

If a Singular member has never been to BAK before, what would you tell them to order first?

”A pain au chocolat and a coffee. That’s probably the best place to start. Simple, classic, and if we’ve done our job properly, enough to make you come back.”