Blackbird Baking has a location in Riverside three times the size of their original bakery in Kensington.

This location is now solely responsible for the production of their popular breads, while the other spot now exclusively produces pastry.
Just like the Kensington location, there's no seating here.

The vast majority of space is devoted to production, which can be glimpsed through a large window at the bottom of an accessible ramp, which leads to a small retail area.

A mural by Toronto's Doublenaut adds visual interest to the entranceway area.

All bread is still made by hand here, and all sourdough begins with their starter first created in 2011 using local flour and grapes.

They always try to use the shortest list of ingredients and the longest fermentation times to create their breads here.

Both places still carry the same line, delivering fresh products to each other every day.

Over a dozen varieties of bread are regularly available here, including sesame spelt ($6), olive ($6.50), seeded ($6.50) and Danish rye ($6).

Their pointy-tipped baguettes in multigrain, sourdough and multiple smaller "baby" varieties are especially popular.

Other options are only available on select days. Their famed challah can only be picked up on Fridays, and brioche can only be obtained on Saturday and Sunday. 

When it comes to their viennoiserie, danishes are super popular. There's always one sweet and one savoury seasonal variety available, like a squash and mascarpone option ($4.50).

Almond pear ($4) is the sweet variety on deck during my visit.

Other viennoiserie options include pain au raisin ($3.75), croissants, tarts, cinnamon buns and kouign amann. 

Four rotating varieties of sandwiches made using their own bread are listed on a butcher paper menu are always available. 

Options might include ham and brie on white pullman or a sourdough baguette ($7.50), salami and gruyere on poppyseed baguette ($8.50), turkey romesco on focaccia or sesame baguette ($9.50) or an ELT (eggplant-lettuce-tomato) on focaccia ($8.50).

Sam James drip coffee and Sloane tea ($3) are also served here, and can be picked up in their packaged form too.

The retail area is also stocked with what I'd like to think of as bread accessories: special linen bread storage bags from Lot 8 ($18), cutting boards from Cut Ups ($35 - $50), Maldon sea salt ($10), Emerald Grasslands butter ($10), honey ($9), olive oil ($25) and all manner of spreads. 

They also have their own packaged rye crackers ($7) and granola ($13 - $24) ready to go.

Blackbird products can be found nearly a hundred places across Toronto and counting. Owner Simon Blackwell is a fourth generation baker whose family's baking history extends back to 1890s England.