Polish bakeries in Toronto deal in a hearty array of home-style goodies. Often these spots boast prepared goods, meats, and cheeses, while the specialties are crusty breads like rye and sourdough along with traditional pastries like paczki, bubka and poppy-seed roll cakes.

Here are my picks for the top Polish bakeries in Toronto.

Benna's Bakery & Deli

This Polish store and bakery in Roncesvalles Village has aisles upon aisles of European goodies along with a deli counter serving up sausages and a bakery section with fresh made pastries and cakes.

Chicago Bakery & Deli

This Roncesvalles Village bakeshop and deli has some super cheap baked goods including danishes, kaisers and donuts.

Starsky

The massive Mississauga supermarket draws customers from across the GTA for its wide selection of Polish baked goods that includes paczki and pierniki. Breads, kneaded by hand, are baked fresh onsite.

Anna's Bakery & Deli

Custard filled paczki, danishes and babka are displayed in the window at this old school bakery in Bloor West Villlage. Let the pastries beckon you inside, where you'll find loaves of multi-grain and rye just begging to be sandwiched with European cold cuts and cheeses.

Universal Bakery

Like a bar mleczny (milk bar), this Etobicoke bakery cafe stocks superbly fresh rye breads, baked goods and deli items. Have a sandwich made up at the counter, pick up some perogi or enjoy a slice of sernik, a Polish cheesecake, on the front patio.

Nova European Deli

This Woodbridge store stocks the full lineup of authentic Polish baked goods, including light and dark ryes, sourdoughs, multigrain breads, wasa crisps, apple danishes, cookies, cakes and festive pastries.

Fine Bakery & Deli

Traditional Polish breads and sandwiches star at this bakery in Etobicoke. Good luck leaving without something sweet - sugar-dusted pastries filled with custard are hard to ignore.

Polka European Deli

This shop in Scarborough draws customers for a wide variety of Polish favourites. Find an ample selection of hearty crusted breads, decorated cakes and cream and rich pastries that are deliciously heavy on eggs and cream.

Jaswoj Bakery & Deli

Two outlets in Mississauga are packed with an exceptional variety of European delicacies including traditional breads, buns and cakes like makowiec, a sweet poppy seed-swirled viennoiserie.

Yummy Market

This Russian grocer in North York has no shortage of Polish products in the bakery aisle. Sure, the two countries have a storied past, but breaking bread - say, a hearty loaf of rye - is an easy way to find common ground.