As you weave through the shipping containers at the MSA Annex, you can’t help but stop in your tracks.
A rich, buttery aroma suddenly fills the air. It smells like warm, perfectly toasted bread with delicate, subtly sweet notes entwined in it.
Like a cartoon, you’re floating off the ground as the heavenly scent leads you to one particular container.
You swing open the door, ready to finally find the source for the mouthwatering smell, spotting trays and trays of freshly baked loaves of bread, and golden brown, flaky croissants.
This baked good paradise is the work of Alexander Phaneuf and his team, who have transformed this former storage container into a bakery that smells as amazing as it tastes.
Phaneuf, along with Adam Weinstein and Kira Dixon-Weinstein, have opened , a new micro-bakery at the that serves up whole-grain breads, unique viennoiserie, and pastries that will have you hooked from first bite.
Before starting Hidden Hearth, Phaneuf had an illustrious chef/baking career, which includes being a two-time semi-finalist. About 12 years ago, he decided to fully dedicate himself to only owning and operating bakeries.
“I fell into a baking job in Phoenix and it was just really empowering,” Phanuef said. “It was all solo work, so all the pressure was on me and it was really rewarding. It’s all done on the same day and you get to see the fruits of your of labor.”
Eventually, Phaneuf made his way down to Tucson. At his new digs, one of his friends helped him build a wood fired oven in his yard. Now, with a beautiful oven readily available, Phanuef had ideas of being an off-the-grid baker, creating a hole-in-the-wall spot that serves the community delicious, fresh loaves of bread.
Just like that, Hidden Hearth was born in 2023.
“It's my third home bakery,” Phaneuf said. “It was great, you get to meet way more people and learn way more things.”
Phaneuf uses a stone mill, a machine that grinds whole grains into flour, to create his loaves, such as his popular rye bread. It’s that attention to detail that makes Phaneuf’s goods a step above loaves of bread you may get at a store.
In fact, Phaneuf credits his slow and steady process as they key to making a solid loaf.
“Taking your time, not being too strategic and just kind of letting it happen,” Phaneuf said. “You could really just lightly mix something, let it sit on the counter over an overt amount of time and get very surprising results without constantly messing with it.”
Phaneuf hadn’t thought about creating a brick-and-mortar until Weinstein approached him about starting a bakery at the MSA Annex. One of the containers was going to be turned into a commissary kitchen, until an idea for a bakery popped up.
Photo left to right: Alexander Phaneuf, Adam Weinstein and Kira Dixon-Weinstein.
Soon, the space that was once used as storage was transformed into a micro-bakery. Huge ovens line the back of the walls, while tubs of dough and other ingredients cover the counters.
During my visit, Phaneuf and his co-worker were bouncing around, taking trays of divine-smelling goods out of the oven. Soon, his children ran in asking for something to eat, chanting, “we love croissants” as Phaneuf packaged some for them.
Once I took a bite of the chocolate croissant I got, I also was chanting “I love croissants!" The pastry itself had the most precise flaky layers I had ever seen. It was buttery, soft, and melted in my mouth with every bite.
It’s been days since I ate the croissant and I can’t stop thinking about it. Phaneuf is truly a bread magician, everything he makes is magic.
Some other baked goods on Hidden Hearth’s menu includes loaves of brioche, lemon olive fugasse, focaccia slices, almond croissants, and demi baguettes, each made with locally sourced ingredients. You can place your order online and when its ready, you can simply walk up to their pick-up window and take your prized loaf home.
Hidden Hearth’s new location will also act as a wholesale bakery and have in-house milling operations. In the future, they also plan on creating a croissant program and hosting punk-rock pizza nights on Fridays with Minibar.
Most importantly, Phaneuf wants this new chapter of Hidden Hearth to be accessible to all. He welcomes customers to stop by, take in all the heavenly smells, and watch him transform balls of dough into something extraordinary.
“Our door is not going to be locked, you can come in, chat with us and learn what we're doing,” Phaneuf said. “Our farmers walk in. Our friends walk in. It’s just great to have a very accessible place on the west side that people can come learn and take away a piece of what we're doing.”
Hidden Hearth is located at the MSA Annex, Baked goods will be available for retail purchase by way of pre-order . Customers are asked to place their orders Monday afternoon and pick-up Wednesday mornings at the bakery walk-up window. Pick-up hours are 10am-3pm on Tuesday-Saturday.