FEW ingredients and plenty of great service are the recipe for success at House of Bread, which is owned and run by the Laszkowski family.

The bakery, on Bradford Road in Frizinghall, specialises in traditional eastern European bakes and, after only a few years of trading, supplies Polish continental shops and cafes in Leeds and Manchester, as well as locally in Bradford. 

Now it has been shortlisted as one of the finalists in the Telegraph & Argus 'Best Bakery 2024' awards. We aim to profile all 10 finalists in the coming days, with readers able to choose their favourite by using the voting coupon that will run in the paper until Saturday, September 14.

House of Bread isn’t just a way of making a crust for the Laszkowski family – the popular bakery has also become a key ingredient in the Frizinghall community.

“If we are shut for a couple of days, the phones are ringing, with people asking when we’re back open, said Maciej Laszkowski. “We feel valued in the community - and we want to carry on providing that for our customers.”

“The bread that we make is pretty special. It’s made of three or four ingredients depending on if it’s seeded or if it has any proofs or anything - it’s all sourdough stuff. It’s proper bread, made like they used to do it back in the day. And people appreciate that.”

Two of the most popular items in demand are the 100% rye bread and a traditional sweet treat called a jagodzianka, which is a blueberry bun.

“It’s a traditional summer treat in Poland,” said Maciej. “That goes down really well.”

The bakery offers a mix of sweet treats each week, including caramel crunch slices filled with almond, hazelnuts and walnuts and poppyseed swirls.

Serving quality, natural cuisine hot off the stove is something baked into the family’s genealogy. The Laszkowski team pride themselves on baking healthy products, and making the produce as fresh as possible is important for the family, who hail from the Kaszuby region of Poland.

“There are no secret ingredients – just good old-fashioned baking,” Maciej added.

“I don’t think we have it in us to provide a sub-par product. We make everything from scratch so we know everything that goes into the product. We never want to use something that we know is bad for people. 

Why does Maciej think House of Bread should win the Telegraph & Argus Best Bakery title?

“We think we provide the best bread in the area. Everything is made from scratch here, everything is made here. Nothing brought in and reheated.  “All our products have a bit of a twist, but it’s all based on traditional eastern European baking. We just do everything well.”