A Sourdough Stop Worth Taking in Girdwood

A plate of thin, chewy sourdough pancakes is a fine reason to turn off the highway in the Girdwood area. So is a thick slice of toast alongside eggs, a hot grilled sandwich, or a sweet roll with a glossy top and an unexpectedly interesting touch of anise.

The Bake Shop is the sort of Alaska roadside stop that can handle a quick breakfast on the way to somewhere else, yet offers enough to make lunch linger. Sourdough runs through much of the menu, from loaves and toast to pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and grilled sandwiches, giving familiar comfort food a pleasantly tangy, substantial character.

The signature sweet roll deserves its own stop. It is often compared with a cinnamon roll, but that only gets you partway there: raisins and sliced almonds add texture, while light caramel and a lemony glaze bring sweetness without turning it into a frosting-heavy affair.

The roll also carries a lightly anise-flavored note, an old-fashioned little twist that helps distinguish it from the average bakery case. Its top can have a gentle crunch, while the interior is buttery, flaky, delicate and soft.

This is one item to seek early in the day. Sweet rolls and other bakery specialties can sell out later in the morning, which is disappointing only if you arrived with a particular roll already on your mind.

Breakfast covers the classics without making them blandly interchangeable. Omelets include spinach-mushroom, ham and a Farmers Breakfast version, while scrambled eggs, French toast, breakfast sandwiches and pancakes give a mixed table plenty of options.

The sourdough pancakes are notably different from the thick, fluffy diner stack. They are thinner and chewier, with the sourdough flavor more apparent in each bite. Real maple syrup is available at the table, so nobody has to make do with a tiny plastic cup.

Breakfast plates commonly come with toast, and berry jam has appeared alongside it. A simple piece of sourdough toast is not a throwaway side here; the bread is a central reason to order breakfast in the first place.

At lunch, the sourdough becomes a sturdy platform for grilled cheese, pastrami, turkey, ham, mushroom combinations and Reuben sandwiches. Sandwiches arrive on thick toasted bread, and the meat portions in the pastrami and ham sandwiches are notably generous.

The Reuben is served hot, with juicy meat and Thousand Island dressing, and can come with a generously dressed side salad. It is a sensible order on a cool day, though the grilled cheese also has appeal when paired with a bowl of soup.

Sandwich toppings can be customized, and at least some grilled-cheese orders offer a choice of cheese. That small flexibility is welcome when the table includes both plain eaters and people who want to build something more elaborate.

Soup gives the lunch menu another good reason to slow down. Curry soup, northern bean soup, navy bean soup and mushroom soup have all been on the selection, offering more range than a single standard soup-of-the-day routine.

The particular pot can change, but soup and a hearty sandwich make an especially fitting combination when Girdwood weather calls for something warm. The outdoor seating remains usable even in rainy conditions, with meals brought out to the benches and picnic-table-style seats.

It is easy to leave with something for later. Alaskan sourdough loaves are available to take home, a practical souvenir for anyone with a cooler or a plan for sandwiches after the road trip continues.

Soft chocolate-chip cookies are another worthwhile counter purchase. They are the uncomplicated kind of bakery treat that travels well and tends to disappear before the next stop.

Coffee and espresso drinks are available, along with bottled sodas. The shop has also had a reusable ceramic mug program associated with free coffee refills for life; its current terms are worth confirming at the counter before treating it as a standing arrangement.

Ordering happens at the counter, and food is brought to the dining room or outside. The system keeps things casual, and even when a breakfast or lunch line forms, it tends to move along briskly.

Inside, diners can look directly into the kitchen. Local artwork on the walls adds another reason to look around, and some pieces have been offered for sale.

Outside, the mood shifts toward a laid-back picnic stop. Benches and picnic-style tables sit around planted grounds, with hanging flowers and seasonal blooms bringing color to the setting. The surrounding mountain country is close at hand, without the meal needing to become a formal occasion.

The Bake Shop draws a mix of regulars and travelers, which suits its place in the Girdwood area. It has worked neatly into drives toward Seward, Homer and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, or simply as a breakfast-and-coffee pause between Anchorage and points south.

It is reached by a short drive from the highway, though the parking approach includes a hilly gravel area. Once you are parked, the decision is less complicated: order the sweet roll early if that is the goal, then decide whether the rest of the meal calls for pancakes, soup, or a sandwich with more sourdough.