The Dusty Knuckle Bakery Dalston

By providing employment opportunities for at-risk youth and enjoyment opportunities for at-hunger punters, The Dusty Knuckle Bakery has become a firm favourite in its home neighbourhood of Dalston, with its recently opened second location in Harringay quickly following suit.

If roasted pesto chicken sandwiches, pea and courgette soup, leek, cheddar and mustard seeds toasted in potato sourdough or aubergine katsu focaccias sound right up your alley, The Dusty Knuckle Bakery in the heart of Dalston Junction is the place for you. Having started out in a shipping container, the bakery-slash-café now occupies a car park location and boasts plenty of outdoor seating. Through on-the-job training and mentorship, the purpose-driven enterprise helps young people at risk of long-term criminality or unemployment gain a foothold for an independent life. The bakery also spreads knowledge through its baking classes, teaching people how to make bread from scratch in all-day classes.

Apart from the morning/early afternoon pastries, sourdough bread – the potato sourdough seems to be the consensus essential – and lunch menus, The Dusty Knuckle Bakery does pizza nights three days a week, from Thursday to Saturday, baking a selection of sourdough pizzas with toppings such as smoked aubergine, vegan ‘nduja and sweet onions until 10pm, with aperitifs and some wine to go along with them. And if you can’t make it to that either, keep an eye out for the Dusty Knuckle Bakery Milkfloat, a food truck that does weekly rounds of farmers’ markets and other locations around town.