Proof Bakery Review: The Proof Is in the Pastry Case at This Cult-Favorite Atwater Bakery | Eater LA

"Long before the storefront comes into view, the heady scent of hot, buttery croissants and chocolate chip cookies spills into the street from this worker-owned cooperative, which has become a chronically busy local favorite thanks to an overflowing pastry case of picturesque cakes, focaccia sandwiches layered with shaved mortadella, and flaky biscuits flecked with chive and Gruyère. Even more than a decade after opening, it still tends to sell out every day, with options growing scant by mid-morning, making this a bakery worth waking up early for. The canelé, a notoriously difficult pastry to execute, is exceptional, with a deeply caramelized, fluted exterior that yields to a cloud-like custardy center with a vanilla top note. The plain croissant hits an ideal balance: a flaky but not overly fragile exterior giving way to a precisely laminated interior that delivers a welcome truckload of butter, while the almond croissant offers a sweeter option, filled with nutty frangipane. Cakes rotate frequently, but any chocolate cake in the case is a must-order, from past dark-as-night chocolate espresso cake layered with cremeaux to chocolate blueberry cake with sweet-tart layers of reduced berries. The crowd typically includes young Atwater parents with Nuna strollers out for a morning walk and coffee, television writers escaping the Burbank studio bubble for a mid-day sandwich, and regulars swinging by for an 11 a.m. Americano, and lunch sandwiches don’t come out until 11:30 a.m., so anyone hellbent on securing one should time their arrival for when they hit the case, as they tend to move quickly." - Rebecca Roland