Flour & Flower

Pie first, then whatever is laminated

Pie is the signature at Flour & Flower, and it is the right first order in this small St. Joseph bakery. Croissants and turnovers follow close behind, with artisan breads and an artisan pizza filling out a short, carefully made list rather than a sprawling case.

Everything is made from scratch, which is what the short list is in service of. The New York Times named Flour & Flower to its 2024 list of the 22 best bakeries in the United States, though the everyday draw is plainer than that suggests: familiar things, made well, in a room the size of a neighborhood shop.

Half bakery, half flower shop

The other half of the name is literal. Flour & Flower is a bakery and a flower shop at once, and the floral counter gives the room a whimsical, rustic character that the baking alone would not have. It has worked that way in this central Minnesota town since the shop opened in 2020.

The scale is intimate and the feel is personal rather than formal. Expect a compact neighborhood shop rather than a cafe built for long stays, with the case, the counter and the flowers all within a few steps of each other.

What to take home

For a first visit, take pie if there is pie. If there is not, a croissant or a turnover is the classic order and the clearest test of the lamination work.

Artisan breads are the practical add for the week ahead, and the artisan pizza gives the dough-and-oven side of the bakery a savory turn. Add flowers on the way out if the occasion calls for it; that is the combination the shop was built around.