Visiting The Test Bakery
On a golden Friday afternoon, we arrive at The Test Bakery, drawn in by the irresistible scent of caramel, butter, and just-baked bread. Entering through the back door into the kitchen, everyone's hard at work. It appears it's the busiest time for the team here, ahead of the bakery's weekend-only trading hours between 09:00–16:30.
Muhammad Lavangee greets us with a warm smile, eager to share how the bakery came about. His wife, and the co-founder of The Test Bakery, Sadika Lavangee joins us but soon hurries off to resume her kitchen duties.
The Test Bakery, which is strictly halaal, opened its doors in September 2024, and operates exclusively on a Saturday and Sunday, says Lavangee. Between Tuesday and Friday, production starts up again to prep for the next weekend. The idea is that the bakery experiments with new creations during the week and aims to improve lesser bought goods from the weekend before.
We stroll along the production line, where bread is being kneaded and croissants filled. There's flour everywhere. Industrial mixers are churning up magic, ingredients are being sifted, and we almost knock into someone carrying a cheesecake. It's warm in here. And not just because of the ovens being constantly opened. Everyone appears to be in good spirits. Jokes fly between the team and Lavangee, and they are met with easy laughter. It soon becomes evident why he says, "My number one success is the wonderful people that we work with."
Notable about the team: it consists of no less than 20 staff members. Five form part of the front-of-house team on weekends, and 15 are full-time staff members. During our visit, there are two pastry students from Capsicum Culinary Studio working as trainees, and more than 13 staff members managing day-to-day tasks.
First impressions
Before we even take our seats, our eyes are immediately drawn to the space surrounding us. It's divided into two parts: the one part is the bakery section, while the other is a seating area. The interior is warm and inviting with its colour palette of creamy shades, brown leather seats and touches of gold. The seating is impressive for a place that doesn't market itself as a café.
On the other side, the bakery is well-lit and set out so you can see everything you need. You definitely won't miss the bread selection, including honey and pecan sourdough, fruit and nut brioche, and our favourite, the Kitke, as it's well stored in crafty wooden shelves and golden carts. If you are thirsty, there's a well-equipped coffee station fitted with a proudly South African custom-made Henlo coffee machine in a fitting brown colour that offers up a good hot-drink selection, as well as freezos. Check out the savoury menu options too!
We learn that Sadika meticulously mapped out the layout of this space with a piece of chalk on their first visit to the space.
From home kitchen to budding bakery
As we walk towards the quieter storefront, we hear Lavangee quickly sneak in an update on production progress before he sits down to share a bit more about himself and Sadika, their journey to establishing The Test Bakery, and the concept behind it.
Lavangee's baking roots run deep: his family ran the much-loved Upper Crust bakery in Mayfair for decades. “We were the ‘bread people',” he says with a laugh. “There was always something being kneaded, proofed or baked in the house.” His working life brings years of experience from the commercial baking world, where speed, scale, and cost-efficiency are key, and high-volume production and ready-mix ingredients designed to serve a broad market at a low price point. While he acknowledges that this approach meets an important need, The Test Bakery operates on the opposite end of the spectrum: slow, intentional, quality-driven baking that mirrors what you'd make at home – only better.
Back in 2007, he first caught wind of sourdough bread. Without having any sense at that time of the cult following it would later garner, he shares that his journey in bread began then with a sourdough starter, and he says it's taken a good 10 years to perfect his recipe.
To feed his growing curiosity, Lavangee started going to baking expos and conventions with Sadika.
Sadika's baking journey started soon after the couple's daughter was born, and she was looking for a hobby. Though it took a bit of trial and error Lavangee jests, she soon blossomed as a baker. She then began sharing cakes and decorated bakes online in 2016. Gradually, she built a loyal following for her food blog @its_baked on Instagram, which has now reached over 20,000 online. Her growing success eventually led her to a common baker's dilemma: "I need a bit more space."
The couple then embarked on a five-year search for the perfect location, a quest that began even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Securing the space
Their search led them through the city, including to a property on Beyers Naude Drive, but it lacked the necessary zoning. Then, serendipitously, they stumbled upon their current location in Milpark. "This place was actually up for rent," Lavangee explains. Their enquiry to purchase the building, rather than rent, eventually led to a successful acquisition in 2021. The timing proved advantageous, as property occupancy rates had dipped.
The building, part of a larger complex, became theirs. However, the journey was far from smooth. After the purchase, the building lay dormant for nearly two years, a period given to thinking about what the space should be like and how it should operate. In 2023, disaster struck when the premises were vandalised and stripped. "They left the building bare," Lavangee states, "So I had to start from scratch with the electrical work, plumbing work, all of that."
The birth of The Test Bakery
Faced with a desolate space, the Lavangees decided to embrace a budget-friendly, organic approach. They relied on a team of subcontractors, and as he proudly puts it, "Everything just flowed." Professional contractors were brought in for the finishing touches, like flooring.
The name The Test Bakery emerged from this period of intense experimentation. "We were starting to bake to test," Lavangee recounts. When he suggested opening only on weekends to sell their trial bakes, the name stuck. "Until today, we're still testing," he says, emphasising their commitment to continuous improvement and refinement of recipes.
Prior to The Test Bakery, the idea was actually to open a bakery called "Pablo and Pistachio", named after the couple's cats. But the idea of experimentation and exploring perfection became much more fitting to an era of The Test Bakery. This commitment to improvement is why the "test bakery" concept remains active. They will continue to refine their recipes and iron out issues until they deem themselves ready for the ultimate transformation into Pablo and Pistachio.
Nowadays, a week in the life of the bakery kicks off late on Tuesday, after their only day off on Monday. Tuesdays are reserved for planning and prep – getting ingredients ready, reviewing orders, and setting the tone for the week. From Wednesday through Friday, it’s all about production.
The Lavangees arrive around 23:00 on a Friday night and work through the night till about 03:00 – 04:00, when production for Saturday starts. Saturday night is another all-nighter until operation ceases on Sunday afternoon.
The art of artisanal baking
The Test Bakery prioritises artisanal baking over commercial baking. Lavangee explains the difference: "Previously in South Africa, everything came in sort of pre-packaged packs for you, for bakers, where they'd have improvers and emulsifiers and all these ingredients and you just throw it into the mixer, you mix it and two hours later you have bread."
Through international travel and exposure to different baking techniques, the couple realised the critical role of process over additives. "You don't need the emulsifiers, chemicals, preservatives and all those other ingredients you can't pronounce to get a quality product that tastes very good," he asserts. Their philosophy revolves around pure, clean flavours, using techniques like extended fermentation. Their sourdough, for instance, takes three to four days to prepare, using a slow fermentation process.
This dedication to quality extends to their ingredients: "We use real vanilla pods... even the meats that we use, [are] premium cuts," he says, highlighting their uncompromising standards. "I don't expect to sell you something that I'm not going to enjoy."
Ultimately, The Test Bakery aims to "feed your soul." Lavangee believes that good food should evoke happiness. This ethos is reflected in their team, whom he enjoys training in the nuances of artisanal baking. "It's like your grandmother's recipe," he says, describing their "scratch recipes" that use recognisable ingredients like butter, sugar, and eggs, free from those aforesaid unpronounceable chemicals.
The joys and challenges of a growing business
Since its opening, the bakery's current weekend-only operation is a strategic choice, allowing them to perfect their offerings. Their plan is to expand to five days a week once their hot kitchen is ready and a full menu is established to enable table service.
The organic growth of the space is evident; Lavangee recalls a day from the bakery's initial opening when people purchased a few items and wondered where to sit. He tells us that they hired tables and chairs on the spot, but afterwards decided to make it a permanent fixture in the space. One that has worked well for people wanting to indulge on the spot and linger over a cup of coffee.
Lavangee's personal connection to Johannesburg also plays a significant role in the bakery's location. Growing up in Mayfair, he views the city with affection, despite its challenges. "Joburg is the best city in South Africa," he declares, emphasising its vibrant energy and the warmth of its people. The bakery's proximity to 44 Stanley, a popular lifestyle precinct, creates a symbiotic relationship and offers complementary experiences for patrons.
We hear that customer feedback is highly valued at The Test Bakery. "We love it when we get feedback. It challenges us."
A symphony of flavours: The menu highlights
Photo: @thetestbakery.
While Lavangee is the master of breads and croissants, Sadika is considered the queen of cakes. Together, they offer a diverse range of delectable treats. Lavangee's favourite is the almond croissant, while their most popular (arguably) is the twice-baked pistachio and kaitifi croissant. Other beloved items include the Russian honey cake and the sophisticated French opera cake. We thoroughly enjoyed our pistachio knafeh cheesecake, a heavenly mix of cream cheese, pistachio and topped with crunchy knafeh.
The menu also boasts unique creations such as the choux bun (an "eclair that went to private school"), travel cakes made with almond flour, and the Maritozzi buns, an "Italian cream bun" that he describes as "a doughnut that went to Hilton College." Sadika's banana bread, enriched with Belgian chocolate and a pecan streusel, is hailed as "one of the most amazing banana breads in the world."
On the bread side of life, we happily trotted off with a sesame-crusted sourdough that went perfectly with a cup of tea and a cheeky swipe of butter. But the real wildcard was the triple chocolate sourdough, which doubled as a dessert in disguise (especially once we slathered on some Biscoff spread).
A power duo above all
Though our conversation centres mostly on Muhammad Lavangee, it's impossible not to notice the deep respect and admiration he holds for his wife. He jokes, “Sadika works harder than me,” but it’s clear their success comes from a perfect balance: in the early days, he would gently critique her baking, pushing her to experiment and persevere. “She’s incredibly creative,” he explains. “I handle management and recipe development, while she’s the hands-on force in the kitchen and the friendly face at the front.” Together, their complementary skills and mutual support seem to be a key ingredient in The Test Bakery’s success.
The Test Bakery is located at 5 Quince Street in Milpark, Braamfontein Werf. Opening hours: 09:00 – 16:30 on Saturdays and Sundays. For catering enquiries, contact +27 63 074 9781.
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