House-Milled, Hand-Made: The Flour House Brings Farm-to-Table Artisan Baking to Highett

Tucked away on Graham Road in Highett, between everyday suburban landmarks, sits one of Melbourne’s most distinctive bakeries. The Flour House is not simply another café serving good coffee and pastries. It is a working flour mill, a family-run bakery and a café that mills its own grain on site from Victorian farms, then turns it into bread and pastries with genuine nutritional integrity and outstanding flavour.

The difference is immediately clear. Walk through the doors (or order at the takeaway window) and the scent of freshly baked loaves and buttery pastry fills a light-filled warehouse-style space. At the heart of the operation sits a traditional Austrian stone mill, imported by founder Damian Malone, steadily transforming local grain into flour that still contains the bran and germ most commercial white flour discards.

 

 

From Grain to Loaf

Damian Malone’s path to Highett was anything but ordinary. He began cooking in Melbourne, worked across Australian hotels and restaurants, then spent 11 years in London. There he cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens and for award-winning event companies, including two occasions for the Queen. Returning to Australia with his young family, he became increasingly focused on the nutritional value of wholegrain baking. A stint at the San Francisco Baking Institute confirmed his direction: combine modern understanding with old-world methods.

He registered the name The Flour House, imported the Austrian mill, and opened in Highett in 2019. The mill now sits proudly in the middle of the bakery. Grain arrives regularly from Victorian farms—most notably Gavin Puls of Fine View Farms in the Wimmera (delivering two to three tonnes a month) and Chris Sharkey’s single-estate Sceptre wheat from near Bacchus Marsh. Gavin’s family often helps unload, reinforcing the genuine farm-to-table connection. The Flour House deliberately supports regional family businesses and keeps carbon miles low.

The result is bread that tastes better and is better for you. White flour removes the bran and germ that supply fibre, vitamins and minerals. Here the whole grain is used whenever possible, producing loaves with deeper flavour, better texture and lasting satisfaction.

 

The Bread and Pastry Line-Up

Daily production typically includes around ten varieties. Standouts include:

• San Francisco Sourdough – a popular, milder, slightly sweet-sour loaf available in different sizes.
• Apple Cider Sourdough – made with cider from nearby 2 Brothers brewery; a local favourite that sells quickly.
• Spelt Sourdough – house-milled from 100% biodynamic and organic grain from Murrayville in western Victoria, blending white and wholegrain spelt for earthy flavour and improved nutrition.
• Sprouted Wheat & Sunflower Sourdough – made with Sharkey’s wheat that is milled, sprouted and baked into a semi-dense loaf with a soft crumb and nutty finish.
• House-milled Wholegrain (weekends), Berlin Rye with Walnut (Sundays), Finnish Rye (Fridays), baguettes, Tordue (wand-shaped sticks flavoured with confit garlic and mozzarella, green olive and feta, or jalapeño and cheese), and a spiced fruit and confit orange loaf.

Pastries are equally considered. Traditional croissants use Belgian butter for superior flakiness and caramelised flavour and come out of the oven around 7:30 am. Almond croissants, pain au chocolat, lemon-glazed escargot (pain au raisin with crystallised pumpkin seeds), Black Forest with kirsch cream and sour cherry, spiced apple crumble, and cinnamon scrolls all appear regularly. Savoury options include free-range pork sausage rolls (classic fennel and sage or smoked paprika and chilli) best eaten with house-made tomato kasundi, vegetarian pasties, and breakfast cups.

The café menu builds on the bakery. Expect croque monsieur or madame, smoked salmon on Finnish rye with crème fraîche, pickled onions, capers and cornichons, bruschetta with goat’s curd, Middle Eastern-style flatbreads, a chicken buffalo blue burger, ploughman’s boards, and solid coffee. Many items showcase the house breads.

Locals know the rhythm: bread and pastries sell out, so pre-ordering online (before 3 pm for next-day pickup from Highett or the Hampton location) is strongly recommended. A $15 minimum applies.

Atmosphere and Experience

The Highett site feels open and purposeful. A large wooden pergola structure draped in greenery softens the industrial volume and creates a welcoming dining area. The bakery and mill remain visible, so diners can watch the process. There is a takeaway window for those on the move, tables for lingering, and a relaxed, community feel that suits families and solo visitors alike. Ratings consistently sit around 4.7–4.8, and the venue has appeared in Good Food’s Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries lists.

 

 

Practical Details

The Flour House – Highett 3 Graham Road, Highett VIC 3190

Phone: 0421 183 199 Website: theflourhouse.com.au Instagram: @the_flour_house

Bakery hours (or until sold out): Tuesday–Friday 7:30 am – 4 pm Saturday & Sunday 7:30 am – 3 pm

Café hours: Wednesday 8 am – 2 pm (limited menu) Thursday–Sunday 8 am – 2 pm (Tuesday kitchen closed)

A second location operates at 531 Hampton Street, Hampton, with similar bakery hours and the same pre-order system. Bookings for the Highett café can be made via the website.

In a city full of excellent bakeries, The Flour House stands apart through its commitment to milling on site, sourcing from known Victorian farms, and producing bread that prioritises both flavour and nutrition. Whether you call in for a still-warm croissant, a loaf of spelt sourdough to take home, or a relaxed brunch under the timber pergola, you leave with the clear sense that real care has gone into every stage—from grain delivery to final bake. For Highett and the wider Bayside community, it has become a genuine local essential.