Harbor Light Bakery
Close-up of an open-crumb sourdough loaf
Tue–Sun·8am–3pm 418 Seabright Ave · Seabright, Santa Cruz

Thirty-six hours to every loaf.

Long-fermented sourdough from Central Coast flour, baked each morning in Santa Cruz. Open Tue–Sun, 8am–3pm.

See today's bread Order a cake
Out of the oven
6:40am
Dough started
Yesterday 4pm
Closes
3pm

Tonight's dough

Tomorrow's bread is already fermenting.

This is the real schedule for the next batch. The levain is fed the evening before last, the dough is mixed at 4pm, it rests cold overnight and bakes at 5am. The blue marker shows where it is right now.

Live · Pacific timeReading the clock…

Harbor Country · 36-hour schedule

White Sonora + bread flour from Pie Ranch

Right now
—
 
On the shelf
—
Started —
Shelf
NOW
  1. 01 · 21h
    Levain
    —

    Starter fed cool and slow, stiff levain

  2. 02 · 1h
    Mix
    —

    Autolyse, levain and sea salt in

  3. 03 · 4h
    Bulk
    —

    Four sets of folds on the bench

  4. 04 · 1h
    Shape
    —

    Pre-shape, bench rest, into bannetons

  5. 05 · 7h
    Cold retard
    —

    Overnight in the walk-in at 38°F

  6. 06 · 2h
    Bake
    —

    Scored and baked; out of the oven 6:40am

Tap any loaf on the shelf below to redraw the line with its own schedule.

The bread shelf

Today's loaves

Every loaf lists its ferment hours and where its flour comes from. Tap one to see its own timeline.

Full menu & allergens
Two croissants on a white counter
Out by 8am, restocked at 9:30

Laminated with the same levain as the bread.

Morning pastries

From the pastry case

Laminated

  • Sourdough Croissant

    Levain-leavened, 27 layers, cultured butter

    $4.75
  • Pain au Chocolat

    Two batons of 70% dark chocolate

    $5.25
  • Kouign-Amann

    Caramelized sugar crust, salted butter

    $5.50
  • Orange Cardamom Morning Bun

    Croissant dough, orange zest, cardamom sugar

    $5.00
  • Twice-Baked Almond CroissantFri & Sat

    Frangipane, toasted almonds

    $6.00

Sweet

  • Olallieberry SconeSat & Sun

    Local olallieberries, demerara top

    $4.50
  • Brown-Butter Canelé

    Custard center, dark caramel shell

    $4.00
  • Meyer Lemon Bar

    Sonora wheat shortbread base

    $4.25
  • Chocolate Rye Cookie

    Abruzzi rye, dark chocolate, flaky salt

    $3.75
  • Cardamom KnotTue & Wed

    Swedish-style, pearl sugar

    $4.75

Savory

  • Ham & Gruyère Croissant

    Black Forest ham, Dijon, aged Gruyère

    $6.50
  • Leek, Kale & Feta Galette

    Rye crust, Swiss chard, lemon

    $6.75
  • Focaccia Slice

    Today’s topping, usually tomato and oregano

    $4.50
  • Cheddar & Chive Scone

    Sharp white cheddar, black pepper

    $4.75
  • Mushroom & Gruyère QuicheSun

    By the slice, from Santa Cruz Mountain mushrooms

    $7.50
Specials by day
Tue Cardamom Knots · Desert King Durum
Wed Cardamom Knots · 48-Hour Rye
Thu Castelvetrano & Lemon loaf
Fri Almond Croissants · Walnut Levain
Sat Olallieberry Scones · Almond Croissants
Sun Mushroom Quiche · 48-Hour Rye
Pastry allergens on the menu page
A baker’s hands shaping dough on a floured bench

Shaped by hand at 9pm. Baked before the harbor wakes.

Every loaf is pre-shaped, rested and shaped on the bench, then sits in its banneton overnight.

Where the flour comes from

Field, mill, then our bench.

Most of our wheat is grown on the Central Coast. Freshly milled flour ferments faster and tastes of the grain, so we buy it in small lots and use it within weeks. The one grain from further away is the Abruzzi rye from the Tehachapi Heritage Grain Project.

  1. 1

    Pie Ranch

    Pescadero, San Mateo Coast

    White Sonora · Senatore Cappelli

    Heirloom wheat grown and stone-milled on a coastal education farm up Highway 1. Goes into the Country, Sonora and Walnut loaves.

    About 30 miles to Seabright

  2. 2

    Coke Farm

    San Juan Bautista, San Benito County

    Desert King durum · Blanco Grande

    An organic farm growing a few acres of dry-farmed heritage wheat. Goes into the Durum, Seeded and Pan loaves.

    About 42 miles to Seabright

  3. 3

    Tegner Mill

    Paso Robles, SLO County

    Slow stone-milled bread flour

    A small artisan stone mill. Its flour is the base for our focaccia, baguettes and the Olive & Lemon loaf.

    About 165 miles to Seabright

Loading map…

Custom cakes

Cakes, made to order

Chiffon and butter cakes for birthdays, showers and small weddings. Pick one from the gallery or describe your own.

Full gallery & sizes
Wildflower Chiffon
Birthday

Wildflower Chiffon

Vanilla & strawberry

From $68 Serves 8–10
Dark Chocolate Rose
Everyday

Dark Chocolate Rose

Chocolate & raspberry

From $72 Serves 8–10
Garden Party
Celebration

Garden Party

Lemon & blueberry

From $78 Serves 8–10
White & Gold
Wedding

White & Gold

Almond & apricot

From $95 Serves 14–18
Confetti Birthday
Birthday

Confetti Birthday

Vanilla sprinkle

From $62 Serves 8–10
Honey Spice Tier
Wedding

Honey Spice Tier

Brown sugar & honey

From $140 Serves 35–40

Planning a birthday or an event?

Send a request with the date, servings and flavor. We'll call or email within a day to confirm. Please give us at least 5 days' notice.

Request a cake

Visit

Find us in Seabright

Tue–Sun·8am–3pm
Loading map…

Street parking on Seabright

Free street parking on Seabright Ave and the side streets. Check signs, because some residential blocks need a permit.

Harbor lots

Paid lots at the Santa Cruz Harbor are a short, flat walk away, and easiest on busy summer weekends.

By bike

There’s a bike rack right outside. The Arana Gulch path links the harbor to the east side neighborhoods.

Best time to come

Doors open at 8am with every loaf on the shelf. Weekend Country and Seeded loaves often sell out by noon.

418 Seabright Ave

Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Seabright, a few blocks from the Santa Cruz Harbor

Hours

MondayClosed
Tuesday8:00am – 3:00pm
Wednesday8:00am – 3:00pm
Thursday8:00am – 3:00pm
Friday8:00am – 3:00pm
Saturday8:00am – 3:00pm
Sunday8:00am – 3:00pm
Get directions (831) 555-0142
Street notes & contact