The bakery and cafe is wedged between a tyre shop and vehicle repair unit and sells pastries, cakes and traditional Turkish dishes
Tucked away on a Salford industrial estate there’s a new bakery selling Turkish treats (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Melike has always enjoyed baking. It’s something she picked up at a young age growing up in Turkey from family members like her grandma who loved nothing more than cooking for the people she loved.
Though she was a primary school teacher in her home of Malatya, Mel moved to the UK with her husband Oguz – formerly a dentist – around four years ago with their children to create a new life and follow one for her dreams of opening her own business.
“We came for our children’s education,” she says, busying herself around the kitchen in a former warehouse building on a Salford industrial estate.
“We want to give them a good future so we are trying our best. As you can imagine with the space, there was a lot to do, and we converted everything ourselves,” she says gesturing to the cafe beyond.
The bakery, known as Mayya, meaning yeast or leaven in Turkish, is wedged between a tyre shop and vehicle repair unit on Duncan Street, just beyond Regent Road.
The bakery, known as Mayya, meaning yeast or leaven in Turkish, is wedged between a tyre shop and vehicle repair unit on Duncan Street, just beyond Regent Road(Image: Manchester Evening News)
It officially opened in December 2024 and sells a range of freshly baked breads, bagels, and Turkish delicacies along with pastries, custom-made cakes and breakfast dishes. There’s a range of coffees, including properly brewed Turkish brews, teas, juices and smoothies too.
It’s not that it’s hard to find, in fact there’s a sign just outside the petrol station on the main road, and it’s only a two-minute walk from the retail park, but it definitely has that undiscovered gem quality to it.
Perhaps it’s because Mel and Oguz are not shouting too loud about it. Besides, with just the two of them, it’s all hands on deck.
“Because it’s just us, I bake in small batches, so when it’s gone, it’s gone,” she smiles.
“We’re on an industrial estate so I wanted to keep things simple to reflect where we are too.
Mayya Bakery in Salford (Image: Manchester Evening News)
“We’ve kept some things and done a lot of work on a budget. I love being creative too and I want the space to reflect that.”
As you walk into the bakery, you can see how Mel has tried to keep the unit feeling industrial while also adding some softer touches with the colour scheme and decor.
Warm shades have been used, and the main counter area boasts a contemporary light pink colour, which is pronounced by the pendant lighting above – drawing your eyes to the glass cabinet full of pastries and bakes.
While there’s not many places to sit, perhaps enough for ten people if you squash in, there’s beautiful little nooks with artwork on the wall and embroidered cushions to soften the aesthetic.
“The location is perhaps a little weird for some people but you know what, in these times, everybody wants to discover somewhere new don’t they, like a hidden gem.
Crispy and golden, these savoury Anatolian flatbreads are simple but delicious and made with just flour, salt and water before being packed full of fillings(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“People have started sharing it on social media with their videos and I really do appreciate it.”
While the counter is freshly stocked with beautiful brownies, freshly baked cookies and truly massive varieties of cinnamon buns, it’s the Turkish recipes here that are by far the most interesting and flavoursome.
‘Gozzies’ as they’re listed on the board are known in Turkey as Gözleme. Crispy and golden, these savoury Anatolian flatbreads are simple but delicious and made with just flour, salt and water before being packed full of fillings.
At Mayya, Mel fills them with spinach, feta and onions, or sometimes minced beef or potatoes, before folding them up into a triangle and cooking on the stove. When ready she roughly chops them up into strips and serves fresh.
“We also do a dish called Menemen, which is a little like shakshuka and includes eggs, tomato, peppers and spices. In Turkey, every weekend starts with this dish. It means a lot to me, I have lots of memories around it.
The counter is stocked full of sweet treats including cinnamon buns, babka and brownies (Image: Manchester Evening News)
“I’ve kept things nice and simple, the recipe is like how my mum and grandma made it. We also make simit bagels.
“Now these are very special for Turkish people, you can have it as street food and it’s a bagel coated in sesame seeds.”
Mel also serves up popular brunch dishes like Turkish eggs (£9), as well as avocado on toast with eggs (£9), cheese toasties made with her sourdough (£7.90) and a Turkish breakfast (£12.90) with traditional sausages and other accompaniments.
Customers can also buy whole loaves of bread (£4.50) in white and wholemeal varieties as well as pastries and cakes such as triple chocolate cookies (£2.50), chocolate cream and vanilla cake (£2.50), slices of Basque cheesecake (£4), chocolate and hazelnut babka (£3.50), and a range of cinnamon buns and rolls from £3.50.
Going forward, Mel is hoping to be able to source some apricot jam from the region she is from in Turkey, describing that as “her dream”. She also hopes people try pastries like the cardamom buns, which she reckons are particularly good.
Turkish coffee served at Mayya Bakery in Salford (Image: Manchester Evening News)
While Mel enjoyed being a teacher, she says heading up her own bakery here in Salford gives her a sense of purpose.
“When I wake up in the morning, I’m happy to go to work, but when I was a teacher, I didn’t always want to go.
“I am exhausted and it’s a lot of long days, with baking at night, but I am just so happy here.”
Mayya Bakery is located at 32-34 Duncan Street, Salford, M5 3SQ. Hours are 8am until 4pm every day.