The logical next step was to consider the energy use of our delivery fleet. The bakehouse delivers our cakes, pastries, and breads throughout much of southeastern Michigan 363 days each year. Our vehicles log approximately 150,000 miles per year making those deliveries. So last spring when I knew that the lease for 3 of our vehicles was coming to term, we acted on the opportunity to try and make a difference in our consumption of fuel and the contributions to greenhouse gasses.

Why propane anyway?
With the help of the Clean Energy Coalition I discovered that liquid propane was a viable option for our fleet. We found that liquid propane is a low-carbon alternative fuel that produces significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than diesel and gasoline in our vehicle application.

• Propane auto gas exhaust creates 60 to 70 percent less smog-producing hydrocarbons than gasoline.
• Compared to gasoline, propane yields 12 percent less carbon dioxide, about 20 percent less nitrogen oxide, and as much as 60 percent less carbon monoxide (World Liquid Propane Gas Association, January 2003; California Energy Commission, January 2003).
• Propane auto gas cuts emissions of toxins and carcinogens, like benzene and toluene, by up to 96 percent when compared to gasoline (Southwest Research Institute).

With the help of Ferrell Gas, Jake Haas (our landlord), Pittsfield Township, and the DEQ we were also able to build a fueling station nearby. The first vehicle in our fleet was delivered in February 2012 and as of March 15th, we’ve had 3 new Ford Econoline trucks on the road running on liquid propane. We are excitedly looking forward to continuing to investigate alternative fuel vehicles as we have a chance to replace another vehicle this December. I’ll keep you posted.

Frank Carollo – co-managing partner, bread baker and propane truck promoter

The white all purpose flour we use for most of our breads and pastries has been on quite a journey since it was harvested: grown in the plains (Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas), it is milled in Minnesota by a company based out of Quincy, Massachusetts. We do not expect this to change overnight, but at the same time the questions that we have asked have led us to a couple of interesting realizations. Firstly, before cheap gas and interstate trucking and the railroad system, most flour used in America was sourced fairly locally. There were ways that enabled the farmer to get his wheat to the miller, who then milled it and got it to the baker. Those foodways have largely disappeared. With the growth of industrialized food production and processing, local mills have withered and most bakeries are using flour that has traveled thousands of miles. Our second realization is that if we want to re-establish some local foodways and use flour that is both grown and milled locally, we are going to have to rebuild those foodways ourselves.

For some of our pastries we use a Michigan grown and milled soft wheat pastry flour, which is proudly milled for us by Star of the West Milling Company, based out of Frankenmuth, MI. This flour is featured in our brownies and some of our pie crusts.

Additionally, for over a year now, we’ve had the great fortune of using some whole rye flour that is grown here in Michigan and milled for us just an hour’s drive from our bakery. This has made us feel like we’ve got our toe in the door of the local grain economy, and has also added a special element of flavor and local integrity to our rye breads. It has made us very eager to do more.

In the fall of 2011 we got in touch with an agent from MSU’s extension office to see what we could do. Phil Tocco, our contact, said he had been working with a couple farmers on growing hard wheat in Michigan, and had a small sample to work with. He had the wheat ground into flour at West Wind Milling and brought us the flours. We used the samples and made very fragrant, tasty, and beautiful loaves of bread! Excited by our experiment, we asked Phil what our next step might be. That has led us to contract a farmer to grow one acre of hard wheat for us. We have agreed to pay that farmer for growing that single acre of wheat, no matter what the outcome. The risk is real, but is more than offset by the opportunity that we have been given to participate in the process of hopefully building a more local food economy which would feature more and more local farmers choosing to grow wheat because they feel confident that we and other local bakeries will buy it and use it well and that the prices that we will pay are better than they could fetch on the bulk commodities market.

It is a small first step but we are extremely excited to be involved in this process! Nothing would make us happier than to be using more locally grown grains and baking breads and pastries that are more amazing and full-flavored because of the care and attention of the farmers, the millers, and our dedicated staff of talented bakers. We hope this is just the beginning of a path that will eventually impact hundreds of local lives and positively impact all of our customers. We’ll keep you all posted!

—Shelby Kibler, baker and BAKE! principal

Lángos didn’t start as a fried treat made in a public setting. It was originally a snack made at breakfast time on bread making day in traditional Hungarian homes. The bread dough was mixed, a fire was started in the wood fired oven and then small pieces of the proofing dough were baked near the flames. It was a morning treat, to sustain the bakers and probably their children, while the bread making process continued.  It’s been a long time since most Hungarian homes baked their own bread and as that tradition faded lángos evolved into a fried street food.

Every Tuesday at the Bakehouse, from 11:30am until 1:00pm, we’re going to have our own lángos “stand” of sorts. Initially we’ll be offering two choices: simply brushed with garlic or with the classic topping of sour cream and dill. Expect to eat lángos soon after it’s fried. Come on by the Bakeshop and try some today!

There is a famous “named” cake, which is a version of a Dios Torta. It is called an Esterhazy Torta. It has walnut cake layers (no orange), walnut rum butter cream and a poured fondant decoration on top, which looks like a traditional French Napoleon. It was created in the late 19th century just like the other famous coffeehouse desserts and was named after an Austrian Prince and diplomat Paul III Anton Prince Esterhazy.

Why didn’t we make Esterhazy Torta? Well we made it and tasted it and although we think it’s beautiful to our taste it was very sweet. So with all due respect for Prince Esterhazy we decided to pass on this particular version and to create our own.

Egészségedre! (Cheers!)

Amy Emberling- Co-owner, baker and cake lover

The renowned Hungarian chef József Dobos created this Hungarian treat. He was born in 1847 and is often said to have been one of the most influential chefs in Hungarian culinary history. In the later part of his career, Dobos opened a fine foods shop in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. It is during this period that he created the Dobos Torta. Selling it in Budapest wasn’t enough for this entrepreneurial chef. He even found a way to package the torta so that he could ship it to customers all over Europe! The torta was so popular that there was an entire pavilion devoted to making and selling it at the Millennium Exposition in 1896 (a celebration of Hungary’s 1000 years of economic and cultural development).  Since the cake was frequently copied but not always as well as Mr. Dobos would have liked, he generously donated the recipe to the Budapest Pastry and Honey- Bread Makers Guild in 1906. It then remained a Hungarian tradition.

It was the Hungarian restaurateur George Lang who called Hungary the land of 10 million pastry lovers. Proof of his description was demonstrated by the festival held to honor the 75th birthday of the Dobos Torta in 1962. For three days, the city of Budapest celebrated and honored the cake and its creator.

How could we resist making a version of this famous cake? This torta is an example of how delicious simple and classic flavor combinations can be. It has five thin layers of light vanilla cake with chocolate butter cream between the layers and on its exterior. Our version of the butter cream is a rich combination of Valrhona Satilla chocolate flavored with a little espresso. The torta has a very distinctive garnish. The top layer of cake is covered in caramel rather than icing and then is cut to use as garnish for each individual piece. It originally allowed the cake to stay fresher longer which was a problem in the late 19th century. Today most Dobos Torta are round, but in many of the older recipes it was actually rectangular so we chose to go with history and make it rectangular. The sides of the cake can be left plain or covered in a wide variety of nuts. We decided to use crunchy chocolate crumbs to keep the torta nut-free. Join us for a delicious taste of the past.

Amy Emberling, Bakehouse co-owner, baker and lover of cake

For many, choosing the cake is one of the first things on their to-do list. Calls are coming in to the Bakehouse daily inquiring about wedding cake consultation appointments. We specialize in totally custom, hand-made cakes that taste as good as they look! Whether you want an traditional white cake or a totally unexpected creation, we’ll help you dream up your one of a kind cake. We offer really cool groom’s cakes and tasty wedding favors too! We take care of every detail from our first meeting to taste cake samples to the moment it’s delivered to your reception.

Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what some of our brides had to say:

“We got comments from a dozen guests that our cake was the best they ever had.” -Lauren K.

“Thank you so much for making our wedding day even more lovely and delicious!” -Katy G.

“Everyone went out of their way to make sure we were happy. You worked with our ideas to design a beautiful cake that tasted excellent!” -Amber R.

“Taste is the most important factor for us when it comes to food. The cakes tasted amazing. It was also beautiful, the ordering process was a breeze and the service was top notch.” -Holly O.

If you’re in need of a great cake for any celebration, wedding planning season or not, give us a call!