eating
raking in the dough Local bakers unite to fill barren stomachs during breakfast, or satisfy the craving for a late night donut. BY BRANDI GARVIN
When most of the community sleeps, there is one group whose work is just beginning. Under the veil of darkness, gangs work hard to make dough, figuratively and literally. Bakers work early hours so that customers will have fresh doughnuts, cakes and bread to start their day.
When walking into Munchers Bakery, 925 Iowa St., you will notice the display case full of fried and baked cakes, doughnuts and danishes. At 7 a.m., owner Mike Tennyson has been baking for six hours. He comes in at midnight and starts the batter for the doughnuts to have them ready for employee Tomasa Parker to fry when she arrives at 3 a.m.
"We have to have them ready for the 6 a.m. customers," Tennyson says. Though Munchers is open 24 hours a day, it has a wave of customers that starts at around 6 a.m.
An hour later, customers are still streaming in. They order a dozen mini cinnamon rolls, danishes, strawberry knots, and coffee, caffeinated or decaffeinated, to wash it down.
Corey Roelofs, one-year employee of Great Harvest, checks the temperature of the freshly baked bread to make sure it is ready.
Sean Smith/Kansan
"We like the rain," Sunday Martin says as she separates egg yolks from the egg whites. She says the rain and cold weather bring out more customers. She's been working for her dad, Tennyson, since a few months after he bought Munchers 14 years ago. Along with the rain, the churning of the industrial-sized mixer, and the cooking timers sounding, you can hear Parker at the front of the bakery greeting customers by name.
No bread is baked at Munchers. Doughnuts are half the business it receives, dealing mainly in sugar Tennyson says.
"The regular customers come back for the product and atmosphere," Tennyson says. The bakers make everything from doughnuts to carrot cakes from scratch They make all their own fillings excluding the fruit fillings.
Great Harvest bakery, 807 Vermont deals mainly in whole grains.
"We make very simple breads," Bob Garrett, owner, says. Most of the bakery's breads are vegan. Garrett just prefers simple breads. "We grind our wheat flour daily," Garrett says. "Everything is made from scratch."
Great Harvest produces 200 loaves of bread on an average day. "It's the best way to make it," Garrett says. He and his wife, Jo Ann, a KU alumnus, opened the bakery seven years ago.
Garrett starts his day at 4 a.m. and finishes baking around noon. Per week, Great Harvest bakes 30 different breads, mostly sandwich breads. Garrett says he bakes "cheesy, spicy" breads, fruit breads and "old-fashioned" sweets such as cinnamon rolls, but "nothing fancy." Around the holidays they bake special
4 jayplay
thursday, September 18, 2003