Indulging your sweet tooth with pure organic goodness might seem too good to be true, but one Eastern Michigan University alumni has made that a delicious possibility.
For Emily Jenkins, owner of Tanglewood Bakery in Plymouth, Michigan, happiness is homemade. Established in 2011 as a market-based bakery, Tanglewood is dedicated to creating baked goods made from high quality, organic-farm grown ingredients.
Jenkins organically grows her own fruit including gooseberries, pears and apples as well as raising chickens and ducks to produce fresh organic eggs. The high quality milk, cream and butter are from Calder Dairy & Farm in Carleton, Michigan.
Each season, specific fruits are incorporated. Vegetables such as squashes and pumpkins are used for autumn and spring. Berries, pears and apples are used for spring and summer. For Valentine’s Day, she created heart-shaped and pink themed sweets using strawberries, raspberries and pink peppers, a spiced berry.
Binding her ingredients together is their flour. Tanglewood’s primary flour is whole wheat flour, because it contains more protein than others. The wheat for the flour is grown on a historical Illinois farm and ground in a DeZwaan mill.
Without the use of artificial flavors or corn syrup found in many store bought treats, the use of whole wheat flour gives it a unique flavor.
“The subtle spicing and flavoring is something you don’t get in store bought,” she said. “When you eat something that doesn’t have corn syrup, you’re so much aware of the other flavors.”
Her method of creating recipes is using unique taste combinations. Some of those combinations include stewed strawberries with black pepper and grapefruit snap cookies.
Instead of focusing on traditional baked goods, Tanglewood specializes in bite-sized “petite” baked goods. Jenkins’ selection of signature petite baked goods consists of miniature tartlets, cookies, cupcakes and marshmallows, which are all artistically decorated.
She also sells a selection of miniature layer cakes and buttercream whoopie pies, which are big sellers among customers.
“Our culture is so much about eating more and I feel like we need to get away from that. I started making small things so that you can be satisfied after,” she said.
Some of the other deserts that Jenkins produces include nutmeg maple cookies, chocolate tart with a raspberry glaze and chocolate heart garnish.
For St. Patrick’s Day, she’ll introduce a traditional Irish dessert called “soda farl,” which is a sweet breakfast bread.
Jenkins bakes with the techniques she learned from her cousin, an assistant pastry chef. Her advice for anyone with an interest to bake or improve their craft is to experiment.
“If people just tried and tried a whole bunch of different recipes, you will find that there are recipes that you’re good at. And that you could recreate and that could expand on your own,” she said.
If you’re interested in placing an order, contact Jenkins at TanglewoodBakery.com or TanglewoodBakery@gmail.com
