Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy Tamayo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been interested in baking. My grandma, Adela Garza, was a home baker in Hallettsville and other surrounding small Texas towns starting in the 1930s. Baking was what I would like to call her ‘love language’. Everyone loved getting her baked goods as a gift or in support of something they were going through. They felt her love for them through her baking.
She had amazing recipes written on the back of index cards that her children had since discarded from past school assignments, filled with baker’s secrets of the right way to mix ingredients to produce the most amazing flavors and textures. When I was in my 20s, I was gifted a stack of those index cards and I dove right in; baking and experimenting – coming up with my own versions of her creations (and knowing when to leave well enough alone!).
Fast forward about ten years and a few pounds worth of experimentation firmly integrated with my waistline, I started thinking about the bread we buy at our local grocery stores and how the list of ingredients are long and have even longer names. While I understood that a longer shelf life at the store meant the addition of preservatives, I didn’t like the idea of those additives going into my daughter’s body on a daily basis. With a few months of experimenting with different recipes, I found on the internet, I settled on a blend of American and English type breads and dubbed my creation the English White. That was the first loaf bread I made for my daughter and that continues to be the staple bread in our house.
After a few months of that, I started toying with the idea of making sourdough. It is a dedicated science, creating your own true sourdough starter (natural yeast spores in the air that are caught and cultivated in flour and water) – since they have to be fed each day, sometimes twice a day. My sourdough starter is named Gary – I figured I named my natural yeast starter, I would take more effort and responsibility so he didn’t die. Gary proved to be just what I needed to take my baking obsession to another level. After about two weeks, I felt my starter was strong enough to bake with and I dove right in, again, finding a basic sourdough recipe on the internet and then finding my own specific recipe through trial and error. After a few weeks of testing, modifying, and giving bread to anyone that would take it, I found what worked best for me and Gary.
Over the next six months, I baked for everyone and anyone that would try it, using different flours and different consistencies (called hydrations). I now had a repertoire of bread types and flavors and gave them away as gifts and made them by request for family and friends.
In October of 2017, we missed going to the Houston Greek Festival and instead drove around the Magnolia, TX area and drove up to a little farmer’s market on Tamina Rd. just off of FM 1488. It was named Farmer’s Market on Tamina and after walking around and speaking to one of the owners, Jennifer Lobel, I realized I had found my baking home. Within a month, my husband Tony and I had our bakery’s name, Knead Me Bakery, and our own tent at the market.
In two years, we’ve expanded our menu quite a bit, including sourdough crackers, scones, french bread, and other types of seasonal baked items but our sourdough and loaf breads will always be our ‘bread and butter’. Customers who are hesitant to try sourdough because of the way it’s made at big box grocery stores are often surprised at how delicate and soft the inside of the bread loaf feels when they bite into it and the complex flavors of what natural yeast brings to the bread.
It’s been a crazy ride since that fateful Saturday, and we continue to be at the market on the odd weekends of the month. Our customer base grows with each market and we couldn’t be happier to share our breads and treats with them. We hope one day to have our own bakery nestled somewhere that’s easy for families to get to and from on their way home; to be part of their community.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Tony, my husband, and I both have full-time jobs in addition to Knead Me Bakery. He and I both works between 50-60 hours a week and they are up late the last few nights leading up to the market that weekend. Sometimes we’re not sure if we can keep it going but then when we sell out or when people come and say they came to the market just to get our bread, it makes it all worth it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Knead Me Bakery – what should we know?
We make true sourdough bread that’s made from a completely natural yeast – there is no commercial yeast – so it is far easier to digest this bread, as it has the lowest gluten content and wheat-based bread can have. Many people with gluten sensitivities, myself included, can regularly eat sourdough bread, so it’s a very rewarding feeling when someone who hasn’t had wheat-based bread in years is able to finally have it, and absolutely relish in the flavor. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment to hear that someone was able have a taste of what they’ve been missing.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Persistence and perseverance are qualities that are essential for a baker trying to make it in a field of high competition. You have to be persistent and relentless in continuing to evolve your product, company, and vision so you can continue to gain exposure and customers.
Contact Info:
- Address: 32907 Tamina Rd, Magnolia, Texas 77354, United States
- Website: www.kneadmebakery.com
- Phone: 346-334-5548
- Email: kristy@kneadmebakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knead.me.bakery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kneadmebakery/
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