A new online baking company is setting out to make gourmet baking at home a piece of cake.
Wild Rye Baking Co. offers a variety of cake, pancake, and frosting mixes to purchase online and have shipped directly to your doorstep as an easy way for people to bake at home while still yielding bakery-style results.
“I wanted to bring high-quality mixes to people who say they love to cook but can’t bake,” said owner and founder of Wild Rye Baking Co., Sarah Chisholm of Arcadia.
Chisholm, who moved to Arizona from Chicago in pursuit of her dream career as a professional ballerina, found herself turning to baking after suffering a stress fracture which put an end to her short time with Ballet Arizona.
“While facing an identity crisis, the joke was I needed to eat some butter and carbs,” said Chisholm. “I grew up in a household with a lot of baked goods. I’d always loved baking.”
It was then she decided to pursue her passion for baking on a professional level, starting from the bottom working as a pastry cook, eventually training under local Phoenix pastry chef, Katherine Dwight.
Chisholm later spent two months exploring the baking scene throughout Europe where she said she learned to appreciate and identify quality ingredients.
Upon her return to the United States, Chisholm worked as the lead pastry chef for St. Francis restaurant and the Phoenix Public Market Cafe, but said she still had a burning desire to reach more people through her love for baking.
That is when she dreamed up the idea of creating Wild Rye Baking Co. where she could bring quality recipes and ingredients directly into people’s homes.
“I wanted to get people baking at home the way they want to eat,” said Chisholm.
It took over two years for Chisholm to develop, test, and perfect the recipes. She also worked to create both gluten-free and plant-based options to appeal to all different dietary needs and preferences, paying special attention to the ingredients in each recipe.
“There are no ingredients you can’t name or read,” said Chisholm. “I give a lot of respect and love into these mixes. We’ve elevated the quality of any cake mix you could buy in the store today and it’s just easy.”
All mixes can be made with just a few simple added ingredients such as milk, eggs, and oil. Vegan adaptations are also provided such as using a banana instead of eggs or using a plant-based milk alternative.
Wild Rye offers a variety of cake flavors including pink velvet, chocolate, vanilla, and olive oil, and has unique frosting choices such as coconut matcha, chocolate sea salt, and peanut butter coffee.
Even though Wild Rye Baking Co. just officially launched on November 15, Chisholm has many ideas for the future of the company including offering live video sessions where she will give baking and decorating tips. Chisholm also said she plans to put together gift kits that will include a bundled set of cake and frosting mixes, candles, and a gold board to put the finished product on.
“My why behind this whole business is seeing it in people’s homes, on their tables, with their kids,” said Chisholm. “The whole point is to share it with people they love. I want to make baking easy so that it can be done more often and done together.”
For more information or to purchase products from Wild Rye Baking Co. visit wildryebaking.com
Christmas Morning Pancakes Made Easy
In addition, Wild Rye also sells almond flour pancake mixes, which Chosholm said have been a huge hit.
“They’re a fan-favorite,” said Chisholm. “Definitely the star so far.”
Wild Rye was kind enough to let me try these for myself and they were nothing short of amazing! With just a few added ingredients, these pancakes can be made quickly without sacrificing that delectable crispy, buttery, fluffy pancake texture.
I followed the instructions to make mine plant-based by using a ripened banana and some almond milk and they turned out great!
My husband and I added some sliced strawberries, powdered sugar, and whipped cream to the top, but we definitely didn’t need to. They were perfect on their own just dipped in some pure maple syrup.
These pancakes would make for an easy, yet gourmet, Christmas morning breakfast!
