Above, the Honeycomb pain au chocolate from Wayward Baking
Fresh baked goods entice almost all of our senses from the taste to the aroma to the visual appeal. A new business has put sweet, savory and satisfying on the menu in Los Osos.
Wayward Baking, located at 1001 Santa Ynez, specializes in naturally leavened sourdough breads and laminated dough made from organic flour and seasonal ingredients. What that means for customers is scrumptious and beautifully designed handcrafted delights.
“It’s kind of a leap of faith right now in terms of opening a business during a pandemic,” owner Tim Veatch said, “but you know the community has really come out and supported me in a way that I couldn’t be more respectful of and happy about. It’s just making this entire process for me that much easier.”
Veatch is an energetic guy who has no problem carrying on a conversation, directing his staff, moving baked goods in and out of the oven between cutting and shaping dough for his lemon meringue cruffins (a cross between a croissant and muffin) with a precision that is mesmerizing to watch.
“There’s something magical to bakeries,” owner Veatch said. “I love bakeries, I always have. It’s a treat. I think that the way that we’re doing it here, you’re not only offered a treat, you’re also given the opportunity to have something really wholesome, that’s good for you. It’s going to feed your soul and make you healthy.
There’s nothing better in the world than sourdough bread for you. This is 100% naturally leavened bread with organic flour that’s grown in California.”
Due to the pandemic and the restrictions that come with it, for now items can only be pre-ordered online and picked up by customers.
“It’s not my favorite thing or nobody else’s favorite thing,” Veatch said. “It’s just the actuality of where we are with COVID, our social distancing precautions, and the space given. When we pre-order it gives us the opportunity to make sure that everybody gets what they want when they want.”
The lineup of flavor selections changes regularly, but the menu includes a variety of croissants, teacakes, scones, breads, muffins and salads. Pre-orders begin online around noon on Wednesday and must be paid in advance. Get your orders in early because they sell out fast — up to 100 loaves of bread and 50 croissants in a weekend is not unheard of.
Veatch and his two-man crew really amp up the work on Fridays to prepare for customers coming to pick up orders from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Mondays are all about the pizza. Four different, 13-15 inches pies are rotated on the menu with two vegetarian options always available. Recent selections were Margherita, Alle-Pia Fennel Sausage and Nettle, Hen of the Woods Mushroom and Green Garlic, and Pizza Carbonara with farm fresh eggs. They are made fresh every Monday and ready for pick up at times specific to each customer from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Veatch says that there is no such thing as a bestseller at Wayward because everything is seasonal and rotates.
“I put new stuff online, and oh man people jump all over it,” he said. “That’s kind of the fun part about what we’re doing here, there’s always going to be something new.”
He does recommend that people try the ordinary loaf of sourdough as well as the plain croissant to start
“I don’ think there is a better way to tell if someone knows what they are doing in terms of baking then trying the most plain versions of a product,” he said. “If you want to understand what we do here and why we do it, having a plain butter croissant and grabbing a loaf of our sourdough is really going to just tell the whole story. You are going to know the kind of quality, the kind of intricate processes and the attention to detail that we are using in the bakery across the board. You can dress up a lot of stuff, hide a lot of mistakes with flavorings and seasonings and in manipulation. When it comes to a plain croissant or a just an ordinary loaf of sourdough, there’s really nothing you can do to hide any of the flaws; they’re all going to be right out there in the open. It’s like going out without makeup on.”
Part of the reason for the name of the bakery is a tribute to the culinary journey Veatch was on before opening the new business.
“It’s been a hell of a ride,” he said. “It’s gone just kind of left to right, anywhere from the Bay Area off to Italy and as high up as Michelin star restaurants.”
Locally, he has been a cook at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay and his bread gained popularity at the now shuttered Baker and Brain winery in Los Osos.
Future plans are for customers to come in daily and choose from display cases with mouthwatering breakfast items, coffee and, what Veatch calls, waiver provisions for lunch in the front part of the working bakery while surrounded by the intoxicating aromas. Pizzas will still be available for an evening meal
“You’ll be able to show up on any given day and get consistent things that we always have like our ham and cheese croissant or our regular croissant,” Veatch said. “You are also going to be able to come in and see things that are brand new, completely seasonal things that, I’ve just gotten a hold of. Whatever my inspiration will be for the week, I’ll be able to put in the case.”
For more information or to place an order, go to waywardbaking.com. Inventory for the website is updated Wednesday mornings with specials updated throughout the week via Instagram.
