Creating something different in the baking industry

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

February 21, 2024

OSHKOSH — Rarely does one know at the tender age of 10, or even into their early teens, what they want to do when they grow up.

Not so for Breck Patrick.

This 21-year-old Oshkosh entrepreneur said he became enamored with baking when he was 10 years old.

By the time he was 13, Patrick said he started baking on his own.

Ironically, it was around this same time that the “Cake Boss” reality show was becoming popular on TV.

“When I was about 13, I told my grandma I wanted to take a cake decorating class, so she took me- all the ladies there started calling me ‘Cake Boss,'” he said. “That’s where I fell in love with baking and cake decorating.”

Around the same time, Patrick said his mom took him to a local bakery — Tamara’s the Cake Guru in Oshkosh, which sparked his interest even further.

“I fell in love with all of their designs, cupcakes, cookies and (everything else they made),” he said. “I told her I’d like to work there. So, when I was 16, I applied for a job and ended up working there for five years.”

Striking out on his own
In May 2023, Patrick graduated from Fox Valley Technical College with a degree in hospitality management and baking and pastry production.

Armed with a degree and five years of experience working with someone he considered to be “one of the best around,” Patrick said he left Tamara’s to start his own bakery business — Baked by Breck.

Breck Patrick

One of his first creations, he said, was sourdough bread.

“Around 2020, while I was still working for Tamara’s, I started playing around with sourdough bread recipes,” he said. “I would find videos on YouTube and Instagram and would play around with different blends of flour and different hydrations. I found this one blend of flour I liked and ran with that.”

Patrick said his first product was the Sourdough Country Loaf.

“That’s a staple in the business because that’s what most everybody orders,” he said. “And it’s my creation, so it’s the pride and joy of my business.”

Baked by Breck’s sourdough bread, Patrick said, is made with five different ancient grains, which results in a complex, yet simple loaf or baguette not found anywhere else.

Since that first loaf, he said he’s created different flavors of sourdough bread — with one of his favorites being the Brown Butter Caramelized Honey Oat Porridge Sourdough Bread.

So far, he said, it’s been popular with customers, too.

Half-pound cookies another business staple
Another popular item at Baked by Breck, Patrick said, is his half-pound cookies.

“So many bakeries over the years have come out with big, fat cookies, but a lot of people around Oshkosh haven’t seen big cookies like that,” he said. “So, I thought, ‘why not get into that, too?’ It’s a niche a lot of people get excited about.”

The first half-pound cookie he created, Patrick said, was a chocolate chip cookie — noting the key to the deliciousness of this fan-favorite is the vanilla and chocolate he uses.

In addition to sourdough, Baked by Breck also offers half-pound cookies. Submitted Photo

“For my half-pound chocolate chip cookie, I start with a good vanilla bean paste,” he said. “I think that’s what makes a good cookie because the vanilla is basically what gives it the flavor, as well as the chocolate, of course.”

To push it to the next level, Patrick said the entire cookie is topped with three different kinds of chocolate: milk chocolate, dark chocolate and sweet chocolate.

“Because they’re so big and rich, many people tell me they divide it into four portions and then have a little throughout the week,” he said.

Half-pound cookies and cream, Patrick said, is another popular cookie flavor, as is the triple chocolate.

Patrick said he offers a fourth flavor of cookie at different times throughout the year — which has included white chocolate peanut butter and white chocolate peppermint.

Sometimes, he said he plans out what the next flavor will be; other times it simply hits him on the spur of the moment.

“It might depend on the time of year, or what the customers might want, or even what I’m feeling at the time,” he said. “Also, customers will sometimes come up to me at a farmers market and ask about something in particular, so that could show up on the menu at some point, too.”

For holidays or special occasions, Patrick said he also offers decorated sugar cookies — most recently he not only offered Valentine’s Day cookies but also anti-Valentine’s Day cookies, with expressions on them, like “bite me” and “heart breaker.”

Patrick said about 60% of Baked by Breck’s customers buy sourdough bread, while about 40% buy the half-pound cookies.

And not surprisingly, he said, plenty of people buy both.

Breaking into the wedding market
Not one to rest on his young laurels, Patrick said he has recently launched Weddings by Breck — working on his first wedding last summer.

He said he has plans to break into this market and plans to start marketing this service as it gets closer to spring.

Wedding cakes, as well as half-pound and decorated cookies, Patrick said are among the tasty treats he can provide.

With that said, he said other than for weddings or special custom orders, he doesn’t plan on making cakes as a regular product line in his bakery — nor does he plan on making any cupcakes.

Breck Patrick said he launched Weddings by Breck last year and hopes to grow that business this wedding season. Submitted Photo

But if there is something specific someone wants to inquire about or an occasion for which they need something special done or want something with a specific theme in mind, Patrick said they should reach out.

Where can you buy Baked by Breck?
For now, Patrick said he makes all his creations at his production kitchen in Waukau just outside of Omro, however, he lives and does most of his business — at least for now — in Oshkosh.

During summer months, he said he can be found at the Oshkosh Farmers Market almost every Saturday — and is there at least one Saturday a month during the fall and winter months.

Patrick said he also delivers orders free of charge in the Oshkosh and Omro area every Friday for people who have placed online orders at his website (BakedByBreck.net).

Many of his customers, he said, find him through social media or word of mouth.

Future knows no bounds
Though Patrick doesn’t have a storefront yet, he said one is definitely on the horizon.

“When I do eventually open up my storefront, I want to have elements of the storefront include people in a story-type experience,” he said. “I want them to see the story inside the bakery. I want them to be able to smell it and to touch and feel it.”

Like all good chefs or bakers, Patrick said he loves to experiment with all aspects of his products and come up with new variations on his recipes or ones he may find elsewhere.

During summer months, Breck Patrick said he can be found at the Oshkosh Farmers Market almost every Saturday. Submitted Photo

He said he sums it up on his website, where it says: “Innovation is what we are all about. That’s why we spend time with our ingredients, thinking about how we can turn them into wholesome foods for you to enjoy. We believe in our ingredients and have passion for what we are creating.”

Besides continuing to hone the artistry in his baking, Patrick said he wants to create something different in the baking industry.

“You seldom see color schemes in the baking industry using black — the colors are mostly white and pink,” he said. “I want to create something different. So, moving forward, I want to create a unique bakery experience for people — kind of like a Disney World of bakeries. “I want to create a fun experience that involves all the customer’s senses and gives them something they can’t find anywhere else.”

Patrick said for him, the bottom line is this: “wherever I am located, I want my storefront and baked goods to create an overall wonderful and unique experience for people. So, stay tuned for what’s to come.”