Trying to figure out which aspect of Weights + Measures is the most exciting is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. After all, the new Midtown opening has so much to offer: Love & Squalor, a cocktail bar from 13 Celsius's Mike Sammons that aims to rehabilitate reviled '70s cocktails like the Rusty Nail and the Pina Colada; a restaurant from chef Richard Kaplan built around pizza, shareable plates and house-cured meats; and Slow Dough Bake Shop, the first dedicated retail outlet from Slow Dough Bread Co.
In the video above, Wendell takes us through the process of making three styles of yeast-raised donuts: glazed, cinnamon twists and custard-filled bismarks.
With the bakery set to open January 24, the time has come to take a closer look at Slow Dough Bake Shop.
"We’ll definitely have the signature breads of Slow Dough," owner Heath Wendell tells CultureMap. "We’ll also create some signature breads for Weights + Measures. Then we’ll be having donuts, Danish, croissants, cookies, brownies — just about any kind of a morning or midday snack from a bakery that you can get."
That's right — Houston's premier supplier of artisan breads is joining places like Glazed, The Grove Do-nutz & Deli, Pena's Donut Heaven and the upcoming Hugs & Donuts in stepping up the Houston area's fried dough game. One thing that differentiates Slow Dough from the others is Wendell's status as a fifth-generation baker who grew up making donuts at his family's bakery.
"When I was on summer breaks, I would stay at my grandfather’s house, which was above the bakery in Chicago. Every morning we’d go downstairs at about 2:30 or 3 a.m. to make donuts," Wendell recalls. "I thought it was a blast. I’d get up on a milk carton and stand over the donut fryer and help him fry donuts."
In the video above, Wendell takes us through the process of making three styles of yeast-raised donuts: glazed, cinnamon twists and custard-filled bismarks. All of them will be hand cut and fried fresh every morning once W+M opens. Eventually, Slow Dough will add cake donuts to the mix, too. Stay with the clip long enough for his demonstration of how he amuses himself at the fryer while the donuts cooked.
"As a kid, it was a blast. As I got older, I hated it. Now, I love it again," Wendell says.
His joy in being able to serve these to people is infectious. After we wrapped up the filming, we took the donuts to the CultureMap office. Two dozen disappeared in an hour. These are can't-miss donuts.
Testing the product.
