My daily bread...
Welcome to the final week of June at RISE Bakehouse!
We've had a wonderful wave of new faces discovering the bakery lately, and if you're one of them, we're so glad you're here. RISE is a small scratch bakery and coffee house tucked into the Capstone area of Red Deer, where everything is made in-house, from our sourdough bread and soups to our salads, pizzas, cheesecakes, and pastries.
As we head into the last week of June, there's a lot happening. Soup on Wednesday, Cinnamon Bun Friday, Cheesecake Friday, Pizza Friday, patio season is in full swing, and we're getting ready for a short summer break. We will be open our regular hours, Monday through Friday from 7am to 2pm, through Friday, June 26. Then we'll be taking a much-needed week to recharge before returning on Monday, July 6.
A quick reminder for those who are new to RISE: if there's something you don't want to miss, pre-orders are always your best friend. Simply stop by the bakery and place your order at the till. Everything is prepaid and put aside with your name on it, guaranteeing that your favorites will be waiting for you when you arrive.
A Little Patio Party Before We Go!
Once the last loaf of bread comes out of the oven, the final pizzas are served, and the espresso machine is turned off on Friday, June 26, the RISE team will be heading over to the Taco Loft Ross Street patio for a little team-building celebration before we take our summer break and we'd love for you to join us.
One of the things I love most about RISE is the community that has grown around this little bakehouse. We get to chat with many of you for a few minutes at a time while pouring coffee, slicing cheesecake, and bagging up bread, but we rarely get the chance to actually sit down and visit. This is our opportunity to do exactly that.
So from 3:30β5pm, we'll be gathering on the patio for margaritas, nachos, salsa, and plenty of laughs, and I'm picking up the tab as a small thank you for all the support you've shown us over the past years. Whether you've been with us since day one or you've just recently discovered RISE, we'd love to raise a glass with you and celebrate another wonderful season together.
There are no tickets, no reservations, and no guest list. Just drop by, grab a drink, have a snack, and stay for five minutes or an hour. We'd simply love the chance to spend a little time with the people who make this place so special.π
Mornings at Rise start early...β
βWhile most of Red Deer is still hitting the snooze button, the lights are already on at Rise.
I'm there early, getting the ovens fired up and pulling the morning bread bake together while the bakery is still quiet. Before long, the team starts rolling in, the espresso machine comes to life, and the day begins to find its rhythm.
By 7am, the doors are open, the coffee is flowing, and the bakery is buzzing. Lattes, cappuccinos, iced coffees, cold brew, tea, house-made chai, golden milk lattes, and, now that patio season has arrived, our Italian sodas are all ready to go.
If the weather cooperates, you'll find the patio set up and waiting. If the rain decides to make an appearance, we'll simply pull the tables back inside and make room. Around here, we've become pretty good at adapting to whatever Mother Nature has planned.
The pastry case will be filled with fresh-baked treats, and the Rise & Shine muffins are often just coming out of the oven as the first customers arrive. For something a little lighter, you'll find yogurt parfaits layered with berries and house-made granola waiting in the cooler.
And then there's one of the simplest breakfasts around - a thick slice of toasted sourdough, slathered with Rockridge cultured butter and house-made jam. Add a fresh cup of Birdy Coffee, and you've got a pretty great way to start your day.π
BLTs continue to be one of the most popular items on our menu, and lately we've been increasing our focaccia production just to keep up with demand! Made on our house sourdough focaccia and loaded with bacon, lettuce, tomato, dill havarti, and a fried egg.
Not every kitchen job comes with a London Fog, but this one does.
Caught in the act of dipping our Mocha Trail Bars in chocolate while enjoying a well-earned tea break, this might just be one of the better assignments at RISE. If you haven't tried one of these chocolate-dipped beauties yet, they're gluten-free and packed with oats, nuts, seeds, and plenty of chocolate. They've become a favourite grab-and-go snack for busy mornings, afternoon coffee breaks, and everything in between.
While all of that is happening out front, the kitchen is already in full prep mode behind the scenes. Weekends are spent restocking ingredients, planning menus, and getting ready for another busy week because, quite honestly, you wonderful people have a habit of buying us out by Friday.
Monday is when it all begins again. The music goes on, the cutting boards come out, and another week at Rise gets underway.
First up this week will be the wraps. Weβre kicking things off with both Grilled Chicken and Roast Ham Veggie Wraps this week.
Salad Bowl of the Week
βThis week's salad bowl is another one of our hearty, gluten-free favorites. We start with tri-color quinoa, quinoa pasta, and French black lentils, then load it up with all the fresh vegetables we can get our hands on, including crisp broccoli florets and plenty of colorful summer crunch. A handful of dried cranberries adds just the right touch of sweetness.
Everything is tossed in our house lemon Dijon vinaigrette, made with purΓ©ed mango. The mango doesn't really stand out as a flavor, but it adds a wonderful texture and richness that has quickly become one of our favorite tricks in the kitchen.
As always, we finish things off with fresh radish microgreens from Balmoral Microgreens and edible pansies picked from the planters on the RISE patio.
You'll also notice a smaller side-salad version making more appearances lately. The response has been fantastic! Whether you're looking for a full-sized salad as a meal on its own or a smaller side to pair with a wrap, soup, or sandwich, we're happy to give you a few more options.
Sourdough line-up...
Monday - no sourdough loaves
βTuesday - SuperSeed Multigrain Loaves and Red Fife Country Loaves
βWednesday - The Classic Brown Loaf and 100% Whole Grain Organic Loaf
βThursday - Light Rye Loaves and Hokkaido Sourdough Milk Buns
βFriday - Red Fife Country Loaves and Sourdough Cinnamon Buns
Wednesday is Soup Day
βBy popular demand, Soup Wednesday brings back Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup.
βInspired by the flavors of Tom Kha Gai, this week's soup starts with a rich house-made chicken broth infused with ginger, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, and a squeeze of fresh lime. A touch of coconut milk and diced tomatoes gives the broth a silky texture while still keeping it light and wonderfully comforting.
We're loading it up with chicken, shimeji mushrooms, Swiss chard, celery, corn, and plenty of vegetables, then finishing it with the thick glass noodles that I've become completely obsessed with lately. They have all the comfort of a traditional chicken noodle soup while keeping the entire bowl gluten-free and dairy-free.
Fragrant, nourishing, and packed with flavor, this is exactly the kind of soup I could happily eat all week long.
We start ladling at 11am!π
Friday is shaping up to be a bit of a Fiesta Friday at RISE!
With the bakery closing for a short summer break and the RISE crew heading over to the Taco Loft patio after work, we figured we might as well start the celebration first thing in the morning. Expect a little Mexican-inspired fun coming out of the kitchen all day long, including this week's TGIF Pizza and Cheesecake Friday feature.
TGIF Pizza will be a Taco Bowl Pizza, starting with our sourdough crust loaded with seasoned ground beef and plenty of cheese. Once it comes out of the oven, we'll pile it high with all the taco bowl favorites: crisp lettuce, sharp cheddar, onions, crunchy nacho chips, and, of course, a generous drizzle of garlic aioli.
And because no celebration is complete without dessert, Cheesecake Friday will feature a Mango Passion Fruit Cheesecake with a bright hint of lime. Tropical, creamy, and sunshine-filled, it feels like the perfect way to kick off a week of summer holidays.
If we're heading to a patio after work, it only seems right that the kitchen gets the party started a little early.
And because it's the last Friday of the month, that can only mean one thing: Cinnamon Bun Friday!
Just once a month, our sourdough milk buns get transformed into what many of you consider a very good reason to set an alarm clock. Soft, rich, and full of toasted pecans, they're baked until golden and then, while still warm from the oven, drenched in our house-made cinnamon caramel sauce. Every swirl and every little crevice soaks up that buttery goodness before being topped with a generous layer of cream cheese icing.
They're messy, decadent, and absolutely worth every napkin.
If you've been waiting for Cinnamon Bun Friday to roll around again, this is your week. And if you've never tried one before, fair warning: once a month may not feel nearly often enough.
Before I sign off for the week, you'll notice a beautiful collection of baskets and locally made linen shopping bags that have recently found their way into the bakery. Whether you're headed to the farmers' market, packing a picnic, gathering fresh vegetables from the garden, or simply trying to reduce your reliance on plastic bags, they're both practical and beautiful. I've always believed that everyday things should be useful and lovely, and these certainly fit the bill.
And finally, a little behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of my favorite parts of Fridays.
Raiden and I headed out on a little field trip last week as we are planning something special for Open Farm Days in August. My little sidekick joined me for a meeting/adventure with some very curious chickens. It turns out he likes chickens almost as much as G-ma does.
We're still putting all the pieces together, but Open Farm Days is shaping up to be something pretty special this year, and I can't wait to share more details with you soon.
Until then, I hope you find a little time this week to enjoy the sunshine, gather around a table with family and friends, and make the most of these summer days that seem to fly by far too quickly. I have ordered a beautiful big blue Alberta sky for our patio gathering on Friday afternoon!π
Thank you, as always, for supporting this little bakehouse, for filling the patio, for sharing a coffee with us, and for making RISE such a special place to come to work each day.
Have a wonderful couple of weeks and I'll be back here on Sunday, July 5th with all the news from the Rise Kitchen.π
β