Bread, cinnamon rolls, cookies, oh my! Cottleston Bread is a hometown favorite at the Brookings Farmers Market, specializing in four homemade varieties: sourdough, multigrain, whole grain, and milk bread.
If you have never heard of milk bread, you are not alone. It’s a sweet white bread with butter and milk powder added. This gives it more lightness and fluffiness. Are you hungry yet?
Along with creating these four delicious loaves, Cottleston Bread makes Italian flatbreads with toppings such as cheddar cheese, jalapenos, or ham. And if you have a sweet tooth you need to satisfy, it offers cinnamon sugar and apple toppings as well.
Not only does Cottleston bake bread, but it also makes muffins, scones, cookies, and hamburger buns. Cottleston products can be found in local coffee shops and at Brookings retailers such as Bozied’s and The Carrot Seed Kitchen Company.
But who is the owner and how did he get started? Cottleston Bread was formed in 2013 by Sam Hogstad, a passionate baker, who decided to take a leap of faith and start his own business. His wife, Kalley Besler, whom he met in culinary school, is also a partner and is instrumental in helping the business be the success it is today. They are no strangers to hard work, and creating high-quality breads and desserts takes momentum, drive, and determination, none of which they lack.
When the company began, they baked out of their two-bedroom apartment and sold items at the Brookings Farmers Market. They now bake at a larger restaurant in Brookings to help manage the inventory.
“We bake every other day,” Besler says. “Sam will get up at midnight on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, and on Saturday mornings. … Baking is a process and from the moment we begin mixing to final baking and coming out of the oven and packaging, it takes about four hours total.”
As for breads she loves to eat, Besler says she enjoys their multigrain bread the most, with a little bit of butter. Cottleston’s top two requested items are sourdough loaves and buns. They try their best not to waste any food they do not sell. So, they offer to donate any leftovers to churches or charity organizations.
If you haven’t had an opportunity to enjoy Cottleston Bread, you can purchase their goods at the Brookings Farmers Market every Saturday morning from May through October. They also accept orders at the booth and by email at cottlestonbread@gmail.com or by phone at 605-520-3718. You can follow their baking journey on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CottlestonBread.
