Meet Lynsey & Melissa,
Asst. Manager/Baker and Baker of Bread Poets.
Located at 106 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND.
Open 7a-3p, Mon-Friday.
I had the chance to sit down with Lynsey & Melissa of Bread Poets and learn a little about the baking process that goes on behind the scenes. It’s awesome to hear from the people behind the delicious breads and sandwiches that we’ve enjoyed for years, and their passion for the process is remarkable.
I’m excited to see what seasonal breads they offer us this year. With almost a decade of experience each, it’s safe to say that anything they come up with will be delicious. Fingers crossed for the Harvest Moon bread making an appearance this fall, I need to try the grain with pumpkin seeds and dried apple pieces. That sounds incredible!
If you haven’t tried the Bread Poets products yet, stop by the bakery or look for their offerings in our grocery stores & select Cenex locations.
I hope you enjoy reading this interview.
—Phil, Phillip On Food
Lynsey Willer and Melissa Mosbrucker, Assistant Manager/Baker and Baker, stand in front of the ovens of Bread Poets in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota.
Phil— Hello, ladies! Thank you for sitting down with me. So, what do you do in your free time? What’s life like when you aren’t working?
Lynsey— Hang out with my husband and kids! I recently took up doing some yoga classes, too, and I still like baking a lot at home even though I do it all day at work. It’s one of my passions, I guess! We also do softball and other things in the summer.
Melissa— I have an 8 month old, so my life kind of revolves around my kid. I don’t really do a whole lot, just take care of her and the dogs. It’s a pretty normal, boring life right now. It’s hard being a new mom, I did it by myself for the first few months and it was very stressful. It’s very scary, but it’s very rewarding, too. She’s my whole world, I’d do anything for her!
Phil— Oh wow, a lot of family happenings around here! How long have both of you worked at Bread Poets?
Lynsey— 9 years. Prior to this, I worked in hospitality, and I just wasn’t happy with it. My husband saw the ad for the job opening, and he knew that I really loved baking and stuff. He showed the ad to me, and it just seemed like it was time to make the switch. I started out on the other side of the bakery, making sandwiches, and then progressed into everything I do now. I can pretty much do anything in the whole bakery.
Melissa— I‘ve worked here for about 8 years altogether, and I love it here. I’m grateful for Peter giving me the opportunity to be here and to do so much around the bakery. It means a lot to be entrusted with the ovens and the doughs. Those are big parts of the bakery and I’m proud to be a part of things.
The row of ovens at Bread Poets, in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota.
Phil— Lynsey, if someone were to walk into Bread Poets for the first time ever, what would you recommend they try?
Lynsey— Probably the Studebaker, on one of the grain breads we make. I personally like white bread, but I know a lot of people enjoy the grain breads so I often recommend those.
Phil— I’ve heard that many things at Bread Poets are made by hand. Can you clarify that a bit more, Melissa?
Melissa— Yes, a lot of things are made at the table right over there. We weigh out the dough, separate it into the different weights, and then we’ll run it through the machine to start the rolling process. We do all finishing by hand, so, rolling it out and pressing into a pan, or keeping whatever shape is needed.
We make Challah, our three-piece braided bread, which is an egg and butter based bread. It’s a pretty unique shape and people love it. We braid the three pieces, wash it with egg and put sesame seeds on it, and into the oven it goes. It’s pretty cool!
The Blueberry Lemonburst sweet bread at Bread Poets, in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota.
Phil— Wow, that sounds fantastic! Peter had mentioned that Bread Poets has removed high fructose corn syrup from your breads. What has that transition been like on the baking side of things?
Lynsey— Well, all the breads already had a mixture of honey and corn syrup in them. So, we just replaced the corn syrup by going straight honey, nothing else. I haven’t really noticed any changes in the bread.
The dough comes out the same, it bakes the same, and I feel that it tastes the same, so I haven’t noticed any difference in the way it performs.
Phil— That’s great to hear. What kinds of bread are made here? What’s your favorite?
Melissa— We make white and different grains, cinnamon logs and sweet breads. We do a different sweet bread every day which is awesome. We do pizza logs or cheese logs, too. We make cookies, too! Not a bread but we can’t forget those, they’re delicious.
Oh, and my favorite bread is probably the Harvest Moon. It has pumpkin seeds and dried apples. It is so good.
Lynsey— Oh, the Harvest Moon bread is delicious. I want to mention the strawberry rhubarb sweet bread, too. It is just wonderful!
The dough table at Bread Poets, in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota.
Phil— That sounds incredible. I hope it makes an appearance again soon! Thanks for sitting down with me, ladies, I appreciate your time.
Is there anything you’d like to say to the BisMan Eats community? The floor is yours!
Lynsey— Come give us a try! If you’ve never stopped by, remember that we do sell all of our products at the grocery stores. So, even if you can’t make it in here with our hours, you can still try our products from the stores.
And if you haven’t tried anything of ours, try a cinnamon log. That’s one of our number one sellers for a reason!
Melissa— Yes, all that. And thank you for supporting us; for giving us business and coming to see us. We do our best to make you feel welcome when you walk in the store!