Since opening less than a month ago, Kneaded, the new bakery located at 1300 Sackett Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls, has been in the spotlight both because of the uplifting story of its owner’s rise to the role of entrepreneur from a tough childhood as well as the quality of its baked goods. Now that the doors are open, the Falls Free Press had a chance to sample a couple of the bakery’s signature items. All in all, the hype is legit. Here’s our take.
The first thing to know about Kneaded is that you have to make it in early if you want to make it in at all. Then again, that’s sort of Bakery 101. If you are able to get there while the doors are still open and there are pastries left to buy, the first thing you will notice is the lovely smell. Again, Bakery 101, but it bears repeating. The customer-facing space of the bakery is relatively sparse, but it is not without its tasty offerings. One shelf is stocked heavily with homemade jams and jellies that would pair perfectly with a slice of the many fresh-baked breads available to purchase, while a small case sits atop a counter filled with cinnamon rolls that blow those famous shopping mall cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.
The bready part of the rolls is light and flaky, and there is a slight crisp to the golden-brown exterior. Each bite boasts big cinnamon flavor to the point of near-spiciness, leaving the sweetness nicely subdued, but the glaze allows you to add more or less sweetness with each forkful. These aspects of the soon-to-be famous Kneaded cinnamon rolls create a balance of flavor that makes them super satisfying. Also, we paid less than $5.00 for a giant cinnamon roll along with a “pie pop,” so the prices make it easy to justify treating yourself.
Speaking of pie pops, there is something tongue-in-cheek about the very existence of such a creation. Cake pops, of course, have been all the rage lately, but they just don’t seem to be Kneaded’s style. Enter the pie pop. It’s exactly what you’re thinking—the rustic, homestyle bakery answer to the trendy cake pop. It’s literally a little pie on a stick. We were honestly expecting the sort of thick, syrupy filling that lurks inside the sugar-glazed pies available in gas stations (or, worse yet, cans), but we were pleasantly surprised by the fact that the filling was, like the cinnamon roll, not overly sweet, and balanced nicely. Instead, Kneaded’s owner and baker Kimberly Nader puts a few thin slices of lightly seasoned/sweetened apple on a flat piece of pie crust, puts another crust on top, crimps the whole thing shut, and even applies some dough cut-outs for decoration. The finished product is skewered, wrapped, and inserted into a display.
All in all, based on the couple of items we sampled, Kneaded is a great addition to Cuyahoga Falls. It does not directly compete with other bakeries in town because it has its own character and its offerings are really in their own category. The Falls now has a donut shop, upscale patisserie, cookie/bar/dessert-oriented bakery, Eastern European ethnic bakery, and Kneaded. With this welcome addition, the Falls has never tasted better.
Kneaded is located at 1300 Sackett Avenue and is open Wednesday-Saturday 6am-2pm, Sunday 7am-2pm. Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/kneadedbakeryOH/ or https://kneaded-breads-and-confections.ueniweb.com/.
