New bakery sweetens downtown eatery choices | Business

Slangin Dough Bakery is one of two new eateries at 523 Main St., which previously was the location of Botticelli Ristorante. The building is now owned by Scott and Shannon Brinker. The Brinkers operate Bashful Bison, the other foodie destination sharing space with Slangin Dough Bakery.

Slangin Dough Bakery opened March 1. Owners Pat and Cody Hayford are self-taught bakers who’ve created some of their own recipes and simply love making breads, pastries and desserts. Originally from the Black Hills, the Hayfords moved away and owned a bakery for four years in Colorado, Pat said, but decided to come home.

“We moved back here and the cards lined up” to open a bakery in Rapid City, he said. Pat is a certified aluminum welder who also owns Hayford Seamless Gutters in Rapid City.

Running a bakery means work days start at 3 a.m., but Pat said he welcomes the change of pace and the opportunity to turn his lifelong love of baking into a business.

“Baking is fun. It’s peace of mind. You don’t have to think about anything else. It’s nice to be able to provide good pastries to good people. It’s a lot of work,” Pat said, chuckling.

Slangin Dough Bakery specializes in the “big as your face” caramel rolls, cinnamon rolls and pecan rolls, plus other breakfast pastries and muffins, rye and sourdough bread, and some desserts. The Hayfords plan to add to their already growing menu, Pat said.

“We do danishes, turnovers, croissants,” Pat said. “We do a really good cinnamon roll bread pudding. … So far our cinnamon rolls and our bread pudding are a huge hit. The pudding is made out of the cinnamon rolls. That’s probably my favorite.”

Farmer’s basket, a savory pastry with ham, egg and cheese, is another specialty. Pat said the bakery wants to expand its savory breakfast items. Beyond its rye and sourdough breads sold by the loaf, Pat said the Hayfords also hope to add flavored breads that incorporate peppers, cheese and nuts.

“A lot of people buy our pastries throughout the day,” Pat said. “The rolls sell out and we end up having to make more throughout the day just to keep up. We appreciate the support so far. We can’t thank everybody enough.”

Slangin Dough Bakery’s rye and sourdough are used for sandwiches the Bashful Bison serves, and Pat said the bakery supplies bread for Nourish, the cafeteria at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital where Scott Brinker is the chef.

Cody Hayford bakes Slangin Dough Bakery’s desserts, including cookies, brownies and cheesecake. Wednesday is gluten-free day, Pat said, and the bakery’s options have included muffins, peanut butter blondies and blueberry crisp. The bakery will soon add espresso to complement its sweet and savory treats.

Shannon Brinker said in addition to the two eateries, she and Scott plan to turn the former large dining room at the back of 523 Main St. into a meeting room where groups can hold breakfast or lunch gatherings.

“So far, so good,” Pat said of the community’s response to Slangin Dough Bakery. “Saturdays have been great and even throughout the week we’ve had a really good turnout.”

Slangin Dough Bakery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For menu updates and information, follow them at m.facebook.com/slangindoughbakery/.