Little Red Hen Bakery

Review by: Jess Dawson

From baguettes and sourdough boules to rosemary rolls, Little Red Hen has a variety of breads always available. They also have daily specials, like the pecan cinnamon swirl on Sunday, spinach feta on Wednesday and chili cheddar on Saturday. In short: It’s easy to understand why this is the best breakfast in Salida, any day of the week. 

All of the pastries, all the time

One of my favorite things is the Sausage Savory Spiral, which isn’t really a spiral at all. It’s organic focaccia dough with roasted organic onions, peppers, spinach and sausage. It’s doughy and a little greasy, but a great variety of textures.

We also get the muffin of the day, which is Cherry Blackberry, and it’s sizable. There’s a faint brown sugar crumble on top. It has a hint of cinnamon, too, and huge chunks of dried cherries and fresh blackberries. 

The Whole Wheat Cinnamon Roll is warm and brilliantly made in its own small paper bowl. The bowl allows it to get really juicy, and even the edges taste like the middle of a regular bun. The whole wheat flavor is subtle, and the gooey cinnamon inside complements the cream cheese frosting. 

Based on a “secret recipe,” the Maple Bacon Cheddar is moist with a soft crumb. There are ribbons of white cheddar and bits of bacon, but it’s light on the maple. The crystalized sugar on top adds a nice sweetness. 

There are no bad options

I order the Sausage Bagel Breakfast Sandwich, but for some reason they couldn’t do it this morning, so instead they offer us two of their Signature Everything Bagels, which are slightly warm, and sliced. They also give us two small tubs of their cream cheese, which is creamy and simple. The cheese is so delicious on the bagels, which Little Red Hen makes with both white and rye flour, as well as barley malt. 

A well-baked effort

The bakery is named after the folktale, Little Red Hen, in which the hen did all the work herself. Here, however, it’s a shared effort that combines new ideations with generation-tested recipes. The flour is milled daily in house, and there’s a focus on organic ingredients, like grains from Mountain Mama Milling, butter from Sawatch artisan Foods and honey from The Beekeeper’s Honey Boutique (from Monte Vista, Colorado Springs and next door, respectively). They even sell their sourdough starter should visitors want to (try to) bake at home.

Owner Emily is famous for cinnamon buns and apple monkey bread (sadly only available Sunday, the day before we arrive), and can be found hiking on Salida’s local trails when she’s not at the bakery. Her husband, Andrew, owns 7,000 Feet Running company, just a few blocks away. 

In addition to the bread, we get some of the gluten-free Cherry Almond Granola to go, and it’s sticky in all the right places, made with organic oats, sliced almonds and organic sunflower seeds. For dessert (of course), we get the shortbread, which is buttery and salty. Also, a whole wheat brownie with dark chocolate and those crunchy edges that people either love or avoid. I’m the former.

What To Eat

Sausage Savory Spiral

DISH
Cherry Blackberry Daily Muffin

DISH
Whole Wheat Cinnamon Roll

DISH
Maple Bacon Cheddar scone

DISH
Signature Everything Bagels

DISH
Cherry Almond Granola

DISH
Shortbread and Brownie

DISH

Little Red Hen Bakery Recipes

Discuss

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