While I was at West Pecan Coffee a few weeks ago, I had a cream cheese danish.
Not the most thrilling intro, but stick with me. I had a cream cheese danish and wanted to know more about it. When I asked where West Pecan Coffee got their pastries from, I was led down the rabbit hole that ended at Proverbial Dough Co.
Proverbial Dough Company was founded in 2016 under the Texas Cottage Food Law. This law means you can legally run a bakery out of your home kitchen. Pretty cool! It’s family-owned and operated by people who are truly immersed in their community, which I really love. Three of the owners are nurses and one is a counselor. They’re all self-taught bakers who originally discovered their love for pastries while traveling in Europe.
The bakery now operates out of a commercial kitchen in Pflugerville, selling their pastries to coffee shops like West Pecan Coffee and the new Coffee Rx in Round Rock. In the next few weeks, they plan on expanding their bakery to include online ordering for individuals (minimum requirements) and catering needs!
Ultimately, their goal is to one day own a storefront that will be a place for community within their city. That’s a theme I’m starting to notice with Pflugerville. The sense of community is very strong. There are many small, family-owned businesses operating day to day out of love for their craft. That’s a good reputation to be building for yourself, Pflugerville. Kudos.
Proverbial Dough Co. makes all of their pastries and bread from scratch, by hand, using high-quality ingredients. All of their laminated dough based pastries are made using a three-day process in which the dough undergoes extended cold fermentation. They found that allowing yeast to ferment longer allows for more complexity in the flavor profile of their pastries.
I sampled all four of their pastries: the sugar cinnamon roll, danish, croissant, and scone. I really enjoy scones and would say that was my favorite. It has a salt sprinkle on the top which really makes the flavors pop. Sugar cinnamon rolls are perfect for those mornings when you don’t feel like going full-on, sugar-loaded breakfast, but still want something sweet with your coffee. It’s more like a croissant that has been rolled in sugar. Their cream cheese danish is their most popular, overall. If you’re not into that morning sugar rush, you can stick with the traditional, flaky, buttery croissant. All of their pastries are best served after a few seconds in the microwave.
Proverbial Dough Co. also makes sourdough bread. Honestly, I liked the bread even more than the pastries! I’ve been cutting slices off with my serrated bread knife, toasting for a few seconds, then topped with butter and peanut butter. SO GOOD. I actually cut off half the loaf to give to my parents when I visited, and the thought did cross my mind – Do I really want to share this? Their sourdough bread is made from 100% wild yeast and is allowed to ferment for two days before being baked. Their sourdough starter is over a year old and continues to provide consistently high-quality levain.
If you’re in Pflugerville, or anywhere near Pflugerville, I’d highly recommend patronizing the growing number of community-based, family-run business in the area, of which Proverbial Dough Co. is one.
Thank you to owners Kellen & Lauren Nichols and Kristian & Morgan Nichols for sharing your pastries with me! I wish the best for your expansion and cannot wait until you have a storefront of your own.
