It’s not every day you have a pastry named after you. And it is definitely not every day you have TWO pastries named after you. Unless you work at Zingerman’s Bakehouse.
Longtime baker, Patti Weaks, is one such baker, leaving her stamp on our line up. It makes sense. She has been working here for nearly two decades after all.
Patti has been instrumental in our team’s baking success, developing some new recipes and making sure we’re doing things right. It seemed fitting to honor her and use her namesake, like we have done with many others.
Let’s start at the beginning…
Back in September of 1997, Patti’s best friend was working at the Bakehouse, leading her to apply. According to Patti, “Best decision I ever made.” Definitely a great thing for us, as well. Now, 19 years later, both Patti and her son Jeremy work here at the Bakehouse. Patti will be the first to admit, “Baking does run in the family.”
Ok let’s get to the goods!!!! (you’re probably shouting at your computer screen right now). Raspberry Patti Pockets and Patti’s Gimme S’more Tart. Both delightfully unique.
The Patti Pocket, before it was called a Patti Pocket, was a recipe we taught at BAKE!, our hands-on baking school. One of our classes included making homemade toaster pastries. We loved them so much that in 2014, Patti and other bakers worked on perfecting the recipe on a larger scale so we could sell them around Ann Arbor. That testing included sampling a number of different filling flavors (tough job we know). Raspberry was the clear favorite. That’s how it works around here. We practice and we taste until we know we have something really special.
After working closely with Amy Emerling, Bakehouse co-owner, to ultimately perfect this recipe in our eyes, there still was one big surprise in store for Patti. We named this scrumptious hand-pie after her. “Amy is the one who came up with the name. I didn’t even know about it.” It needed a standout name. We just thought it sounded cute and more fun.
So, what exactly is a Patti Pocket? It truly is the ideal breakfast pastry, lunch dessert, mid-day snack, tea time partner… You get the idea. We start with a flaky butter pie dough, fill it with seedless raspberry preserves, bake it until it is a beautiful golden color and then drizzle a little raspberry glaze on top. The texture of the crust is delicate and tender, but the whole thing packs a wallop of flavor too. It’s a little messy, but that’s part of what makes it so good. Besides, that’s what napkins are for (right?)
The other pastry naming was a little less of a surprise. Patti’s Gimme S’more Tart actually started off as one of her own homemade desserts to pass at a staff holiday party. “One year I made them for a company Christmas party. I wanted to bring something different that we all didn’t bake every day. The idea just popped into my head.”
This creative and original and absolutely scrumptious idea quickly turned into a Bakehouse reality. It all starts with a graham cracker shell. But no store-bought graham cracker crumbs here- we’re using Bakehouse sweet spicy graham cracker dough. After it’s baked until mahogany brown, it is filled with a soft dark chocolate ganache. Then it’s crowned with toasted peaks of Italian meringue. Try it served slightly warm for the ultimate experience. Words to describe it: insanely good with intense flavor.
Where to find ‘em
Have a hankering for these treats? We understand why. Well, you’re in luck! The Patti Pockets are available each and every morning, at Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Roadshow, or Delicatessen. While they last, of course.
As for the Patti’s Gimme S’more Tarts… Well, those are a rare treat these days that we bring back for a weekend from time to time! Keep a lookout for the next time they will be making an appearance on our special bakes web page or sign up for our e-news!
Join us for our Baking Pies a Plenty Class or our Palmiers and Puff Pastry Class, too! Check out when we will be offering it next on our BAKE! calendar.
By Natasha Mason & Sara Whipple, Zingerman’s Bakehouse
