Keeping it Simple & Fresh

edible Door archive from 2021 refreshed for the 2024 launch of edibleNEW premiere

The MacReady Artisan Bread Company, LLC in Egg Harbor has filled a niche in Door County for fresh and fiber-rich food.

When the family-owned bakery opened ten years ago, Jenny and Michael MacReady made a decision: keep it simple, keep it fresh, and if you’re going to make it, do it well.

“Our recipes attempt five ingredients or less,” Jenny said. “We incorporate local products and produce whenever possible, and we’ve learned that a good product sells itself.”

The artisan process of baking doesn’t allow for shortcuts. Each batch of bread is mixed, rolled and kneaded like grandma used to make it. All the recipes are their own, and although not intended to be secret, they are also not written down. True to the bakery’s artisan name, each batch of bread is hand crafted daily using specific grains and milling processes that are not measured by cups, but rather the experience of a baking team who utilize their senses of sight, smell and feel to ensure the best products possible.

“All our recipes have developed over time,” Michael said. “Flour and grains can change up to thirty percent on any given day. We might adjust for moisture, texture or oven temperature based on the day.”

The couple eats and breathes their whole grain, fiber-rich bread. Open Thursday through Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., baking begins at 3:00 a.m.. The MacReadys buy local grains grown and milled by Meuer Farm in Chilton. Grains are provided whole, cracked or ground to specific modifications for each bread type. A variety of different whole grains, including wheat, oat, barley, flax, and sunflower seeds, are incorporated into different MacReady signature breads. Best sellers include their Cherry Cranberry Bread; the multi-grain Happy Hippy Bread with oats, quinoa, flax, wheat, rye, barley and sunflower seeds; and the Sunflower Flaxseed Bread, comprised of ground flaxseed, whole wheat, toasted flax and sunflower seed.

The couple’s passion for baking bread began as a weekend hobby of breadmaking in Port Huron, Michigan. Michael was working as a professional chef and Jenny as an attorney helping families who faced domestic abuse and homelessness. The two would craft small batches of bread and sell at local farmer markets. It was fun. They said they earned a bit of extra money and it was something they loved to create together.

“All our recipes have developed over time. Flour and grains can change up to thirty percent on any given day. We might adjust for moisture, texture or oven temperature based on the day. – Michael MacReady 

When Jenny’s father fell ill, it was most important to be close to family. The couple decided to move to Door County where four generations of her family have had a summer home on Lost Lake and where Jenny’s mother now resides. She and Michael explored the whole county but kept coming back to the Egg Harbor area, hoping to locate a place for their business and home.

Initially, MacReady’s Artisan Bread Company just sold bread. Today, the bakery and café serves breakfast favorites like homemade strata and quiche. A lunch menu includes the popular cranberry chicken salad or egg salad sandwiches; and an Italian, ham, turkey, tuna or veggie sandwich on the customer’s choice of bread. All can be accompanied by a bowl of homemade soup or the MacReady House Salad.

Bakery items were also expanded over time to include customer favorites like scones, cinnamon rolls, and Jenny’s very best chocolate chip cookies.

“It took me five years to create the perfect cookie,” Jenny shared as she remarked on the many samples she was inspired to taste test along the way. “I like sweets, and so do many of our customers.”

Everything is made daily, as much as they physically can. More than 50 pounds of cranberry chicken salad is made every day and almost always sells out, along with pot pies and homemade soups available to eat in or carry out. Pre-orders are encouraged for special gatherings or for items on their catering menu.

“We absolutely love the idea that people sit down to a family dinner, and we are part of their meal,” she added. “We want it to be special.”

Family and friends have helped to support their success. Jenny’s mom, Sue Schultz, is a retired teacher and is a familiar face at the bakery and café along with her cousin, Jim, a retired nuclear engineer and friend, Sue, also a retired elementary teacher. In total, the business employs four full-time and three part-time staff.

“I feel extremely blessed to be able to work with my mom,” Jenny said. “We have an incredible staff, and without them we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

Working together doing what they love has resulted in a perfect balance of life. When not working, Michael and Jenny spend time with family, friends and gardening on a small organic farm where they live on Sunny Slope Road with their two dogs, Poppy and Sunny. The MacReady’s destination bakery and eatery is located in the heart of village at 7836 Highway 42 with indoor or outdoor seating around a welcoming gazebo that features live entertainment (weather permitting) over the lunch hour every Thursday through Sunday through the fall season.

It’s a happy place to come, according to Michael and Jenny. Celebrating ten years in business, their customers must think so too.