Missouri Baking Company Takeaway. Ok Italian Baking In The Hill. Surprisingly good white mountain bread ($5) they call sourdough. It was frozen but thawed deliciously. Cannoli ($5) was a miss for me. Cookies ($1.25 - $2.5) were ok. Everything looked better than it tasted, except the bread. Long time St. Louisans told me to check it out. I'd have to order radically different things as the Hill continues to unimpress.
Odd hours, so make sure you check before you head out. Cash only, but they have an ATM equivalent inside.
Service was fast and friendly via a ticket system.
Parking on the street is easy enough.
Missouri Baking Company Experience Summary
I've been searching for a good bakery in the area closer than Nathaniel Reid.
And I keep hitting roadblock after roadblock.
Missouri Baking Company was the next on the list based on two recs from long-time St. Louisans. They said it was good, at least when they were kids.
Unfortunately, my cannoli quest continues. The Missouri Baking Company didn't hit the mark for my favorite. Wei Hong Bakery remains my close by favorite for the time being.
Not that I'm complaining. I love that place.
Back to the Missouri Baking Co. I went hoping to love the cannolis. My wife brought one back from Mike's Bakery in Boston that was better, even at one day old, than anything I had before. I wanted to love this cannoli.
But I didn't.
The sleeper hit was the "sourdough" bread they had on a shelf. The last remaining loaf was a buy for my wife, who wanted bread at work, and Union Loafers had already sold out for the day. When I went to taste it in the car, it was frozen. Like, rock hard.
Odd.
But after it thawed later that night, it turned out to be my favorite white bread since I was a kid. It had no discernible sourdough flavor or texture.
The hours and customs at the Baking Co are also quite odd. You have to check when it's open before you head over because you never know with these crazy St. Louis hours. And then it's cash only, so bring a credit card or you'll have to pay the ATM fee.
The Food At Missouri Baking Company
We got four things from our visit to the Missouri Baking Company:
I wanted to love the cannoli, but it broke off our love affair quickly and quietly. The filling wasn't creamy enough and didn't hit the right sweet spots. The pastry was crunchy but didn't add enough flavor. I'd take chocolate chips over cherries, but they didn't have any.
Not a match made in heaven.
Luckily, the "sourdough" bread saved the day. And to be clear, when they say "sourdough," they mean white bread. At least, I didn't taste any sour.
After it thawed, which I'll come back to, it was delicious. Tender in the middle like a fluffy, spongy, yummy cloud, the crust had a nice bite to it without being chewy. Where I grew up, my local bakery in Mendham, NJ, called it "white mountain bread" based on the look. Best version of "white mountain" bread that I've had since I was twelve.
But, like I said, it was sitting on the shelf frozen. I went to taste it when I got back to my car, but it was rockhard. I was planning on bringing it to my wife for lunch, but you couldn't eat it yet. It took until that night to thaw at room temperature. Not sure what that was about. Maybe they had it shipped in or cooked earlier?
Whatever the reason, it tasted great and was cheap at $5.
Rounding out the visit were a couple of cookies my son chose. One was a rainbow sugar cookie shaped like Italy. The others were black-and-white cookies.
The Italy boot was better than the forgettable black-and-whites but very much a kid cookie. It was very sweet with frosting and sprinkles, but the underlying sugar cookie was tasty.
I'd go back for a sourdough and another tasting of the cream puffs and gooey butter cake. It could be that we missed on ordering because everything looked way better than it tasted.
Missouri Baking Company Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
The Missouri Baking Company is a very St. Louis restaurant. They combine funky hours with being cash-only. It's closed on Sunday and Monday and then open from 8 am to 4 pm on other days. So, if you're looking for a weekend snack, make sure it's Saturday morning, not Sunday morning. And don't count on it post-dinner.
It's also cash only, but they can get money off a debit card. They charge your debit card via a credit card reader and give you cash back. The fees are a few bucks, and even my platinum bank membership at BoA wouldn't refund them.
So add a couple of extra bucks to the order if you forget to bring cash.
The service was great. When I walked in, I grabbed a deli ticket from the dispenser, and our number showed up on the board in a couple of minutes. The young man behind the counter took our order with no problem and was patient with my son.
Seems like a great family-run place in that regard.
Overall, the MO Baking Co fits into my larger view of The Hill. I continue to be relatively unimpressive, given everything here. My favorite restaurant in the Italian part of town continues to be Sado sushi.
Parking At Missouri Baking Company
Parking is easy enough on the street in The Hill. For the funky hours, the bakery is open. Parking shouldn't be a problem. In my passings, there's usually a spot within a block or two of the bakery.
Missouri Baking Company Receipt
