Fresh cookies of the day at Planted Bakery in Fort Worth. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Garza.

July 28, 2020

When I lived in France a few years ago, one of my favorite things to do was head down to the local boulangerie to buy a baguette to eat with my dinner each day. 

Since returning to Dallas-Fort Worth, it's been more challenging to find baked goods that tickle my palate, especially now that I am vegan. However, a Fort Worth couple wants to change that with their 100 percent plant-based bakery.

Planted Bakery breadFresh plant-based bread. Courtesy of Planted Bakery.

Stephanie and Mark Garza launched Planted Bakery in April in the middle of a quarantine. Contrary to what one might think, their first few months have been amazingly successful.  

“Business has been phenomenal,” said Stephanie Garza. “April was a risky time for everyone, but it was also the perfect way to open slowly and test our ideas with room to adjust as needed.” 

Garza said that after listening to customers, they changed up their hours and switched from focusing on breakfast to offering lunch and afternoon service. 

“Business has grown exponentially since then!” she said.

As the only privately-owned, full-service vegan bakery on the west side of the Metroplex, (There’s a vegan Cinnaholic franchise in Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Spiral Diner also features an in-house vegan bakery), Planted Bakery has found a following with health-conscious Cowtown residents as well as customers who make the drive from Dallas and surrounding cities.

Pizza cruffin at Planted BakeryPizza Cruffin. Courtesy of Planted Bakery.

It’s no wonder. One taste of their pizza and bacon “cruffin” (the perfect marriage of a croissant and muffin) and I was hooked! These gastronomic delights come in several flavors including sausage cruffins, butter cruffins, cinnamon roll cruffins, jalapeno and cheddar cruffins and even bacon cruffins. I was in Vegan Heaven.

Other popular savory items include pepperoni rolls and daily sandwich and salad offerings plus my must-have baguette. 

On the sweet side, their massive, melt-in-your-mouth chubby chocolate chip cookies are only bested by a yummy carrot cake topped with sweet buttercream frosting plus delicious chocolate donuts. They also offer several different kinds of cakes including an 8-inch german chocolate double layer cake – and of course cupcakes in a variety of flavors such as red velvet and coconut, just to name a few.

Stephanie and Mark GarzaStephanie and Mark Garza opened the venue in April. Photo by Andrew Ridout.

Stephanie and Mark have been vegan for nearly three years and although they said it was a gradual process, they ultimately took the plant-based plunge as a pledge to their children. They shared a bit of their journey with Green Source DFW: 

“Our final straw to completely give up animal products was Dr. Michael Greger's book, How Not To Die. With every chapter, we could not unlearn the risks involved in continuing to consume animal products, even in small quantities. We took our kids to the Grand Canyon for a week-long vacation and decided that was our starting point. If we could do it on summer vacation, we could do it forever. And we have been vegan ever since.”

One of the couple’s favorite aspects of the bakery is being able to serve their community. 

“Our neighborhood has been the most rewarding for us, though. We serve people from all over our little Wedgwood community who thank us for helping to improve our part of town. 

vegan carrot cake at Planted BakeryThe bakery offers a variety of vegan cupcakes and cakes. Courtesy of the Planted Bakery.

She said their customers include people out on errands in the neighborhood, picking up treats for work or home as well as those trying to convert to veganism. They also provide options for folks who are lactose intolerant. 

“We serve parents who get teary-eyed as they bring in their dairy-free children who get to pick out anything they want without worry.” 

Recently, they began offering whole food, plant-based meals as a meal-prepping service.

Vegan cookies at Planted BakeryAn assortment of plant-based cookies. Courtesy of Planted Bakery.

"I post a three-choice menu on Tuesdays. Customers can order via Venmo and pick up their orders on Monday for the following week. That is something we advertise as oil and refined sugar-free."

What the Garzas have achieved with their bakery is truly amazing and having tasted most of their products, I can say they have hit on something very special. 

“We are blessed, and we look forward to a long baker's life of serving Fort Worth and our DFW neighbors,” says Stephanie.

Planted Bakery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are also now offering online ordering and curb-side pickup. Customers can also drop by 5400 Woodway Dr., Suite #120, just off of I-20 at the Trail Lake Drive exit in Fort Worth. 

 

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