What began as a weekend passion project has grown into a permanent storefront for Dough Baby, according to Culturemap San Antonio.
The bakery, known for its popular kolaches and cinnamon rolls at the Pearl Farmers Market, has officially soft-opened at 4219 McCullough Ave. ahead of its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in July.
Owner Nancy Fitch told What Now San Antonio that Dough Baby’s journey has been years in the making, building on decades of restaurant experience before launching the business in 2024.
“I’m the owner, and I come from a background of working at a lot of restaurants,” Fitch said. “I owned the Peach Café in Boerne for 15 years, and then I ran the Pearl Farmers Market for about eight years. After leaving Pearl, I decided to experiment with making kolaches and cinnamon rolls at the market, and now we have both a brick-and-mortar location and the farmers market.”
The concept quickly found an audience after launching at the Pearl Farmers Market.
“I couldn’t make enough,” Fitch recalled. “We sold out every day. We started with small mixers because I didn’t want to invest too much if it didn’t work, but it just kept growing.”
According to Fitch, Dough Baby’s success has been driven by a commitment to quality ingredients and locally sourced products whenever possible.
“I use organic eggs, organic milk, Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur flour, Texas-made sausage from Fredericksburg, and local mushrooms and produce whenever I can,” she said. “People tell me they don’t feel bad after eating our food, even though it’s bread and cheese, because the ingredients are so good.”
Customers at the Pearl Farmers Market have become accustomed to arriving early, with many lining up before the stand opens to secure their favourite flavours before they sell out.
“We have about nine different flavours, and one changes every month,” Fitch said. “Some specials become so popular that customers won’t let us take them off the menu.”
While the farmers market stand focuses primarily on kolaches and cinnamon rolls, the new bakery allows Dough Baby to significantly expand its offerings.
“We’ve added quiche, cakes, cookies, zucchini bread, coffee, tea and iced coffee,” Fitch said. “As we get more comfortable in the space, we’ll continue adding seasonal items like pies during Thanksgiving and special treats for Christmas.”
The bakery’s signature savoury kolaches continue to evolve beyond traditional fillings.
“We started with sausage and cheese, then ham and brie,” she said. “After that, I started thinking about all the sandwiches I love. We now have flavours inspired by Cubanos, Italian muffalettas, Reubens and even meatball subs.”
Finding the right location was equally important.
“We wanted a neighbourhood spot, and we live just four blocks away,” Fitch explained. “It has great curb appeal, lots of natural light, parking, and people can walk or bike here. It just felt right.”
Although the bakery represents a major milestone, Dough Baby isn’t leaving the Pearl Farmers Market behind.
“We’re committed to that market,” Fitch said. “We love being part of that community, so we’ll continue selling kolaches and cinnamon rolls there every weekend.”
Fitch said her goal is for the bakery to become a neighbourhood gathering place where customers feel at home.
“I hope people feel a connection to us,” she said. “I want it to feel like a neighbourhood place where people are comfortable, love what they’re eating, and make us part of their routine.”
Looking ahead, Fitch isn’t ruling out future growth.
“I built it to be franchisable,” she said. “If expansion happens, that’s great. If this is the only one, I’m okay with that, too. Right now we’re just taking it day by day and seeing what the future holds.”
