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You know that smell of bread that makes you stop in your tracks? For Kendra it started in a tiny  cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A friend walked in and said, “Your house smells just like my  grandma’s, like fresh bread.” She laughed it off at the time. She was delivering microgreens to  fancy restaurants, not kneading dough. But scents linger. Years later that memory would rise  again when she mixed flour and water and let it rest overnight, a step bakers call autolyse . 

Simply Sweets by Jen There’s a certain reverence to walking into Simply Sweets by Jen. The bright little bakery sits on Columbia Street in Vancouver, Washington, but the moment you push through its door you could just as easily be stepping into a loved one’s kitchen. Warm vanilla and buttercream fill the air. Customers lean on glass display cases, catching up with staff they’ve known for years. This is where Jen, a baker who never meant to become one, quietly turns simple ing