My Favorite Foods: At Highline Bake Shop

Published 8:00 pm Saturday, September 30, 2023

Full of nutrients, satisfying and comforting, good bread is truly the staff of life. If you want to try some of the best bread and bakery products around, plan a visit to Highline Bake Shop on North Pentz Street in downtown Dalton.

The bright yellow exterior of the building invites you in, and once you enter, you’ll be hooked. The aroma is heavenly, the setting is cozy, and the sight of the baked products is enticing.

This remarkable business is such a plus to our community. The owner saw a need for good, fresh bread in the area and enjoys giving people good baked products. Since the owner arrives at the bake shop early each day, there’s love in what she does. Once you take a bite of any of the food products, you can taste the gift of love she and her staff give to each product they bake. Their focus is on quality and not quantity.

She’s taken basic recipes and tweaked them to meet her level of high standards. Her years of baking experience and having her family as taste testers have helped her perfect the baked products. She notes that her family always gives their honest opinion of her baking, which she says is a good thing.

She always enjoyed baking sourdough products at home (sourdough is a healthier alternative to regular white or wheat bread, and it’s more digestible and nutritious), she enjoyed cooking, her children were getting older, so she decided to do something for herself, so why not a bake shop. After baking at her home for three years, she had built a great group of customers, and the opportunity for a physical location became a reality in July of this year.

I would suggest any food because everything at Highline Bake Shop is wonderful. My favorites are the jalapeno cheddar bread, the berry scones, the sourdough orange rolls and the iced oatmeal raisin cookies. (I could have listed 10 more favorites, but I would be embarrassed.) I always must take extras home just in case I get an urge for something delicious later at night. I have to be prepared.

Their best-sellers are the sourdough cinnamon rolls, the blueberry rolls and focaccia (which is a flat-leavened, oven-baked Italian bread).

The bake shop is open Wednesday–Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (FYI, if you arrive later in the day you will miss some of the fantastic goods. Better go early.) The breads they offer each day are the sourdough loaf, baguettes and focaccia (flavors vary due to what’s in season). Sweet baked products on the menu each day are cinnamon rolls, orange rolls and blueberry rolls. Muffins vary by the season and what ingredients are available. Some examples are bran, gluten-free pumpkin, chocolate chip and blueberry. The cookies available are the sourdough chocolate chip and the newly added sourdough iced oatmeal raisin cookie, which are both scrumptious. Try both flavors. Don’t just select one.

Their social media is a great way to see what daily options are available. Each day features some mighty fine choices. You never know what creative and yummy treat will be offered. The photos are so appealing, they make you want to stop by for a treat. You may have to make several trips to sample the goodies.

Some special foods you will see on social media that are offered at the bake shop are pumpkin spice pop tarts, peach and bourbon rolls, cherry pop tarts, croutons, crackers, raspberry chocolate scones, grapefruit muffins, popcorn, meringues and much, much more.

One special food offered each week is the pistachio cake with a vanilla glaze, which is sold by the slice. The recipe is the owner’s grandmother’s, which has been tweaked a little to add more love. You can also purchase sourdough pizza crust which you take and bake at home. Coffee and cold brews are available to enjoy with your baked goods. Also featured is a meat and cheese case for customers who enjoy adding extras to their baked goods items. You may enjoy your selections to go or dine in. Each time I visit their social media I see some new and exciting items I need to try.

Plans in the future will be to add lunch to the menu. You will be able to take the food and go or eat in their warm and comfortable dining area. Soup will be added very soon to the menu. What’s better for lunch than delicious soup paired with flavorful bread?

The bake shop also offers catering for meetings or special events. Check with them to see what’s offered and prices. I know they do a charcuterie spread that is out of this world. They include so many food choices, and it looks as good as it tastes. For their customer appreciation party in July, they featured the longest, fullest, most delicious charcuterie counter I’ve ever seen. It was a sight to behold. Anything you could have wished to sample from their products was available to enjoy. and boy did I enjoy!

Their bread is also being served in dishes at a local establishment in downtown Dalton. I’d say that makes for a special and tasty combination. (That’s one thing that I love about our town — businesses working together to make things special for our community members).

When you are driving on Pentz Street in town, look for the bright yellow, inviting storefront. Find a parking spot, walk right in the store and select from the best baked products around. Muffins, scones, baguettes, cookies, soft sourdough bread or focaccia, no matter your choice, it will be scrumptious.

My suggestion? Get one of several things they offer. You can thank me later. Sit and enjoy your food on the sofa or at a table, and get to know the sweet, friendly owner and her employees. They are just as sweet as their confections. After all, bread is the staff of life. Especially sourdough bread!

Sandra Derrick, a lifelong Daltonian, is a retired educator who taught home economics for 30 years in Whitfield County Schools.