Prairie Thunder

[Martin]

finally made it to prairie thunder this afternoon... just after 3pm to be precise.

they were sold out of most everything... so business must be very good!

i purchased a cheese danish and a loaf of roasted garlic levain. both were outstanding. the danish was both crisp and tender at the same time... amazing! the cream cheese was perfectly sweetened and had a touch of lemon. the bread was of perfect taste and texture... just the right amount of crustiness on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside.

i'll be going back.

-M

[lpecan]

I went this morning at 7AM (which I think is kinda late for a bakery to open) to make sure they weren't sold out. They had almost nothing! Granted, by the time I left at 715, they'd put a few more items out, but I have to say that this has been the biggest food disappointment I've had here in OKC. Chocolate croissant was great, admittedly, but I'm 0/3 in terms of overall experience. I've wanted this place to be good for such a long time, I really hope they turn it around and open on the weekends.

[bandnerd]

I went in yesterday evening around 4:45 and got a loaf of the country white to make some garlic toast with. John McBryde was there, and was very chipper. I was greeted as soon as I walked in the door, and then I noticed the empty shelves. Although, the place was pristine, so I'll give them that. John announced as soon as I walked in that there were 4 loaves of bread left, and that was it. I said that was exactly what I was looking for.

He gave me a free sample and got the bread for me, then disappeared in the back with someone who came in after me. The manager answered my questions politely, even listened to my pitch about buying advertising from my school newspaper (jab, jab).

The bread was superb. Crusty, chewy outside, and soft and fresh on the inside. It was pricey, over $5, but it was worth it. I bet it will make excellent french toast. It got so crunchy in the toaster oven.

Overall, impressed with the bread. I'll stick to Brown's for the donuts, although that is a rare treat, but Prairie's bread wins hands-down. I just hope they make it--I'd like to see the competition.

[PTBC]

Greetings, OKCTalk. Prepare yourselves for a lengthy response.

My name is Patrick McBryde, and I’m the webmaster/general-tech-guy/kitchen help/general handyman for Prairie Thunder Baking Company (I also occasionally moonlight as John McBryde’s son). On behalf of my father and the staff of PTBC, I’d like to thank you all for all of your comments and feedback about our bakery. We do our best every day to serve the Oklahoma City community, and we always welcome and value the community’s opinions. With that said, please allow me to respond to some of the comments and criticisms, and to give some insight into what goes on at PTBC. If you have any additional questions for me or for my father please post them here, and I’ll do my best to get them answered.

First, let me address the topic of our website. Our site was developed and is updated entirely by me (and my brother, at times), and not by a professional web designer, so it is sadly at the whim of a full-time student’s schedule. With that in mind, I’d like to apologize for the lack of content previously and inform you all that there is now significantly more there, with more being added every night. During the school year I was very pressed for time and couldn’t get around to much more than the graphics, but now that the summer is here I can spend my nights updating. If you haven’t seen it in the last month or so please check back as my brother and I have both put a lot of thought and time into it.

Now, on to the main concerns that have been voiced here…

First, as to the timing and availability of our goods, we are doing our best to keep up with the absolutely amazing desire for our products and, at times, have grossly underestimated the demand for our products. Since we’ve opened, and especially in the weeks following the articles in the Oklahoman, Gazette, Journal Record and others, we’ve increased production by nearly an order of magnitude in an attempt to estimate demand. However, the demand has been overwhelming at times, exhausting our supplies much earlier than anticipated. Allow me now to give some insight into the processes that go into our bread baking and how that helps to explain the previous, and hopefully not-to-be-repeated, shortages in bread.

Due to the nature of our product and to our dedication to quality, we need to purchase our supplies about a week out. At that time we have to attempt to guess the demand that we will face the next week, frequently before the publishing of any articles or anything else that could influence that demand. Once our supplies are in stock, it takes between 6 and 24 hours to turn our ingredients into dough ready to be baked, depending on the bread, and we take this time every day and with every loaf. Therefore, once that process has begun our stock for the day is decided, as none can be added later without the full time to pre-ferment, proof (raise), weigh, shape and bake. As many have noted (some angrily so), many of our breads come out of the oven at 10-11am, and that is due to this timing. Though much of the dough’s time is spent sitting, with various chemical processes happening that give our breads the textures and flavors that we’ve worked so hard for, the last 5 or 6 hours are the time of weighing, shaping, rising and baking, which require a baker to be there with it. Our kitchen staff gets in at 5am every morning and so, with this pre-decided timetable, our breads come out of the oven at ~10am at the earliest. Though we would much, much prefer that all of our breads be available at 7am when we open, this would require beginning the process between 12 and 1am which is just not logistically possible at this point in time. Our goal is to eventually have staff in the bakery working 24/7 with bread always available (especially for our commercial customers), but that is a future goal.

All is not lost, though, as we’ve developed a system through which one of our more popular breads, the 5-Grain Levain, can have much of this work done the day before, allowing it to be ready to go at 7am or very soon after, which it has been for the past few weeks and will continue to be. Though we have consistently increased our bread output every day, there were a few weeks when the demand would raise much more than we had planned on, leaving us short-stocked in the afternoons. We have a much firmer handle on it now and, for the past couple of weeks, we have consistently had multiple types of bread in stock until we close at 6pm. You can never guess the days when a tour bus comes unannounced and each person wants a loaf of bread (which has happened before), but we’re doing our best. I make no excuses for our lack of stock in the past, but I only hope that I’ve helped to shed some light onto the reasons behind it from our end, that we rarely have stock problems with our bread anymore, and that you realize the time and effort that goes into each loaf.

As to the availability of the pastries, a similar situation is present. The daily output for many of our pastries has to be decided and prepared at least 24 hours in advance, so when we surpass that supply we can only hope to increase production enough to match the demand the next day. Pastries come out of the oven around 6:30 or 7am, and the cases are filled from 7am to 8am. Some of them can be periodically refreshed throughout the day (these are the “simpler” ones that are typically available later in the day), but many of them require large amounts of preparation. With those we can only hope to adjust over the following days and meet demand then. In the afternoons, our stock is limited by our staff’s business day going from 5am to 2 or 3pm. Once our pastry chefs leave we can’t restock, and we have to plan accordingly. Like the bread we’ve worked into a system where there are consistently multiple types of pastries left at the end of the day, but we’re still working on it and hope to find a balance between maintaining a healthy stock throughout the day without being too wasteful (or overworking and killing our staff).

Our two person pastry team does every part of the ritual themselves, from the preparation to the shaping, the baking, the cleaning and the stocking, which can get pretty hectic to keep up with. They do an excellent job, but they can’t push too much harder or we might have to hire robots. Now, if there is a certain pastry that you’re just dying to try, come and talk to us when we’re not too busy and we’ll try and save one for you, or call and we’ll hold some in back. If you’d simply like to try them all (or if you like to see before you buy), I can only say that, at this point, try to get there between 8am and 2pm to see our full selection. (Someone mentioned our sign by the register, also, and seems to have misread it. It asks that large orders that would significantly diminish our stock, namely a dozen or more of any single pastry, be placed at least 24 hours in advance. This gives our pastry team enough time to prepare and, more importantly, is simply a courtesy to other customers to not have one person take all of one thing).

As to our service, it is our joy to talk to the customers, and if you see one of us please don’t hesitate to come and talk. However, you must realize that every person behind that counter and in the kitchen is working at 110% all day and, sadly, we don’t always have enough time to stop and chat. I apologize for any specific incidents that have occurred, but let me assure you that they aren’t the norm and we’re actually a pretty friendly bunch. The day that my dad can talk for hours to every person walking in the door and show them around his new kitchen is the day he can die a happy man, because trust me, he would love nothing more. However, that time is sadly not upon us quite yet, and he is still the man in charge of all of the bread operations, as well as supervising, logistics, planning, and all of the financial and business aspects, from 5am to 7 or 8pm every day. So please, don’t hesitate to talk to our staff about any aspect of our shop because we’d love to hear from you, but understand if we aren't able to. If you’d like to learn something about our operation, please come up and ask us, and if we’re not too busy, I’m sure you could find your way into a behind the scenes tour. When there are 50 hungry people in line or if the kitchen is really busy it probably isn’t the best time, but if we get a free minute we’d love to hear from you. We truly value each and every one of our customers, and I would like to thank you all for your support and patronage.

As to our prices, they are accurate reflections of the quality of ingredients and craftsmanship that go into all of our foods. Due to the belief in freshness and my father’s principle of making everything that we serve from scratch, every day, and his dedication to quality, we use only the best ingredients available, and our prices reflect that.

As to our current hours, our current schedule (7-6, M-F) is one that allows for the most time for us to be open with our current staff and timing. Allow me to clarify, however, that we are not, have never claimed to be and have no wish to become a dinner establishment. Though we COULD close earlier (and if you’ve been up since 4am that sounds pretty good, let me tell you), we have the demand and the staff to stay until 6, so we do. By staying open later than 6pm, however, we slip into the dinner hours which, as was said previously, were never a part of our business plan. Let me say this one big: We are also trying DESPERATELY to open on Saturdays, and we hope to be open then very, very soon, so keep checking on the shop and the website for updated information on that. We’re working on hiring and training new staff to help with this goal, and it shouldn’t be too long now. At the moment everyone’s normal workweek is 50 or 60 hours, so once we have a few more people join the team we should be ready.

Hopefully that will address some of your concerns and comments, and help to give you a little bit of a peek behind what goes on at PTBC.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to come in the shop, especially during the calmer hours, and we’ll be more than happy to answer any question you have. I also strongly encourage you to post questions here and I’ll do my best to answer. I don’t want to promise that I’ll respond to every question and be barraged with a hundred, but I’ll do my best to address all concerns.

Thanks for your support and comments, and I hope to speak to you soon,
Patrick McBryde, and all of us at PTBC

[foodiefan]

PLEASE . . .just keep on keepin' on. . .your product is great!! "We" sometimes tend to be so besotten with the "drive thru" mentality that we forget that this is an "artisian" product not produced on "our" schedule. I fully recognize that a business needs to cater to it's clientele. . .but the clientele must also appreciate what it takes to produce a truly special product. . .otherwise. . .get thee to the grocery store for Woner Bread. . . .

[Midtowner]

Mr. McBryde, many businesses pay good money to get this sort of feedback! Great to see you're taking full advantage and listening to the public. Best of luck.

For what it's worth, my wife brought home a loaf of your bread the other day and I'm a convert. Your product is what bread *should* be, but seldom is.

[Pete]

Thanks for all the detailed information, Patrick.

I think all of us are pulling for Prairie Thunder and I'm impressed by your openness to the feedback, as it can be difficult not to become a little defensive in these situations.

I still think this business is going to be a smash success and I can't begin to imagine the complexities of something so new. Most of us say we want more local businesses and less chains but we also have to remember that when you start out independently you often learn the hard way.

I'll be in OKC next week and will make it a point to stop in then. I'll also be sure to refer my friends... I wish you guys every success!

[tuck]

Most of us say we want more local businesses and less chains but we also have to remember that when you start out independently you often learn the hard way. !

AMEN!!!!

[Pete]

I stopped by yesterday and John (owner) was just finishing his lunch around 2PM. I meant just to introduce myself and buy a few things but he ended up spending about a half hour of his time talking about the business and showing me around.

My first impression is that OKC is darn lucky to have such a business. It's the type of place we don't often get and everything looks super sharp and impressive. It was busy even at 2PM which is a great sign that others appreciate it as well.

You simply would not believe all the massive equipment behind the scenes. I hope John doesn't mind me sharing this but he said he's invested over $600,000 in that place and I believe it.

I sampled the whole grain sourdough bread and it was fantastic. John explained that they take the trouble to prepare the dough batches the night before so they get extra fermentation of the yeast, which is what yields that great taste and aroma. It absolutely shows in the end product.

That European bread oven is something to behold! And I can only imagine trying to master that thing. Looks like John & Co. have it down, though.

John also explained the complexities of trying to plan quantities. Basically, it all has be planned well in advance and they have frequently been overwhelmed. Then you run the risk of having way too much extra and trashing it, which is equally tragic.

I just want to say that we need places like Prairie Thunder to succeed and I have no doubt this place is going to be a smash hit. Seems like it already is and they are just starting to reach out to restaurants and caterers. And John really does want to be open later and on Saturdays, but the poor guy is there every morning at 5AM and on his feet all day in front of those hot ovens... He's got great help but they are all still trying to figure out lots of things around the schedules and demand.

BTW, when I was there in the middle of the afternoon, they seemed to have plenty of everything. In addition to some bread, I bought some pastries which were outstanding. The lunch menu looked simple, but great.

I would encourage all of you to try or give them another shot. John is almost always there himself and he's a wonderful, friendly guy that is working his tail off with a huge personal investment and I hope everyone will do the best to support exactly the type of business we all want for our town.

[metro]

Basically, it all has be planned well in advance and they have frequently been overwhelmed. Then you run the risk of having way too much extra and trashing it, which is equally tragic.

As other posters stated before, why not sell it at half price the next day or donate it to the food pantries and homeless shelters like all the other local bakeries and restaurants? No need to trash perfectly good bread and other food.

[Pete]

Of course they could do that Metro but the point is as a business, that's a very wasteful thing.

A little bit of waste is acceptable, a lot eats your profits. It's finding that balance point -- which is changing every day -- that is the challenge.


I simply can't imagine the challenges of starting something like this from scratch. And I'm very impressed with how they've handled things thus far.

[bandnerd]

I would imagine that they just need some time to figure out the numbers and then, if they have leftovers, and if it won't hurt their profit, then they could donate it to a pantry...

Just sayin'.

[metro]

true

[camper82]

More importantly, if you aren't going to have bread available to sell until 11am (like today), why be open from 7-11? I'm guessing that the stars must be misaligned for me and the PTBC. I've been there four times and successfully come away with bread only once. I've been seriously let down by this place after having such high hopes and expectations.

Moral of the story: If you want to go to PTBC and not be disappointed, go from 11am-1pm M-F.

Making the amount of bread and the assortment of bread they make from scratch takes time. The workers come to work already at 5am. If you have ever made homemade bread then you know you have to mix it, let it rise, shape it, let it rise, bake it, and then let it cool. That takes hours. So you can't have everything out by 7am. I talked to the owner and he has promised to have all of the bread ready by 11 lunch time. If you want everything out by 7 then you would have to get there at 2 or 3 am. If you want frozen bread that has been baked then go to panera bread. If you want high quality made daily from scratch then go to Prairie Thunder. They open at 7 for breakfast. Also there site says that they will open soon on Saturdays. Show me a place where you can get the kind of homemade bread they do at this place. You people need to check your palets.

[metro]

Does Big Sky Bakery or some of the other local bakeries bake fresh daily? I imagine the other bakeries just get up earlier so it cranks it out in time for the morning crowd.

[GWB]

Does Big Sky Bakery or some of the other local bakeries bake fresh daily? I imagine the other bakeries just get up earlier so it cranks it out in time for the morning crowd.

Exactly. I've visited many large cities that have artesian bakeries and most all of them serve their baked goods as early as 6 AM. It's quite unusual to have products available so late in the morning (almost noon), but apparently that's the choice they made. They'll have to see how it works out for them in the long run. Hope it works out, but I think they're losing a ton of business doing it this way. Just my half a cent worth.

[Pete]

They've only been open a matter of weeks... They are still adjusting their quantities, product balance, menu and schedule.

If you were to tour that place as I had, you'd understand the incredible complexities involved in all this. And John McBryde is a very sharp guy. These things are just going to take a little time to work out but it's clear they are in this for the long haul.

[betts]

The bottom line: The bread is great, and you can't get anything like it anywhere else. I've bought bread from them, and I've simply adjusted the time at which I plan on buying. You can run over about lunchtime and pick it up. Also, I was there later in the afternoon last week, and they still had the bread I wanted in reasonable quantities. So, perhaps they're figuring out the size of their market.

[PTBC]

I imagine the other bakeries just get up earlier so it cranks it out in time for the morning crowd.

That may very well be the case. As I've never been behind the scenes at Big Sky or various bakerys around the country, I can't attest to their schedules and practices. As I mentioned before, while our current staffing is limited to ~5am arrival, our eventual plan is to have staff working 24 hours/day. This, however, will come when there is demand enough to warrant doubling or even tripling the number of staff we have. As all of our kitchen staff (but my father, ironically) have culinary degrees, hiring takes some time, so it isn't something we can instantly do. Due to the restrictions, that will probably happen when we have established some sizable commercial wholesale accounts that need deliveries at all hours of the day, which we're working to eventually be more than half of our sales.

It's quite unusual to have products available so late in the morning (almost noon), but apparently that's the choice they made.

Also, as I mentioned before, we almost always have 5-grain levain out at 7am and have had as many as 4 of our breads available when we open. Things happen to delay that plan, such as it's cooler outside than we expect so the bread takes more time to shape, the oven is a few degrees to cool, or a multitude of environmental factors, but it's typically cooling by 6:45 or 7am. If you've been in recently and it hasn't been out, make sure to ask as sometimes it's sitting in the back cooling and not out front.

So, as I said in my previous post, we do, in fact, have bread available at 7am (and at least before 8) pretty much every day.

As other posters stated before, why not sell it at half price the next day or donate it to the food pantries and homeless shelters like all the other local bakeries and restaurants? No need to trash perfectly good bread and other food.

We don't sell it the next day because we hold that everything should be baked fresh every day, and that obviously doesn't hold to that. Some of our excess breads are recycled into croutons for our salads, some are taken home by the staff, some is donated to various shelters, and the rest of it goes to the zoo to help feed the ape and monkey enclosures (a passion of our executive chef). We're normally hitting it pretty even on how much we have left every day, but when, for example, Oklahoma decides to send storms our way (like today )we tend to have a bit more left over at which point we attempt to find a beneficial place to take it. However, when you're making 500+ pounds of bread every day, having 5% left over is still 25 loaves. Once our bread is made we either sell it or we don't and, though we'd prefer to sell it all, when we can't we want to do something more than just trash with it. If any of you are in contact with a shelter who would be interested in pickups of bread (the quantity of which is quite inconsistent), tell them to give us a call.

[PTBC]

And I remembered just as I hit "submit" that I should thank you all for your positive feedback. I'm glad to know that you're all enjoying visiting us as much as we enjoy baking our bread.

[okctvnewsguy]

And I remembered just as I hit "submit" that I should thank you all for your positive feedback. I'm glad to know that you're all enjoying visiting us as much as we enjoy baking our bread.

I was completely impressed with your operation when I went there with my Girlfriend. The stuffed baugettes were absolutely gourmet! The Pastry would put any NYC bakery to shame. The kindness of your staff, and the quality of your product means you should be very proud! You have a permanent fan in me!

Keep up the AWESOME AWESOME job!

[lpecan]

Gave a fourth try on monday and was much more impressed. I was there at 5pm and they had a pretty good selection. I definitely think PTBC is improving.

[PTBC]

Good news!

Prairie Thunder Baking Company will now be open on Saturdays, starting July 12th. I'll post the exact hours when we get them sorted out.

[Pete]

That's awesome!

I hope the McNellie's traffic is helping you guys.

[PTBC]

Update: We will be open from 7am-2pm on Saturdays, starting on July 12th.