Portage River Bakehouse

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Portage River Bakehouse We are a Southeast Michigan based cottage bakery, teaching the art of sourdough bread baking and seasonally inspired baked goods.

Join us on the river for a truly unique educational experience!

Hi, bakers! ❤️ We still have a 1 opening available for November classes: *UPDATED1 space for Cinnamon Rolls on November ...
10/19/2026

Hi, bakers! ❤️ We still have a 1 opening available for November classes: *UPDATED

1 space for Cinnamon Rolls on November 1st, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. $85

Since the beginning of time, humans have gathered, connected and bonded through food. For many of us, this is our love l...
10/17/2026

Since the beginning of time, humans have gathered, connected and bonded through food. For many of us, this is our love language. ❤️

Nothing makes us happier than to know a skill, a recipe, and something freshly baked goes home with our guests to enjoy with their family and friends. In a world of instant gratification and convenience, to slow down and make something with our own two hands, is truly rewarding and special. ❤️

Thankful for guests that take pictures during class because we don't have time to! 😊 Thank you, Lori and thank you to ev...
10/17/2026

Thankful for guests that take pictures during class because we don't have time to! 😊 Thank you, Lori and thank you to everyone who joined us tonight for pretzels! You were a great group and we enjoyed having you here! Enjoy your beautiful pretzels! ❤️

Happy Friday! November 's newsletter and class schedule has been emailed! If you'd like to be added to our contact list,...
10/16/2026

Happy Friday! November 's newsletter and class schedule has been emailed! If you'd like to be added to our contact list, please send us a note to [email protected]
We're looking forward to baking with you! ❤️

Brad and I conducted a soft pretzel experiment tonight... For the ❤️ of science! Traditional pretzels are dipped in a di...
10/16/2026

Brad and I conducted a soft pretzel experiment tonight... For the ❤️ of science!

Traditional pretzels are dipped in a diluted lye solution but most home bakers use baking soda for safety (lye is caustic and needs proper handling). If you're wondering why you dip pretzels in lye or baking soda, it's all about the flavor and the color that you get from the alkaline pH in both. Lye has a pH of 13-14, and baking soda, 8.3-8.4.

We typically use baking soda for our recipe. Recently, we came across some baker's research that had us interested. The science is taking regular 'ol baking soda and baking it in the oven until it is 2/3 of its original weight. This converts the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to sodium carbonate. Here's the nomenclature if you're interested NaHCO3 ➡️ Na2CO3 😊 This conversion raises the pH to 11.5. A higher pH but not as much as lye; keeping it in the safer zone. This process is supposed to give better color and more of a lye dipped taste.

Earlier this week, we baked some baking soda. Tonight, we put it to the test! In the pictures below you'll see 6 pretzels that were dipped in our typical baking soda bath, 3 that were dipped in baked baking soda full strength and 3 that were dipped in baked baking soda then rinsed (we also read that rinsing can avoid a soapy flavor).

The results were not at all what we were expecting! The darker pretzels were dipped in the baking soda bath (how we typically do it). They actually got a little too dark, waiting for the others to catch up. The medium brown colored pretzels were dipped in the baked baking soda solution and the lightest, dipped in the baked baking soda solution then rinsed. The biggest surprise of all was the taste. There was no significant taste difference between them.

Moral of the experiment for us... If it ain't broke, don't fix it! 😆

All the flavors of the season and anything but ordinary! Tender pears, tart cranberries and warming ginger baked into an...
10/15/2026

All the flavors of the season and anything but ordinary! Tender pears, tart cranberries and warming ginger baked into an all butter crust and topped with a ginger-infused streusel. This pie will have taste buds singing!

Join us on November 14th! Class registration begins tomorrow morning. 😊

Old-fashioned, bakery style doughnuts made at home from scratch! For this class, we've got a few seasonal toppings and ...
10/14/2026

Old-fashioned, bakery style doughnuts made at home from scratch! For this class, we've got a few seasonal toppings and glazes in store that we think you'll love, along with the classics, of course. 😊 We have limited space, so don't miss out!

Join us on November 8th! Class registration starts on Friday.

BIG, beautiful Saigon cinnamon rolls, just waiting to be iced! So fluffy with that signature gooey center. From scratch ...
10/14/2026

BIG, beautiful Saigon cinnamon rolls, just waiting to be iced! So fluffy with that signature gooey center. From scratch and baked fresh is where it's at! ❤️

Join us on November 1st! Class registration starts on Friday!

Sharp Cheddar & Rosemary Focaccia- An irresistibly crisp crust with a pillowy crumb. Another beautiful bread for your ho...
10/13/2026

Sharp Cheddar & Rosemary Focaccia- An irresistibly crisp crust with a pillowy crumb. Another beautiful bread for your holiday table!
Focaccia makes the best sandwich bread as well, so it's perfect for your turkey and ham leftovers.

Join us on November 22nd! Class registration opens this Friday. 🍂

Address

Toma Road
Pinckney, MI
48169

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