Meet Judith Menzl | Climbing Arborist & Cottage Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judith Menzl and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judith, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Originally, I am from Germany. I was born and raised there until I was twelve years old, then my family moved to the States–to Tucson, Arizona, At first, I was very unhappy with this move. I missed my family, friends, neighbors, my personal freedom and what I deemed “normal temperatures”. I felt stuck at home, not only because, as a twelve-year-old I couldn’t walk or take a bus anywhere by myself, but also the extreme heat kept me inside with the a/c. Soon, I also found that the bread culture that had accompanied me throughout my life in Germany (it was part of breakfast, lunch and dinner daily), was non-existent here. We went from one bakery to the next hoping to find good bread. At one point we even bought a bread machine. All to no avail. For a while, we gave up the search, we ate less bread and if we did, it was store-bought and we accepted the lower quality. Not until a few years ago, did my sister, mom and I discover sourdough! Suddenly, a whole world opened and not only could we have quality bread again, but it was filled with opportunities of baking different types of bread. White, whole wheat, rye. It almost feels silly at this point, that it took us so long to discover such an ancient method of bread-baking that brings us so much joy. Needless to say, this very much impacted who I am today. If I hadn’t had such a deep tie to good bread, I may not have been tempted to bake my own, which led to baking too much, sharing with friends and, finally, opening a bakery after realizing the joy of sharing Brotglück (bread joy).

This is the obvious way, in which my background impacted who I am today, but there are so many other little things. For example, I eventually learned to love and appreciate Tucson–a lesson I carry with me wherever I go. Every place is unique and every place is lovable, you just have to approach it with an open mind and curiosity. It’s a wonderful way to live. Applies to people too.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own a German-American bakery called Brötchen&Co. My goal from the outset was multifold. First and foremost, I wanted to share my passion for bread-baking and bring high-quality, real bread with no preservatives to the Austin community. As my vision evolved prior to opening, it became clear to me that this included German breads and pastries from my childhood. For a bit, I toyed with the idea of making a purely German bakery, baking only breads and pastries I knew from there, but this felt inauthentic. At this point in my life, I feel equal parts German and American and the bakery is a reflection of myself. Thus, a German-American bakery it is. Still, I used a German name for my bakery, paying tribute to one of my favorite German baked goods: Brötchen. The German word for bread is ‘Brot’ and ‘Brötchen’ means ‘little bread’. Brötchen are a staple for German families, mainly for breakfast or a lunch snack. Their shapes and toppings, and even names, vary across different regions but the love for them is universal. I’ve found it may be similar to America’s relationship to the Bagel, which I then decided to add to the menu as well.

Everything that I bake has an extra twist: it is all sourdough, whether sweet or savory. Sourdough products are naturally-leavened, which means that they are developed using wild yeast instead of commercial yeast. Though this complicates the process quite a bit (rising times are significantly longer and sourdough is harder to predict and manage than store-bought yeast), it comes with a host of benefits. Gut-friendly microbes facilitate fermentation by breaking down carbs in food to turn them into alcohol, organic acids and gas. This process essentially “pre-digests” food and increases the microbe cultures, which makes them probiotic. This benefits gut health and makes bread easier to handle, especially for those with gluten sensitivities,. In a culture, that is increasingly scared of carbs, I want to help spread the message that carbs are essential building blocks to a healthy lifestyle and that there are really diverse and beneficial ways to include them in your diet.

Also important for our bakery, was sourcing materials responsibly. I wanted the bakery to reflect my principles and values of respecting not only other small, local businesses, but also our environment. We source our chocolate from locally-owned SRSLY Chocolate and our flour from Barton Springs Mill in Dripping Springs. We’re lucky to have a local stone-mill that sources wonderful organic and (mostly) Texan heirloom grain varieties. In addition to providing a much wider variety of wheat with more complex flavor profiles than you can find at the grocery store, heirloom grain is a great choice to support farmers, millers, and the environment. This has recently become known as supporting the “local grain economy” and we are 100% on board with that.

In opening this bakery, a guiding principle was mutual benefit. We bake what we love, share real food with our community and support other small businesses and the environment as much as we can. Of course, this doesn’t come easy all the time. Sourdough and heirloom grains are temperamental and even unpredictable at times, which is challenging when you bake production quantities. When bakes go awry, it usually isn’t just one or two loaves, it is the entire batch and that can feel so disheartening. One week it feels as though you really got the hang of it and the next is a very, let’s say humbling, experience. It keeps you grounded and focused and as hard as that is, it is also incredibly rewarding.

Other challenges with opening the bakery include common concerns that are shared with small business owners in any field or capacity. It is a risk to start something from scratch and rely on its income. Upfront startup costs swallow the business’ income for at least the first several months and building a customer base can be slow and hard-won. Though once you have crossed this hurdle, customers stick with you and are invested in your success. This is very fulfilling. Shoutout to all of you who support and stand by small businesses!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Austin is a wonderful place to visit and there is more to share here than is possible in one visit, but high priority are the following:

Coffee at Fleet
Brunch at Spread&Co
Wildflower Center
Kayaking
Running or taking a walk on the Roy and Ann Hike and Bike Trail
Dinner and Margaritas at El Chile Cafe y Cantina
Enjoying the sunset on Mt. Bonnell
Zilker Botanical Gardens
Barton Springs Pool
Cooking meals at home
Running or taking a walk at Walnut Creek Trail
Mueller Farmers Market
Drinks at Kitty Cohen’s
Pop Tarts for breakfast from Scull House Sweets
An outdoor craft market
Tacos from Rosita’s Al Pastor
Before the pandemic this also included,
climbing at crux
eating at the Clay Pit
Kolaches and Beer from Batch
Beer at Central Machine Works, Cosmic, ABGB and Friends and Allies

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My girlfriend Kim deserves the biggest shoutout of all. In everything that I’ve done or attempted she’s been my #1 fan and supporter along the way. I’m in awe of her patience for me especially when starting this business that has been much more challenging than we could have imagined. Along with the fun and amazing sense of fulfillment, it is time-consuming and scary. It has meant less sleep for both of us and sacrifices in many parts of our lives to the point, where I was afraid she would resent and regret the start of our bakery. To my surprise, she has insisted that she has no regrets, repeats her support and tells me she is proud of what we have accomplished. On hard bake days, she’s there to build me back up and gives me real and honest feedback on my bakes. Such support really does go a long way. I would have never known had we not embarked on this endeavor and I’ll always be grateful for that.

My family and group of friends also deserve a mention. This group includes so many people and so many different kinds of support it would take too long to explain in detail but in summary they have shown their support by buying my baked goods, spreading the word and helping out by building websites, taking pictures and/or providing a donation. It’s incredible to see how much your loved ones want to see you succeed.

Lastly, a very big shoutout goes to the small business community here in Austin. Opening your own business feels like opening a door to a group of wonderful, supportive, passionate and kind people. It means understanding people in a deeper way because not only are you seeing their best selves when they are doing what they love, but you also see their vulnerability. You understand the risk it takes to start a business and to share your projects with the world (which essentially means inviting criticism to some of your most meaningful creations). Knowing what every sale feels like, makes buying from small businesses even more important and feel that much better. I’ve met so many talented and wonderful people in this community and am constantly humbled by their selflessness and support. A few business owners worthy of mention are:

Ryn Scull, baker/owner at Scull House Sweets
Gab and Maddie, bakers/owners at Both Hands Baking Company
Beka Vinogradov, creator/owner at Little Boat Stuff

Website: broetchencoatx.com

Instagram: @broetchenco

Image Credits
The personal photo and three of the additional photos: Credit goes to Hannah Wright