The bakery, which has drawn a local following for its gluten-free bread and baked goods, is soft opening this weekend in Midtown Palo Alto. Owner Mina Makram took over a space at 2706 Middlefield Road this summer after Gracie Jones Gluten Free Bake Shop closed.
Mina Makram, left, inside the new Misfits Bakehouse space in Palo Alto. Photo by Elena Kadvany.
While Misfits' (formerly Ducks and Dragons) reputation is built on baking without gluten, Makram doesn't want to be known singularly as a gluten-free establishment.
"I don't want it to be looked at as a gluten-free bakery," he said. "Just amazing bread, period."
Makram started Ducks and Dragons with his then-partner and girlfriend, Kim Sullivan, in 2015. They started by selling their baked goods at farmers markets and within six months, moved into a wholesale production facility in San Carlos.
In the new Palo Alto space, Misfits Bakehouse will serve fresh-baked bread and pastries as well as bagel sandwiches, pizzas, toasts with housemade jams and specials. At a pop-up last weekend, the bakery made cardamon French toast, sausage-cheddar bread pudding and a family recipe for an Egyptian beef broth served with a garlic sauce and toasted grain-free pita bread. (Makram was born and raised in Egypt. He came to the U.S. in 2000.)
A Misfits Bakehouse bagel sandwich. Photo via Misfits Bakehouse Instagram.
In response to requests from customers with egg allergies, Makram plans to roll out vegan breads sans egg whites. Almost all of his products are also grain-free, soy-free, corn-free and dairy-free.
Misfits will serve coffee from Papachay in San Carlos, run by a Peruvian native who lives in San Carlos but owns a coffee farm in Peru. The beans are roasted in San Carlos.
The bakery will be open this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until it's sold out. Starting next week, Misfits will also be open on Fridays. Makram plans to open six days a week starting in early November.
Misfits will also return soon to the College of San Mateo farmers market, Makram said.
