KANSAS CITY, MO — The retail baking space is alive and well, thanks to classics like flaky, buttery pastries and artisan breads. Category staples certainly boost bakers’ bottom lines, with innovation often taking the form of all-new flavor combinations and seasonal elements.
But innovation also means straying from the norm, and the bakers who venture into unknown territory also contribute to the industry’s success.
Take a look at how a few bakers are currently thinking outside the pastry case in Craft to Crumb’s Hot Takes.
Nuts for Coconut: Coconut is no longer just a tropical flavor. Outside of sunny summer days, bakers are finding new applications for the ingredient, adding it to croissants and tarts for a subtle flavor. Jen’s Pastries’ Key Lime Coconut Tarts, a year-round menu item, are a prime example of this flavor performing well outside of the summer season.
A Sip of Something New: Following the success of matcha, bakers are leaning further into the popularity of tea varieties, creating fusion foods such as cinnamon rolls with Earl Grey glaze and jasmine green tea cakes. New June Bakery heeds this trend with its seasonal jasmine green tea chiffon cake that blends tart French yuzu cream with a rose-yuzu milk soak.
Small Seed, Major Impact: From pies to cookies, bakers are using black sesame as a base flavor or garnish to add a touch of nutty flavor to sweet and savory baked goods. Four & Twenty Blackbirds’ Black Sesame Pie is sold throughout the month of March only, but generated online buzz well past its seasonal availability.
Long Live the Kouign-Amann: Whether served with the classic crown on top or filled with pastry creams, the complex yet decadent laminated pastry is the crown jewel of various bakery cases. Quail & Condor’s kouign-amann, which is tossed in salted sugar and baked to caramelize, is a top-performing item in the bakery case.
This story has been adapted from the May | Q2 2026 Craft to Crumb mini-mag. Read the full digital issue here.
