Gluten-free bakery inspired by her son’s dietary needs
If she doesn’t know what something is, Traci Morgan-Hoernke won’t put it in her baked goods.
That’s a point of pride for the owner of Mør Bakery & Cafe, 2018 S. 1st St., Unit 102, where her treats contain no artificial dyes, no unknown ingredients and no gluten. It all goes back to her son’s early years and his need for a special diet.
Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Kinnickinnic River, the bakery opened in August in the Lincoln Warehouse. Morgan-Hoernke oversees smallbatch production of a variety of gluten-free baked goods, including cookies, crumbles, muffins and quick breads, plus a menu of breakfast items, salad and soups that change with the seasons.
Morgan-Hoernke and her husband, Don, have three children: August, Nathaniel and Emma. They live in Bay View.
Her food roots
I’m a mom who baked in her kitchen. My grandmother, my father’s mother, she would watch us a few times per year. I remember being frustrated as a kid because Grandma made me stay in and bake cookies and my brother got to go shuck corn or play in the silo. I wanted to go play in the silo!
Going gluten-free
My son, August, was just 13 pounds at a year. I did the whole onslaught at Children’s Hospital with every specialty. He did food allergy testing. He was living off salami and apple juice.
OK, why don’t we try this gluten-free thing? He gained two pounds in six weeks. He’s not celiac. He was gluten-intolerant and he was malabsorbing fat and the gluten was a factor. Walking into all of that, we also knew that August had a food allergy to yellow food dye No. 5. That’s why you won’t find any food dye in my case, ever.
Planting the seed
I started working at Gluten Free Trading Company, which (at the time) was the first dedicated retail building Traci Morgan-Hoernke owns Mør Bakery & Cafe on South First Street. in this area and I think in the United States. (The shop closed in 2014.)
Know your ingredients
If I can’t tell you what polysorbate 80 is, I won’t put it in your food. I source all my ingredients myself. You have to be able to read the ingredients.
That is the mother in me, the crazy person in me. It’s why do I not use spray for my pans. We have a mason jar with grapeseed oil and a silicone brush versus using propellant in a can. I put a lot of thought into how we do what we do.
Researching recipes
I started studying the grains. I’m not a nutritionist. I’m not a food scientist. Being able to understand how to tweak things and play with things, that is fun. I’m not certain I would have known to do all those various pieces if I would have had a culinary degree. I don’t have any fenceposts, I’m just going to play.
Cheap eats
My chocolate chip cookies will always be three for a dollar. A, they’re tiny. B, I am a mom. I’ve been there when you walk into someplace like Starbucks with kids and you can’t do it. I’m happy about my chocolate chip cookies. They’re vegan, they’re delicious.
Recipe she wants to be known for
I am really proud of my crumbles. Why are they called crumbles? When they’re warm they fall apart. They contain the most beautiful organic certified gluten-free oats from Finland. They have organic millet, arrowroot, tapioca starch, a little sugar, applesauce, chia seeds. It is a substantial thing that will nourish your body. That’s what I want to be known for.
I did Georgia peach crumbles this summer. I saved a batch of peaches in the freezer and when we are just feeling done with winter and snow, there will be a week of Georgia peach crumbles to remind us there is hope.
Current ingredient obsession
My pumpkin torte was my aunt’s recipe that I’ve been asking for for two decades. I posted my version on Instagram, a spiked pumpkin cheesecake with a bourbon. I had someone come in and say my pumpkin torte was better than his mother’s.
What defines her space
I wanted my space to feel like an extension of my home. We put in windows, almost to the floor. I am here most days 16 hours. I also didn’t want too much stimulation. There are a decent amount of families with members on the autism spectrum who do glutenfree.
Need to know
I am a dedicated gluten-free bakery. I am conscious to vegetarians and vegans and because of my egg intolerance we will always have (egg-free) stuff by choice. We play all the time. I’ll always have cookies and quick bread, but I don’t have a set menu. Follow me on social media or call (414-249-3316).
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.