Arlo and Alisyn to expand Tecumseh Bread and Pastry

The smell of fresh-baked bread is the first thing that customers notice when they enter Tecumseh Bread and Pastry, tucked into a tiny corner of downtown Tecumseh. The retail space is small enough that most mornings folks are lined up outside for the sourdough bread, cookies, and croissants that have put Arlo and Alisyn Brandl’s bakery on the radar.

The Brandls got started in Tecumseh in 2016, moving to their current location almost four years ago. Alisyn said what makes their breads and pastries special are the use of locally-sourced grains and ingredients and a focus on sustainability. Additionally, they feature traditional European breads and pastries that aren’t available elsewhere. In fact, Arlo was the first U.S. baker to earn his certification as a Viennoiserie Baker through the Bread Bakers Guild of America.

The Brandls started their bakery in space they rented from 3 Dudes and Dinner. The space quickly became too small for their baking operation, especially since they were selling a lot of goods at the Tecumseh Farmers Market so they moved to their current location, nestled in a row of buildings opposite The Station. About a year and a half ago, they purchased 118 W. Chicago and leased it out to Classic Cabinets while that company worked on its own new showroom west of town. Now, contractors are at work fashioning the storefront into a bakery that will be, by Alisyn’s estimate, about three times bigger than the current location. There is no timeline set yet for when they will be moving in.

“This location has served us well so far,” Alisyn said, “but we have outgrown it.”

As she talks, Arlo makes his way around to the sheeting machine with the croissant dough before cutting them out on the butcher block work table. The croissants will set for three days before being baked and sold, Alisyn explains.  

“There is no one doing what we’re doing,” she said of their success. “We have true European style pastries. No one else is making croissants or crusty bread like we are.”

Their supply list includes grains from employee James Clarke’s Manchester mill that are ground in the bakery. The couple is all about sustainability and using locally-grown, organic ingredients.
“We do everything by hand,” she said.

Alisyn and Arlo met working at a bakery. She’s from Traverse City and he’s from “all over,” she said. They have a 2-1/2 year old daughter, Penelope, and make their home in Tecumseh.  Alisyn said she studied at a culinary school but baking was the only thing that held her interest. Arlo said baking “fully engages my mind, body, and soul” in its process, something clearly demonstrated as he carefully rolls and twists the croissants. He sports a tattoo of a croissant on his left arm, a nod to his love for baking.

Alisyn said she is looking forward to adding some seating space in the new location.

“That’s one of the biggest questions we’ve gotten,” she said.

They also will be adding a larger milling machine to grind their flour and a larger oven.

“Right now, we can bake 12 loaves of bread at a time,” she said. “The new oven will fit 40 loaves of bread so we will be able to work more efficiently.”

She said there still are “a lot of steps” to go through before the new location will be complete.

“We have a good team and everyone is working together,” she said. “Once we know when we will be moving, everyone will know.”

Tecumseh Bread and Pastry is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 115 S. Evans Street. Find daily specials and subscribe to their newsletter on the web at http://www.tecumsehbakery.com/.