Photo Credit: Nick RamaFood & Drink
Eat Local: Knead Me Bakery is serving up sourdough and baked goods in Shenandoah
Kristy and Anthony (Tony) Tamayo recently opened their first brick-and-mortar location of Knead Me Bakery located at 8920 Metropark Drive, Suite 800 in Shenandoah.
The couple started at the Farmer’s Market on Tamina (now called the Courtyard Collective Farmers Market) in 2017.
Kristy: “Jenny Lobel (the market owner) welcomed us with open arms and a big heart. We quickly had a great and dedicated following. We were there for years and took a brief break when the world shut down due to COVID. We started back up after that and began to realize that we were at a point where our weekend hustle was growing too big to maintain so we had a thought – let’s build a timeline to go from a market to a brick and mortar.”
In 2024, Kristy and Anthony were already looking around at locations, and a shop owner reached out, asking if the couple wanted to take over their lease/location. It was a great spot – and an up-and-coming place, right across the street from a high-traffic area. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. Tony and Kristy signed a lease in their current location (8920 Metropark Drive, Suite 800, Shenandoah, TX 77385) and they opened their doors on Halloween 2025.
Kristy and Tony both came from the corporate world, where they both worked for the same company for over 20 years.
Tony: “This is the biggest leap of faith in our lifetime and we couldn’t ask for a better reception and support from the community.”
THE NAME
Tony: “Kristy always loved a good pun, and this was a great play on words. Kneading dough was always an outlet for stress but also fun to do – creating something from just a few ingredients and a little elbow grease is an amazing thing!”
THE VIBE
The bakery is small-batch and community-focused. Everything is made from scratch and in small batches.
Tony: “We are the corner bakery that the Texas sprawl doesn’t really have in larger towns. A lot of people who come in say this reminds them of a bakery they went to growing up, in smaller communities in the north, or in smaller Texas towns where you could walk to the bakery to get a fresh loaf for the day. The bakery focuses on sourdough and pastries like scones, muffins, and cookies, but has a few special items up its sleeves for weekends. The intent is to focus on not just bringing the community together, but also sharing what’s going on or available in our community.”
The couple sources fresh farm eggs and honey from the same local Texas farms courtesy of Triple J Farms. The jams and jellies are made locally by 3 Kinds and a Pup, and all of the art and ceramics are by local artists.
Kristy: “There are so many amazing things in our community, and we want to make sure to do our part in showcasing all of it to the folks that walk through the door.”
THE INSPIRATION
The menu is full of old and new family recipes as well as recipes their bakery crew has developed.. Both Tony and Kristy’s grandmas were the bakers of their small Texas towns, back when there was often a trade of goods for payment. (Kristy) “I’ll bake the bread and you bring the bags of rice/beans/corn, that’s how communities not just survived but thrived. They leaned on each other’s strengths and really built a great sense of togetherness. Our menu is a living and breathing thing that represents a little bit of that – when we get an idea, or even better – when our customers have an idea, we run with it! That’s the great thing about baking – the ideas and possibilities are endless. Sometimes we have to catch and remind ourselves that owning a business is a marathon and not a sprint – so we slow down and try to be purposeful with our menu. But having an endless supply of ideas is always a great thing to have.”
THE GOODS
The bakery focuses on hand-kneaded preservative-free baked goods. Hand-crafted sourdough-based breads, pasties, morning buns, muffins, and scones. Local ingredients make the difference, as previously mentioned the honey, eggs, and jams they use are local. Knead Me Bakery uses freshly milled flours from Barton Springs Mill, right outside of Austin, TX.
Kirsty and Tony also offer a full coffee experience – whether it be a drip coffee using freshly ground beans or a milk-based coffee/espresso drink like a latte or cappuccino. Oat milk and almond milk for our dairy-sensitive friends. What is impressive is that they make many of the syrups in-house, so the flavors like peppermint and vanilla bean are unique and taste like the real thing.
THE OWNERS / CHEF’S FAVORITE MEAL
Kristy: “I’d start with a dark chocolate mocha latte, with an extra shot, and pair it with our savory scone of the week, and then end with a little sweet treat of either a cookie or a canelé. And then grab a loaf of bread on my way out the door to have with dinner!”
Tony: “I’d grab a caramel & cashew scone and a hot English Breakfast tea and wrap up with a chocolate chip cookie.”
WHAT LOCALS ARE ORDERING
Sourdough Single Inclusion: “Butter Sourdough. European butter folded into the dough as it rises. It gives a beautiful flavor and richness to the dough and makes it softer on the inside.”
Sourdough Premium: “Einkorn Sourdough. It quickly outpaced our Roasted Garlic & Rosemary as our top premium seller. Einkorn is an ancient grain, and therefore the flour is not enriched, bleached, or bromated. It has all the nutrients in its wheat berry that it had 10,000 years ago. The gluten is more soluble and easier to digest and it does not spike blood sugar as high or for as long as today’s wheat does. A lot of our customers who watch their blood sugar and/or are gluten sensitive can enjoy this bread in their defined moderation.”
Loaf Breads: “English White – it’s a true British sandwich loaf that is pillowy, soft, and perfect for sandwiches and grilled cheese.”
Scones:
- Chocolate Based: Black & White scone – full of semi-sweet and white chocolate chips – decadent and delicious!
- Spice Based: Cinnamon Pecan – every bite is full of spice and a nutty pecan flavor – comes with a cinnamon vanilla glaze that is the cherry on top of this gem!
- Holiday/Specialty: Gingerbread Scone (Christmas time) – it’s got all the spice and flavor of gingerbread but it’s billowy and soft with a little outside crunch. Move over gingerbread cookie – there’s a new kid in town!
- Fruit-Based: Orange Cranberry – hands down our best-selling scone. Tart, fragrant, and topped with an orange & cranberry glaze that sets this scone apart from the rest.
- Savory: Herbs de Provence & Gruyere scone – Deliciously delicate and robust flavor at the same time. The herbs are balanced with the cheese and the melted flaky salt on top is *chef’s kiss*
Other Tasty Items
Granola: Cranberry Pecan. “Tart and crunch – two of my favorite things. It goes great with our house-made yogurt or by itself as a snack! Some folks eat a bag in one sitting (hey, we don’t judge)!”
The Big Cookie: Chocolate Chop. “A cookie that’s 4 inches across and almost 1 inch tall. It’s a secret family recipe. It’s soft like a brownie on the inside and has a perimeter crunch that gives you just the resistance you’re looking for in a cookie.”
Jumbo Muffin: “Blueberry will always be our best seller. Full of plump blueberries with a little punch of cinnamon in the dough makes for a very tasty and soft muffin.”
Coffee: Vanilla Bean Latte (iced or hot). “We make our vanilla bean syrup in-house (and other syrups too), and it makes such a difference in the taste – you can’t beat it!”
Grab N Go Drinks: “Some folks just want creature comforts – we are stocked with Coke and Dr. Pepper products, as well as teas and carbonated waters so there are plenty of options.”
Knead Me Bakery has formed partnerships to bring gluten-free community options.
Kristy: “A lot of people who come in for bread asked us about gluten-free options. They have someone in their lives who can’t have gluten, and they want to be able to get things they can enjoy too. Since we literally have flour in the air, we knew we could not safely produce gluten-free options for sale in our shop. So we partnered with Navarro Gluten Free Bakery, who heat seals all their products before it comes into the bakery – ensuring no cross-contamination from the wheat in our store.”
Knead Me Bakery also offers Eat This! which is also a gluten-free establishment, they are still in the early stages of finding the right balance of what to carry as grab-n-go items and being a pick-up location for their pre-orders for prepared meals.
COMMUNITY
Tony: “We are part of the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce and have provided support at and for events for the community. Most recently, we participated in Taste of the Town, where we were able to showcase our baked goods. We also partnered with The Players Theatre Company in Conroe in support of their 2026-2027 play lineup!”
Knead me has local artist artwork on your walls, how did that come about?
Kristy: “When we were deciding what to do with our space, I could buy mass-produced art that you see at a lot of places or we could reach out and see if any local artists wanted to showcase and/or sell their art by hanging it in our shop. It gives folks a chance to see the amazing artists and their art in the community that they may not otherwise get a chance to see. We rotate the art every 3 months and it’s been a great experience so far! If you’re interested in being in our art rotation program, please visit the ‘Meet The Artists’ page on our website!”
WHOLESALE
Knead Me Bakery has a few wholesale accounts and private label accounts where they supply both breads and cookies. Look for them at Odd Fellows in The Woodlands – they are the cookies that book-end their delicious ice cream in their ice cream sandwiches.
WRAPPING IT ALL UP
The couple attributes their success so far to (Kristy) “Perseverance, support, and maybe a little bit (ok a lot) of stubbornness help us stay the course to success. Patience is also a virtue. There are slow days – very slow days – that give you too much time to think about why folks aren’t coming through the doors and how it’s going to affect the bottom line. Small businesses face uphill battles both ways to be successful. Every bit of support helps!”
Recently they just completed their first Eat.Drink.HTX event, where they had a deal to pick a bread, a pastry, and a coffee for one price. Kristy and Tony are hoping to be able to bring that back again real soon with other options through our store.
Tony: “We have to shout out our entire crew – Mikayla, Rachel, Lori, Grace, and Sarah are amazing! We couldn’t do what we do without them. They bring their all every day and we are lucky to have them as part of our team!”
THE FUTURE
Do you plan to expand and bring in lunch items or pop up at farmers’ markets?
Kristy: “We plan on expanding to include slices of our bread, toasted, with toppings like flavored butters, cheeses, and other condiments. We plan to have that available soon. We do hope to be able to return to our roots in the future and make appearances at local markets.”
Tony & Kristy: “We are excited to grow with the community. We’d love to expand our menu into more brunch and lunch options. As our foot traffic grows, the possibility will grow with it.”
5 Words to describe Knead Me Bakery?
“Sourdough. Local. Fresh. Real. Community.”
Visit Knead Me Bakery
Location: 8920 Metropark Drive, Suite 800 Shenandoah, TX 77385
Hours:
- Wednesday – Friday 9AM – 4PM
- Saturday – Sunday 9AM – 3PM
- Monday – Tuesday CLOSED
Website: kneadmebakery.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kneadmebakery
Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/knead.me.bakery
Nick Rama is a food writer, contributor to Hello Woodlands, and shares his restaurant experiences on Nick’s Local Eats at NicksLocalEats.com and on the TX BBQ, Burgers, and Brew Facebook page. Nick enjoys helping small business owners, supporting his community by fundraising for food banks, and plans tasting events with locally owned mom and pop restaurants.
