Spend a Morning on the Summer Roll Out Bakery Crawl

I’ve been noticing a growing trend of non-alcohol-centric crawls. In March, Forevermore Coffee hosted their annual matcha crawl — formerly known as Matcha Madness, it’s now called Matcha Mayhem. Forevermore also participated in Urban Green Lab and Compost Nashville’s Earth Month Coffee Crawl in April. That same month, the Middle Tennessee Indie Bookstore Crawl marked Independent Bookstore Day on April 25.

Now bakeries across Nashville and Davidson County are participating in the Summer Roll Out Bakery Crawl. It’s organized by Baked on 8th (disclosure: with the Scene as a media sponsor), and participating stores are offering limited-edition treats throughout the month of June. My friend KeShawn Ivory is the most discerning foodie I know, and he also happened to have the morning of June 1 off. I pitched him a half-day outing of sampling baked goods that would put us at home with full bellies in time for lunch.

We charted a course that took us on a big loop through most of the crawl’s neighborhoods: South Nashville, East Nashville and a broad swath from downtown to The Nations, which the crawl has dubbed “Northwest.” (There are also three locations included in the crawl’s “Neighboring” category.) On the ground, it became clear that the bakery crawl doesn’t follow a traditional bar-crawl model — there’s no expectation of hitting multiple stops in a single go. Still, splitting a few pastries and debating them Great British Bake Off style was the perfect way to spend a rainy morning. We didn’t make it to all 22 participating locations, but here are our thoughts on several that we checked out.

A square pastry on a mesh table next to a bingo card of restaurants participating in a bakery crawl — Dozen
Photo: Eric England

South Nashville

After picking up our scorecards, Dozen was our first stop — and their raspberry and star anise bar set a great tone for the day. It’s an elevated but unfussy crumble, the kind of thing that instantly transports you to childhood summers. Hints of sea salt and licorice offered a tasty balance to the sweetness.

A cookie topped with buttercream and caramel and kettle corn — Baked on 8th
Photo: Eric England

When we first arrived at the crawl’s flagship bakery, Baked on 8th, the day’s goods had just gotten out of the oven and still needed cooling and decorating — and their caramel corn cookie is worth waiting for. A cornbread cookie with honey butter icing, salted caramel dressing and pieces of kettle corn, it’s an audacious choice with surprisingly nuanced flavors.

A doughnut on a pink plate with a sign reading "lemon poppy lavender old fashioned" — East Park Donuts & Coffee
Photo: Eric England

East Nashville

I’m known to frequent East Park Donuts & Coffee for their scrumptious seasonal lattes (until next time, Cocomo Mocha), but I don’t go for their baked goods as often. Their June selection — a lemon poppyseed lavender old-fashioned — is the first doughnut I’ve ever called “refreshing.” While we both found the lemon a bit overpowering, the special has a buoyant texture — something that cakey old-fashioned doughnuts don’t always achieve.

Guerilla Bizkits wasn’t open that Monday morning, but as someone with an appreciation for both biscuits and plant-based eating, I’ve put them next on my list for this month. Meanwhile over in Lockeland Springs, Mama Bread was sold out of their bakery crawl special when I tried to double back for it — a bummer, but a good sign.

A box of two funfetti madeleines, dots of color brightening up the classic French cookie — Cocorico
Photo: Eric England

Northwest

Before the bakeries announced their specials, KeShawn had a theory that Cocorico would pick a croissant — something distinctly French that shows off technique. Instead they had funfetti madeleines, which offered springy vanilla-almond flavors and cute, colorful presentation. If you’re looking for a classic cookie, here’s where you’ll find one, but for a limited-time special we agreed we would’ve liked to see a bigger swing.

A furikake kouign-amann with butter and toasted sesame seeds — Babychan
Photo: Eric England

Our favorite of the day was Babychan’s furikake kouign-amann, which arrived topped with melty butter and toasted sesame seeds. After my first bite, I just started thinking in adjectives: pillowy, crunchy, flaky. The layers of butter and seaweed interact beautifully, with a yummy fishiness right at the end of each bite. Since we tried it, I haven’t stopped thinking about this pastry — I won’t be surprised if I find myself heading back to the Neuhoff District for round two.