The milkbread experience is worth the drive to Davidson
Joe and Katy Kindred celebrated the grand opening of milkbread on Jan. 21. Since then, the all-day cafe has been abuzz and filled with hungry patrons excited to get a taste of the flavorful milk bread doughnuts and crispy chicken, among other items.
CharlotteFive spoke with Katy Kindred to learn more about the concept, the delicious food, “how to milkbread” and plans for the team’s future expansion to Charlotte. (Bonus: see what the plans are for the old Dairy Queen in Plaza Midwood.)
A product of COVID-19
The milk bread that welcomes you into the dining experience at one of the couple’s other restaurants, Kindred, is now a doughnut and cinnamon roll at milkbread. How did it happen?
During COVID-19, the couple had to shut down Kindred and their other restaurant, Hello, Sailor.
The biggest pivot was figuring out how to serve the community and keep staff employed.
A collaboration with Summit Coffee where the two brands served the community (drive-thru style) meant the team could finally serve a recipe they’d already been tweaking — milk bread doughnuts, which are a perfect match for coffee.
After realizing the demand for milk bread doughnuts (and creating a menu of food that traveled well when restaurant dining rooms were closed), milkbread was born.
A recipe with Japanese influence
So, what is milk bread?
Japanese milk bread is known for its buttery taste and uses tangzhong — a warm flour-and-water — which creates a soft, springy texture in buns.
Wanting something warm and comforting to hit the table before anything else at Kindred, the Kindreds put their own spin on the traditional milk bread recipe.
The rich, slightly sweet and salty and chewy dough bakes into a really soft, fluffy bread at Kindred and is used for doughnuts and cinnamon rolls at milkbread.
A push for community
“We’re trying to loop in as many of our friends and other local small businesses as we can to get everybody involved,” Kindred told CharlotteFive. Check out these local collabs:
Hex Coffee’s espresso is used at milkbread.
The cafe’s drip coffee is a collaboration with Summit Coffee.
Verdant Bread is used for milkbread’s toasts.
A sister location in Charlotte
Milkbread’s Charlotte location under construction. So, restoration of the old Dairy Queen in Plaza Midwood is on its way.
“We’re big restorers,” Kindred said. “We believe in restoration, keeping older buildings and giving them new life. The day we announced we were doing this in Davidson, we got the call. It just felt very serendipitous.”
The bones of the Dairy Queen building will remain, and milkbread Charlotte will pay homage to the original building in fun ways.
Because it’s a walk-up window, the experience will differ from the Davidson location — but you can expect a similar vibe.
The plan for now is that both locations will have the same menu.
With a smaller footprint at the Plaza Midwood location, the Kindreds will exercise flexibility because a spacious prep area will be necessary to create milkbread’s made-from-scratch menu items.
Due to supply chain issues, Kindred told us she’s hesitant to predict a timeline for opening, but she is hopeful to open before the end of the year.
A lesson on ‘how to milkbread”
Let’s face it, there’s no one way to ‘milkbread.’ All we know is that it can surely be done all day long (some visitors have maxed out at three visits in one day). For Kindred, it looks like this:
Enter milkbread for a late breakfast (after school drop-off).
Order one of five toasts that are on the menu (Avocado Toast, Nutella Toast, Milk & Honey, Smoked Ham Toast or Roasted Mushroom Toast), a cup of coffee and a doughnut. “I’ll have all three, take my time, grab a paper, my computer and get some work done,” she said. “I’ll have a leisurely breakfast.”
Return to Milkbread for an early dinner with a friend.
Snag a table and order a couple of glasses of wine (or a bottle to share) and a couple of lunch items to snack on.
milkbread
Location: 624 Jetton St, Davidson, NC 28036
Neighborhood: Davidson
Hours: Open 7 days a week from 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Instagram: @milkbreadallday
