In Japanese, the word “maru” means “circle.” That sort of sums up how Baton Rouge artisan baker Moeko Glynn feels about her cottage business.
“It’s about community,” she says of her Maru Bread Co. “Circle—as in a circle of people.”
A native of Japan, Glynn moved to Baton Rouge in 2011 after meeting her future husband at a Smashing Pumpkins reunion concert in New Orleans. She had been traveling the country and ventured to the Crescent City to see the band.
The couple later married, had two children and, along the way, Glynn began baking bread as a personal hobby. It was a way to pass the time in a place where she didn’t know many people.
She posted pictures of her handiwork on Instagram and shared loaves with friends. One friend connected her with the organizers of the Mid City Makers Market, the large monthly gathering of artists, craftspeople and artisan food producers on Eugene and Government streets. She’s been selling her rustic breads and sweets there since February 2017.
Glynn’s specialties include sturdy round sourdough loaves made from her own starter. She carves delicate patterns into the dough’s surface with a dual-edge razor blade before baking. She’s also taught herself to make croissants, cinnamon rolls, brioche loaves, chocolate and Nutella babka knots (including an egg- and dairy-free version), raisin buns, various flavors of bagels, hot cross buns and Belgian waffles.
Lately, she’s been playing around with beet puree, adding it to some of her doughs to create loaves with extra nutrients and a pretty, dark purple hue.
Restaurants and coffee shops have started to order Glynn’s products. Light House Coffee, which opened recently on Lee Drive, asked her to make cinnamon rolls and croissants. MJ’s Cafe featured her artfully assembled vegan king cakes during Carnival season. They included egg- and dairy-free dough topped with naturally dyed glazes.
“I used matcha to color the green glaze, turmeric for the yellow and purple sweet potato for the purple,” Glynn says. “I’m not a vegan, but it was a fun project.”
Look for Maru Bread Co. at the Mid City Makers Market. She also takes orders through Instagram, @marubreadco.
This article was originally published in the June 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.
