Longtime friends open bakery in West Milton

The owners told Dayton.com customers can expect cupcakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, scones, muffins, doughnuts, buckeyes, brownies, sweet or savory kolaches, coffee and hot tea. Eddings explained kolaches are Czech pastries that they discovered in Texas. The sweet ones are similar to a Danish with filling and the savory ones are similar to a pig in a blanket.

She also said there are plans to add to their menu to include cheesecakes, fresh bread, macarons and more. If you’re not sure what to get, their specialties include buckeyes and cinnamon rolls.

“Cake is a big part of where we started, so we like to do crazy things,” Eddings added.

For example, they plan to have bacon and maple cupcakes with candied bacon on top.

The longtime friends started baking together in 2011.

Reed explained it all started when she gave her husband baked goods to take to work and his boss called her a “mad baker” because of all the treats she made. She said it was a running joke that stuck. Her husband was in the Army when they got married and she followed him around the country. When she was bored at home, she started baking. Reed said it wasn’t until he was going through training later in his career when she moved back home and started baking with Eddings.

The two moved to Texas together in 2013 where they continued baking. They said they were a part for a few years when Reed moved back home in 2019, but Eddings followed in 2022. Reed assumed they would bake from home again.

“If you had told us this time last year that we were going to be opening a bakery, I would have called you a liar,” she said.

She said when the opportunity presented itself they knew they had to jump on it.

HomeTowne Bakes By The Mad Baker was previously known as The Mad Baker, but the owners said they added to the name to pay homage of moving back home.

The bakery will have an area for people to eat and gather. The owners said they plan to open Tuesday through Saturday. Hours are to be announced.

“Our atmosphere will feed your soul, not just your belly,” Reed said.

For more information, visit the bakery’s Facebook page.