Wildflour Bakery, Saluda, NC

As if strolling through streets full of apples wasn't enough foodie delight for one weekend, I also made time to visit a bakery on my recent trip to North Carolina. The Wildflour Bakery - isn't that a great name? - began as a part-time, bread-baking venture in 1981. Now there's a bricks-and-mortar location in the quaint little town of Saluda, NC, just miles from my in-law's cabin, that produces fresh loaves, cookies, pastries and some truly delicious 'stickie buns.'

At Wildflour, wheat is stone ground into flour each morning to ensure the freshness of their product - and you can smell the difference as soon as you walk in the door. Rich, yeasty aromas spill out into the tiny, brightly-painted space from a brick-lined window that opens out beside the ovens. Loaves of Dill, Whole Wheat, Swedish Rye, and Honey Cornbread line the wooden shelves, adding their individual savory aromas to the general atmosphere. Gourmet breads like English Cheddar, Walnut Wheat, Sundried Tomato & Basil, or Orange Cardamon Cranberry are available for a small extra charge.

We stopped by on Sunday morning, joining the late breakfast crowd and a few early lunchers already sampling the soups, salads and sandwiches on the menu. A bag of homemade graham crackers kept my almost-two-year-old niece happy, while a loaf of Swedish Rye went into a bag to take back to the cabin. To tide us over, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and I split a deliciously gooey stickie bun, sweet with vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar and studded with savory pecans.

I just knew Matt would enjoy this decadent treat, so we made plans to return on our way out of town. Unfortunately, the rains that arrived overnight managed to knock out the power by morning and we arrived to find the bakery in darkness and empty of customers. Not one to be easily deterred where sweets are concerned, I went in anyway (the sign did say 'open') and was thrilled to discover that they still had a few of the morning's stickie buns remaining. Without the aid of a cash register or credit card machine, we passed our cash over the counter and left with a brown bag of baked goods. In the darkness, the whole thing had the feel of some sort of secretive and particularly tasty black-market transaction!

Just one more gratuitous stickie bun picture!

We devoured our stickie buns in the car before setting off - a perfect, if messy, start to a long journey home.