For most, waking up on the "wrong side of the bed" can set off irritability for the rest of the day. For Clint Janson, the head baker at Leaven Bakery & Patisserie and husband of owner Christie Janson, however, unfavorable croissant dough is the daily predictor of his mood.
"My attitude has been really, really good the last few months," says Janson, whose croissants have been said to rival those from France.
Many who've tried the bakery that opened in late summer 2024 in Deer Park's small downtown area wouldn't believe it if you told them that Janson barely knew how to make chocolate chip cookies a few years ago. Now, he supports his wife by baking up a storm and perfecting his recipes.
Christie Janson works full time as a nurse supervisor but carves out time in the early morning hours to bake her much-loved cinnamon rolls before heading out to work a 10-hour shift.
"People have always told my wife that her cinnamon rolls are the best that they've ever tasted," Clint says. "It's just nice to see people affirming that they are incredibly great cinnamon rolls. They're light and fluffy, so she's had that dialed in."
Clint and Christie took over the corner of West Crawford and South Main Street in Deer Park originally with the dream of continuing on the legacy of its former tenant, Thai Garden. Blown away by the Thai restaurant's peanut sauce, Clint vowed years ago to take over the business if it ever closed, despite having an advertising and marketing background and no experience in a commercial kitchen.
"We bought [Thai Garden's] top 15 recipes and the name, and we were just going to do takeout Thai food. That was it, that was where it was going to end," he says. "But the new building owner, Deborah Freeman, had this space and that space as one unit and wanted a kind of a sit-down restaurant. It was her vision."
While surveying the space for renovations, the couple found extra square footage they weren't quite sure what to do with.
"And then my wife reminded me, 'You know, I've always dreamed of owning a bakery.' She told me that a few years ago, and I created that logo a few years ago just for fun," Clint says, referring to the rising "A" in Leaven's logo. The name is a reference to the leavening process in baking.
Putting "honey-do lists" to shame, Clint encouraged and helped Christie fulfill her dream, simultaneously becoming a pastry master in his own right.
To get a taste of Leaven's most popular items, croissants ($6.95) and cinnamon rolls ($5.25), be sure to set your alarm to an ungodly hour — especially if you have a decent drive to Deer Park. Many days, these bestsellers are sold out before 10 am.
The couple's pastries draw customers from near and far, all vying to get their hands on the buttery, flakey goodness. Yet it's also been a labor of love to perfect a croissant recipe that suits Deer Park's specific climate and altitude.
"For a year, the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life was trying to perfect croissants," Clint says.
Besides taking an online master class with world-renowned pastry chef Antonio Bachour, Clint went through numerous failures to reach a croissant recipe he's proud to showcase.
"I don't think there's any major secret about it, but every single day the dough acts differently. It feels differently. It's the temperature of the dough, it's the temperature of the butter, it's the quality of the butter. Our butter is very expensive — it's crazy expensive," he says of the high-fat European butter used.
Clint uses a hand-crank laminator, a machine which assists in folding the layers of butter into the dough, whereas most bakeries today use an electric laminator to significantly reduce production time.
Proofing the dough adds even more complexity.
"I had to figure out a way to make them, get them in the freezer, and then pull them out and let them proof overnight so they're ready in the morning, or else you're here all the time," he says. "And so I've been able to do that, we're doing about a 12-and-a-half- to 13-hour proof. So I come in the morning, they're just about ready, turn on the ovens, get them in."
Clint's hard effort paid off when a customer told him, "'This is better than any croissant I had in Paris, and I've lived in Paris for six years.'"
"Because that was my goal. I thought, I do always dream big, and I thought that that might be pretentious, that might be unattainable, but it seems like it hasn't been," he says.
Some of the other baked goods Leaven sells utilizing his perfected croissant dough are a pain au chocolat ($6.95) and kouign-amann ($5.50), akin to a "caramelized croissant." There's also a ham and swiss croissant ($7.50) for those who seek something more savory.
Leaven's scones ($3.25), with flavors like maple walnut, orange cranberry and chocolate almond, have the perfect soft but crumbly texture.
Since opening, the bakery has turned into even more of a family affair, with Christie's son, Tribe, heading up the sourdough operations.
"He's embraced the sourdough, and he's doing a great job, because I was doing it, and I couldn't focus on that and the croissant," Clint says.
Among their sourdough loaf varieties are honey oat ($11.95), cranberry walnut ($13.95) and ancient grain ($13.95).
The Jansons are all about supporting other local businesses. They get their coffee from Wacker Coffee Co., also in Deer Park, honey from Greenbluff Honey Farm, and flour from Shepherd's Grain in Palouse.
Tim Wacker of Wacker Coffee approached the Jansons with his light and medium roast small-batch coffees, and after trying it and other popular local coffee roasters, the Jansons agreed that it was the perfect addition to their beverage menu.
From lattes ($5-$6.25) to Americanos ($4) to affogatos ($5), there's a coffee beverage to suit anyone's taste — the perfect pairing with a pastry. There's also hot cocoa and steamers ($3-$4) for those who want a warm beverage without the caffeine.
Born and raised in Deer Park, Clint always envisioned running a business in the community.
Leaven is a bright, small space with floor-to-ceiling, street-facing windows. It's reminiscent of a modern French bakery, with circular marble tables, white tile backsplashes and wrought iron bistro chairs.
The warm glow of industrial hanging lights and the exposed brick walls balance the clean white details, with the brick also nodding to the 1880-constructed building's history.
Clint, a jack of all trades, made the white counters holding the bakery display case and kiosk.
"We wanted it to be clean and feel a little upscale, but we want to be approachable," he says.
The bakery has a door to what will soon be the revamped Thai Garden, also under the Jansons' ownership and set to open in the next few months.
"I wanted to bring something that Deer Park could embrace, but that would also elevate what people think of Deer Park," Clint says. "We are not just this tiny farming community which we have been forever — and that's great — but we are also a place where you can go and get really good stuff, and it's good to be a part of that."
Leaven Bakery & Patisserie • 7 S. Main St. Unit B, Deer Park • Open Tue-Wed and Fri 7 am-2 pm; Sat 8 am-2 pm leaven-bakery.com • 509-710-4276
