Looking back on how their sourdough business — Seven4Two Bakery — began, Tyler and Kelly Kimura say everything started when they purchased a manual dough sheeter so they could learn to make croissants.
“We had some baking experience and simply wanted to challenge ourselves,” Tyler says. “At the time, we never imagined we’d eventually open a bakery out of our own home.”
The couple had run a bakery from 2012 to 2017 — before they had kids, according to Kelly, who says she and Tyler liked sourdough because of its simple ingredients.
After a lot of trial and error, the couple reached a point where they were making croissants they were proud of. They would often give their baked goods out to people in the neighborhood, in order to get feedback on their recipes.
Around the same time, they noticed the growing popularity of cottage bakeries on the Mainland.
“That’s when we had our ‘aha’ moment,” Kelly says. “We realized this could become more than just a hobby.
“Ever since our first child was born, we’d been looking for a business we could build together — one that we both enjoyed and that would also give us the flexibility to spend more time at home, and eventually, homeschool our children,” she adds. “It took us a while before we felt confident enough to take the leap.”
The business’s name was chosen by the couple’s three daughters.
“We gave them a few ideas, but they were set on ‘742’ because those were their ages at the time — 7, 4 and 2,” Kelly says. “The idea actually came from our oldest, and the younger two agreed. After making sure there wasn’t already another Seven4Two Bakery, we decided to roll with it.”
Seven4Two Bakery officially launched last April with its first pick-up day for orders. The business’s opening menu featured croissants, sourdough bread and sourdough dark chocolate chunk cookies.
“Since then, we’ve expanded to include scones, cinnamon rolls and sourdough English muffins,” Tyler says.
The business’s sourdough English muffins ($10 for a bag of four) are the business’s most popular item, according to Tyler.
“They’re thick, fluffy and make a great breakfast sandwich, but they’re just as good toasted with butter and jam,” he says. “If you’re ambitious, try making eggs Benedict with them.”
The business’s assorted croissant boxes (around $18 for four assorted pieces) are also customer favorites. Seven4Two Bakery offers butter, chocolate, ham and cheese, origami and apple origami croissants. The origami ones are inspired by the Kouign Amann (a pastry known for its caramelized sugar crust), according to Kelly. The origami croissant is sprinkled with sugar, folded and baked in a muffin pan to create a flower-like shape.
“They’re buttery, flaky and made from dough that’s folded and layered over multiple days,” she explains.
The apple origami features a sweet apple, brown sugar and cinnamon filling. Kelly notes that the apple origami and chocolate croissants — made with three batons of rich, dark chocolate — are the most popular flavors. She recommends the ham and cheese croissant, which is made with Gruyere, for those who want a savory option.
Customers can also opt for the business’s original sourdough ($10) and cheddar and roasted garlic sourdough ($13). The loaves are known for their soft interior and crust, according to Tyler.
“They have a nice crust, but not the kind that’s going to hurt your jaw,” he says. “By the time they make it to your home, the crust has usually softened just a bit.”
The business’s cinnamon rolls ($18 for four) are swirled with cinnamon and brown sugar, then topped with cream cheese frosting.
“The cinnamon rolls are kind of my passion project,” Kelly says. “We weren’t going to sell it — I just used to make it for people — but people were like, ‘You need to sell them.’”’
Customers can also opt for sourdough dark chocolate chunk cookies (six cookies for $12) — which feature the nutty flavor of browned butter — and sourdough mac nut chocolate chunk cookies (six for $12). Buttermilk scones (six for $18), which are hand-crafted in small batches, come in flavors like blueberry, pumpkin chocolate chip, bacon cheddar, matcha white chocolate and lilikoʻi.
The business is usually open for online pre-orders and pick-ups on Saturdays. Follow the Instagram account for updates; Seven4Two Bakery’s menu and pre-orders are available via hotplate.com. Orders usually open on Sunday mornings and close on Wednesday nights, giving the couple enough time to prepare.
“What makes us unique is the story of how we got here,” Kelly says. “We didn’t start out with the goal of opening a bakery. It started as a challenge to see if we could make croissants at home, and now it has grown into a little bakery serving our Pauoa Valley community every Saturday morning.”
CONTACT
Seven4Two Bakery
hotplate.com/seven4twobakery
Instagram: @seven4twobakery
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
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