Making dough

Deepa Bharath

Craig Clayton loves good bread. He can go to a restaurant, feast

on the bread basket, wash it down with some water and leave, he said.

Clayton is so passionate about the wheat, white and multigrain

that he decided to quit his profession as a Realtor and become a

baker.

That was nine years ago. Today, this 45-year-old Costa Mesa

resident has a thriving business -- the Sun Flour Natural Bakery on

East 17th Street.

The bakery produces an array of breads, cookies, cakes and

pastries. All the breads, except for the challah, are fat free,

Clayton said.

“There’s no oil, no dairy, no eggs and no fat,” he said. “The only

fat you have is from the grain.”

The grain makes its way from the wheat fields of Montana and is

hulled fresh everyday at the bakery. It’s also organic and certified

pesticide-free, he said.

The business started off with bread only and diversified later.

One of the hot favorites these days are the iced cookies that could

be made for any occasion from the holidays to wedding, baby showers

and birthdays.

“We even have special cookies coming out for the Super Bowl,” he

said.

Several local stores have started carrying his goods, including

Mother’s Market, Promelis Market, Bristol Farms, Wild Oats and South

Coast Plaza. But for Clayton, it’s been a hard road to success.

“There have been times when we wondered if the business would

survive,” Clayton said. “It’s been a lot of hard work.”

But the community warmed up to his bakery, and the business

gradually developed a loyal clientele, he said.

“There are people who came when I opened the bakery who still come

in,” Clayton said. Today, he has several bakers and staff. He even

has two master bakers to oversee breads and pastries and a graphic

designer and artist to work on the cakes.

The breads, which are the bakery’s key items, sell in the $3

range. Some of the cheese breads are priced at close to $5. The most

popular bread? The nine-grain that sells for $3.95 per 2-pound loaf.

The future seems bright and exciting, Clayton says.

“We’re trying to come up with a rice bread and a low-carbohydrate

bread for those on low-carb diets,” he said.

The bakery will also start serving soups and sandwiches in

February.

“We’ll also start having a wider variety of cakes and some of the

hard-crusted breads like sourdough,” he said. “I think it’s going to

be a good year.”