Imagine a roadside fruit stand, except there isn’t any fruit. Instead, it’s filled with the most delicious, mouthwatering baked goods (sweet and savory) you’ve ever seen! That’s exactly what Pickwicke Salt+Flour created: a coastal country stand specializing in homemade rustic breads and sweet treats. New this summer, Amanda Bertoncini and Tiffany Wright, neighbors and friends on beloved Pickwicke Road in Lewes (right off Route 24 near JD Shuckers), opened a cottage bakery known for small-batch sourdough loaves, artisan sourdough bagels, giant cookies, delectable desserts, famous scones and even dirty soda beach buckets! Open ONLY on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until they sell out).
The home-based bake shack, operating under a Cottage Bakery License, is marked by a teal, coastal-inspired bakery wagon parked at the base of the driveway at 20891 Pickwicke Rd., Lewes, DE 19958, and showcases the weekly labor of love of these two local women. “Tiffany does all the sweet treats and I stretch the sourdough,” Amanda clarifies. Both women are local and were raised in coastal Delaware, working full time in local health care: Amanda as a registered nurse and Tiffany as a licensed social worker working as a clinical care coordinator while actively completing her master’s degree. They are both also mothers, each having two children, so spare time is not a commodity they take lightly. But these mamas are late-night bakers, and while everyone in their houses sleeps, they unwind and de-stress by baking. Each week they make 340 to 350 handcrafted treats to sell at their bakery shack on Saturday mornings.
“Fridays are 15+ hour days. We both work all week and then do a final push. Our lights are on and our sinks are full, but that long line of customers on Saturday morning gives us a rush of energy I cannot describe,” Amanda says.
“Honestly, we just love it, so it doesn’t feel like work,” Tiffany smiles.
What started as a fun Easter idea this year has morphed into a full-fledged side hustle for these local ladies. “We spent a month just building our brand: building the shack, packaging, logo, even custom wallpaper to fit our coastal cottage vibe! We also wanted to make sure our menu had weekly changes and seasonal changes for what our area has to offer,” Amanda said. They focus on local ingredients and avoid harsh dyes and chemicals for colors.
“Quality matters to us and we use premium ingredients. If there is a natural alternative, we reach for that first and always try to get our color from red rice yeast, blue spirulina or a natural gel food coloring, only when needed,” Amanda explains.
They even have Marionberries shipped in from Oregon each month to create Tiffany’s famous scones.
“They’re a hybrid blackberry that is smaller and sweeter. My scones are ultra-buttery. I add white chocolate and laminate the butter in, like a croissant,” Tiffany describes.
It takes her seven hours to make 80 scones each week.
For live menu drops, flavor rotations and weekly updates, check out their Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. From Sunday to Wednesday, they take preorders online for Saturday morning pickup.
“We realized we were running out of certain goodies in the first 45 minutes of being open, so we added preorders for our repeat customers. Now, 40% of our inventory goes to preorders,” Amanda smiles.
Order at hotplate.com/pickwickesaltflour. The link is also available on their social media pages. Scones, sourdough bagels, sourdough bread and brownies made with Dogfish Head Stout, buttermilk and espresso are typically the first to go!
If you suddenly have a hankering for a crusty loaf of sourdough or your belly is rumbling for a sweet dessert (me too), make sure to head over this Saturday to check out their delicious spread. And don’t worry, they plan on being outside on Saturdays year-round.
“We can’t wait for the holidays to add fun special recipes,” Amanda said.
“Baking just brings us joy, and this is a true dream,” Tiffany smiles.
Proof that sometimes the sweetest surprises come from sharing a passion that brings people together, one delicious creation at a time.
