Flavor of Oklahoma: Country Bird Bakery in Tulsa gaining national recognition

A Tulsa bakery is gaining national attention for its baked goods—everything from fresh bread to croissants and many other creative delights.

Tucked away near 3rd and Utica, Country Bird Bakery is home to baked goods so tempting, people line up and wait—sometimes up to an hour—just to get their fix.

It’s only open one or maybe two days a week, and that’s because the team is working all week to prepare enough baked goods—all made by hand with love.

“We just can only do so much because we’re a small team and everything is from scratch handmade,” said Cat Cox, Country Bird Bakery owner.

Cox opened the bakery a couple of years ago. She’s worked as a chef and pastry chef in restaurants, but knew it was time to take her skills to an even bigger audience.

“It felt like the time, everything lined up; someone sent me a link to a used bread oven for sale in Bartlesville,” she said.

The menu is extensive: this team creates everything from danishes to croissants, cookies to scones. But every single thing is touched by hand, and nearly every ingredient used is local, from the produce to the flour itself.

“We get a lot of flair and texture from stone-milled grain and support local farmers and millers,” Cox said.

She is a sourdough master, and most of the baked goods reflect that.

“You can taste all the care and attention put into each thing that’s created,” said Cox.

Hundreds of sourdough loaves are made weekly by the team, a process that takes days. The chefs form and shape the loaves before they’re proofed, scored, and baked in the bread oven.

“We’re gonna steam it,” Cox said.

They come out puffed up and golden. You have to try a slice with the homemade butter, sourced from a local dairy farm.

“This is flavored with black garlic and honey,” Cox said.

Something as simple as bread and butter becomes so much more. It’s a little sweet, the bread is perfect, and the garlic adds a unique twist.

The croissants are one of the most popular items, but they’re also one of the most painstaking to make.

“Making croissants is a three-day process,” Cox said. “These have been proofing since 8 this morning. These are sourdough croissants, 50 percent whole grain.”

Flaky layers come from laminating cold butter. The croissants are rolled out, frozen, and then baked the next day to golden perfection.

“It’s so rich and so good, so decadent,” Cox said.

You could stop there, but the bakery chooses to stuff some of them with a nutty filling and chocolate, then bake them again.

“The filling is a hazelnut frangipane,” Cox said.

Between the gooey filling, warm chocolate, and crunchy, buttery croissant layers, "magical" is the only word that fits these twice-baked croissants.

Their attention to detail has been noticed. Cox was recently named a James Beard Award semifinalist, and Country Bird is also on The New York Times list of the best bakeries in the country.

Related: James Beard Award: These Oklahoma restaurants and chefs are in the semifinals

“In the beginning, every time I would think, 'There’s no way we’re gonna sell all this,’” she said.

All the good publicity has made it hard to keep up with demand, but Cox says she’ll never skimp on ingredients or quality.

“I really wanted to create a space in Tulsa that could hold its own in California or New York because I spent time in all these places, and I wanted to provide that for my community,” she said.

Country Bird Bakery is uniquely Oklahoman, and with quality this high, it’s worth the wait.

Country Bird Bakery is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays near 3rd and Utica in Tulsa. You should expect to wait in line and need to arrive early.

It’s sometimes open on Thursdays, but you should check their social media accounts first.

Country Bird Bakery is located on 1644 E 3rd St unit b, Tulsa, OK 74120.

We’re always looking for unique, special restaurants all over Green Country. You can send an email to Kristen.Weaver@Griffin.news with your recommendations.

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