It may be a small storefront bakery, but it is big on enthusiasm and flavor. Customers are guaranteed a warm welcome by bakers dedicated to serving the best German breads and rolls this side of the Atlantic.
Steve and Corinna Deming never dreamed they would open a bakery specializing in German breads. “When we moved to Michigan in 2000, we realized there was a huge German community, but no German food, and particularly no German Bread,” says baker Corinna.
Steve, a native Michiganian, traveled to Germany in 1989 to work in the automotive business. He had planned to stay only six months, but ended-up staying for ten years. Why?
“I met my sweetheart there,” says Steve, age 43. Corinna was a radiological technologist in Krefeld, Germany, the city where they both ultimately got into the baking business.
“There was a great bakery in Krefeld called Knops, which made the absolute best German rolls (Broetchen),” Corinna recalls. It was in this same bakery Steve occasionally worked to learn about the art of German baking.
When they returned to Michigan in 2000, it was clear to the two bread-connoisseurs that the bread products in Michigan lacked that authentic German touch. “We tried breads, rolls and baguettes. I must admit, some of them were really good, but they were not real German breads like the ones in Krefeld,” Steve comments.
With a strong desire and a vision, Steve began his quest to bake authentic German rolls. Quality was his first priority. Steve journeyed back to Germany for a crash course in baking. “We worked through all aspects of the baking process that might be different: the temperature, the humidity, the quality of the water, etc.” With German flour in hand and a lot of good advice, he traveled back to Michigan. His technique was perfected. Now it was time to put it into practice.
In an empty garage in Fraser, a German car collector was able to spare some space where Steve baked one test batch after another. He sent flour samples to different mills across the country, trying to match what he needed. None of the mills could match the German flour. After two years, one of the mills came up with a match. This special stone-ground flour remains a Deming secret.

Steve’s first 12 dozen rolls made with this new flour were a huge success. Visitors at the German-American Networking Fair in Sterling Heights were the first customers to taste his authentic Broetchen. They told him, ”If you keep this quality, we will buy them by the thousands.” Suddenly, it wasn’t the quality, but the quantity, that took priority.
In 2007, Steve and Corinna started with a vendor stall at the Mt. Clemens Farmers Market on Saturdays. In less than a year, they were able to open their first retail facility in Clinton Township. This past summer they began selling at the New Baltimore Farmers Market. Plans for growth continue.
“We would love to do this full time,” Steve remarks. In the meantime, they are concentrating on a mail-order system to ship their bread nationwide. Not only do the Demings bake regular, sesame, poppy and pumpkin seed rolls, they also bake a variety of authentic German breads including multi-grain, whole-grain, buttermilk and sourdough rye that rivals only the very best.
Steve adds, “We use the best ingredients, with no preservatives. Our old world recipes combined with cutting edge technology give our baked goods a delectable taste, and texture which is unmatched anywhere in the baking industry.”

Rheinland Baked Goods is located at 43638 Elizabeth Road at Dunham Road in Clinton Township. Currently they are open Tuesday through Friday 9am-5pm, and Saturday 9am-4pm. For more information, or to reserve an order, call: 586-463-3330, or visit their website at: www.rheinlandbakedgoods.com.