Water Tank Bakery

#GSVMemberMonday Feature

Rachael Sobczak is the founder, owner and head baker of Water Tank Bakery in Burlington. She crafts breads, cakes and cookies from 100% locally milled flour made from Northwest grain. Rachael sells her goodies at farmers markets, retail shops, coffee stands and the walk-up window at her bakery located right next door to Cairnspring Mills, where her flour is sourced and hand delivered. 

Originally from Wisconsin, learning to cook and bake was an outgrowth of Rachael’s wide-ranging taste for adventure, food and gardening even as a child. In 2007, after graduating from The Evergreen State College, she moved to the Skagit Valley and joined Scott Mangold and Renee Bourgault at Breadfarm for a ten-year immersion in professional, artisanal baking. In 2017 Rachael began graduate work for a degree as a Dietician (an area where she sees potential for transformation). While pursuing her studies she volunteered, coordinating a school garden program at her son’s elementary school. She also led an after-school Garden Club and taught cooking classes for children.

Like many other people, Rachael’s path was abruptly changed by the Covid 19 pandemic. Going back to her roots, she started a small baking business selling from her home. Demand quickly grew for her products, then known as Rachael and Bread. Rachael’s business continued to grow by leaps and bounds and in 2021 the Port of Skagit offered her space in a building where three-phase service was available as well as a place to house a stone oven gifted from Seattle restaurateur Tom Douglas himself. Water Tank Bakery was born.

These days Rachael’s goodies can be found locally at the Skagit Valley Food Coop, Boldly Grown Farm, Primose Antiques and Gifts inside Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse, Waxwing Farmstand and many more. The bakery’s walk-up retail window off of Water Tank Road near the Port of Skagit is open Wednesdays and Fridays from 12-6 and Saturdays and Sundays from 10-6. Water Tank Bakery also offers wholesale orders to businesses via their website.

We recently caught up with this busy baker and asked Rachael what her favorite Skagit grown fruit and/or vegetable was. She very cleverly took it a step further for us…

“My favorite Skagit Valley crop is wheat. Our local grain economy has provided me the opportunity to use 100% locally grown and fresh-milled flour in my bakery products. To be able to say “All of the wheat in this loaf of bread was grown within 12 miles of the bakery and milled right next door.” is a real honor! The Skagit Valley is sustaining local farmers, millers, bakers and eaters!”

To know Rachael is to love her. We know that Genuine Skagit Valley wouldn’t be the same without her. That’s why we’re so proud to feature Water Tank Bakery as this week’s #GSVMemberMonday. Thank you for all that you do to share your love of the Skagit Valley and supporting the Genuine Skagit Valley program, Rachael!