Stamford Resident Finds True Passion Through Handmade Brioche Donuts

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford resident Sandeep Gupta has always loved baking, going back to when she was growing up in Canada watching her mother make goodies for family and friends.

She was drawn to the craft, and even took a few baking courses in high school. After studying computer science in college, Gupta later began a product design career with a startup company in San Francisco, Calif.

"I loved it. It was really good, it was artistic, I was designing apps," Gupta said of her job. She continued to bake on the side for people she knew. "One day, I was talking to my husband and I was like, 'Hey, I really like this, but I really want to follow my passion.'"

Gupta delved further into baking several years ago and taught herself through online courses, and she honed in on making brioche-style donuts.

In February of this year, she moved to Stamford to be closer to her husband's family, who is based in Westchester County, N.Y.

"We decided if we move here, we'd start a business," Gupta said. "That's how Bake Zone CT started."

Borne out of her apartment kitchen earlier this year, Gupta makes gourmet, soft, pillowy, fresh-filled brioche donuts using high-quality ingredients; flavor offerings are unique and eclectic, and change every two weeks.

When she started the business, Gupta taste-tested the recipes and creations on family and friends, and participated in pop-up events at local apartment buildings in Stamford Downtown.

"People loved it so much, they were asking how they could order more," Gupta said, noting the creation of her website and Instagram page.

Bake Zone CT has caught on in popularity since it officially launched.

A regular now at the Harbor Point farmer's market each Sunday, Gupta posted on Instagram that she brought 250 donuts with her on Aug. 3 and sold out in 40 minutes. A line was already forming while she was setting up her booth.

Along with catching Gupta at the right time in Harbor Point or at other pop-up events around the city, orders can be placed through her website or Instagram for pickup or delivery. Gupta will deliver the freshly-made donuts to Stamford and surrounding towns like Greenwich and Darien, as well as in Westchester County.

"Now strangers have become regulars, and now regulars became friends," Gupta said.

The core of Bake Zone CT is freshness.

"When I started this business, I wanted to make sure I didn't use any preservatives. I wanted to make sure I didn't use any softeners for the dough," Gupta said.

It takes 48 hours for Gupta to make her donuts, from prep work to filling. Each donut is shaped, fried, filled, and finished by hand.

Proofing typically takes two to five hours, depending on the weather. Donuts are fried and then freshly-filled right before they're handed over to the customer.

There is usually a minimum of six donuts per order, but Gupta recently launched "no minimum Fridays" for pickup only in Stamford Downtown as long as orders are placed by Thursday. Westchester residents can pick up in Elmsford, N.Y.

"The shelf life of my donuts is one day, or two if you put them in the fridge. I want to make sure I'm serving every customer fresh. There's no food coloring and no chemicals," Gupta said. "The ingredients [for the dough] are very simple and basic: flour, sugar, yeast, salt, milk and eggs. That's it, nothing else."

Fillings are made from fresh, local ingredients, and aren't overpoweringly sweet.

Flavors rotate every two weeks, but new offerings can be found each week at Harbor Point. According to the Bake Zone CT website, the flavors from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15 are:

• Lavender Honey: Organic lavender buds, infused in cream overnight with honey. Topped with lavender buds.
• Mississippi Mud Pie: Filled with triple chocolate pie flavor, then topped with crushed semi-sweet chocolate.
• Banana Pudding: Silky homemade banana pudding cream and topped with house-made dehydrated honey banana.
• Dubai Chocolate: Creamy pistachio ganache with toasted pistachios and kataifi pastry.

The name of the company comes from the place Gupta goes to when she puts her apron on: the zone.

"It makes me very calm. I get into the zone, I have my music on. It's like I'm in my own world," Gupta said. "It just calms me, and I love feeding people. I wanted to bring that to other people."

Gupta was recently on vacation and found herself missing baking. She returned last Wednesday and immediately started to work on an order.

"It just makes me so happy," she said.

Gupta said a brick and mortar location for her popular donut creations is possible down the road.

For more information on Bake Zone CT, check out their website or @bakezonect on Instagram.