What a Crumb…Bun!

Sometimes, you just have to return to the source and proclaim, “Wow” in a big way.

In this case, it’s about what is becoming a legendary lineup of pastries (cookies, too, but I digress), the crumb bun in particular, that drew immediate recognition from a passersby in a small parking lot up in, off all places, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area up in Sussex County.

That the pair of hand grenade-weight crumb buns next to the java-filled thermos would make one stop and take notice was certainly impressive.

We’d concluded an early morning squirrel hunt and were back at the SUV getting out of the hunting duds and readying for a sortie to a nearby trout stream that was recently stocked with robust rainbows. The coffee and buns were a reward for two bushytail limits. The Kittatinny ridges were just starting to display their seasonal glory.

Yeah, the bumper sticker from the bait and tackle shop was cause for pause, but it clicked.

“Those,” said the bowhunter, “are from that bagel place by the Wawa, right?”

It was more of an exclamation than a question, and, from our end, who would know except for someone in, or has been through the southern Ocean County area along Route 9 and stopped in for a bagel, bagel sandwich and/or, one of the most incredible crumb buns on Planet Earth.

Creekside Outfitters, Waretown (the bumper sticker); Danny’s Bay Shore Bagels & Deli (Barnegat) the locus.

Fast forward two months and a week or two and I’m inside the inner sanctum watching in awe the diminutive, high-octane Lauren Accaria doing her synchronized thing, not only creating heaven’s own crumb buns but also managing ovens and racks loaded with her cheesecakes, crumb bun cakes, and cookies.

All made on premises.

Holiday orders were piling in, and she wasn’t missing a beat.

Out front, staffers Erica and Misty were a seamless team filling bagel, bagel sandwich, and pastry orders.

Bagels? Also an on location dealio...all 24 selections that are flawless fits to the sandwich and spread selections.

To the crumb bun creation.

“I want to bake the world a better place, one crumb bun at a time,” professed Accaria, as she laboriously constructed a huge batch of crumb topping fixins’, “and I do it with a lot of love.”

“Love”, in shop’s parlance, translates to butter, lots and loads of it.

Continued the crumb ‘n dough maestro, “I loved to bake since I was 15. And I loved crumb buns. A few years ago I saw that a bakery in north Jersey had some bigger than usual crumb buns. Lots of topping. I believed I could do it better. I talked with my dad, Danny, and he agreed. It took a while, getting a lot more crumb than cake to make it all work. But it did. And here we are!”

“Wow!”, I proclaimed.

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Her original crumb bun, and crumb bun cake, have evolved into a waist expanding selection including cannoli, peanut butter, cheese danish, apple and raspberry. “With more to come,” Lauren’s energetic projection.

Have to get the Crumb Bun Crush experience only at the 550 North Main Street (Route 9), Barnegat address? Yeah, if a couple-a-three buns is the desire.

Want to share the Danny’s Bay Shore crumby love? Shipping is available, as is pre-ordering for pick up.

“That’s about 10 pounds, maybe a little more” was her answer to my expression, after a quick lift, regarding the air-starved tightly double plastic wrapped cake, along with several others, scheduled to be shipped later that afternoon.

All Crumb Bun bases covered...