Hi friends! Thanks so much for reading this.

I’m writing to announce that, after many requests from friends, neighbors and colleagues I have decided to start selling my bread locally to friends.

In truth, I love to bake this bread, it brings me great joy! However, I have not wanted to sell it in the past because it feels so good to gift it to people. I have baked countless loaves and delighted so much in delivering freshly baked bread to friends and neighbors, as birthday gifts, and indeed to people experiencing homelessness.

People tell me they love eating my bread and that love is what I make the bread with, it’s a collective effort that makes it so delicious!

At this time, I am facing financial insecurity as all of my clients have been forced to close (hopefully temporarily) and several have had to postpone our work together. As a self-employed person, it’s challenging to not know what my financial future might look like, as we continue to shelter in place.

To make ends meet, while socially distancing, I have decided to use the gifts my mom gave me, and answer the requests to offer my bread for sale. If you or someone you know is able to and wants to support a local parent and entrepreneur in getting through this time, feel free to share this with them.

About my bread:

My bread is made from a wild yeast starter I acquired from a friend in Portland. It has been living for about 16 years and flew on a plane to me in December of 2018. The starter is fed regularly with filtered water and organic hard red wheat flour. The final loaf of bread contains only flour, water and Himalayan pink salt (and every one of them feels like a miracle to me!) It takes about 30 hours to bake a loaf of bread from start to finish. 

The bagels are also made from my wild yeast, and also include a smidgeon of organic sugar along with the flour, water and Himalayan pink salt. To each bagel I also add a seasoning, all of which are organic, with the exception of the everything bagels (I am working on sourcing my own ingredients to create a fully organic everything bagel seasoning). It takes about 26 hours to bake a batch of bagels from start to finish.

About my baking:

It feels important to share that through growing up on an organic grain farm and being raised by a homesteading mother, I started baking at age 5. My mom made all the bread we ate. Her bread was legendary, and she entered it and won first prize at the county fair for many years. She made whole wheat bread from flour from the wheat my dad grew, leavened with commercial yeast and taught me this method (which she learned from the Tassajara Bread Book- the hippie bread bible). 

My mom loved “artisan” bread, and every time she would come to visit I would make sure to buy her a loaf from a local bakery. Over the years I branched out and began experimenting with breads and baking techniques from around the world. In 2017 I began working with wild yeast and as my skills grew, I was inspired to make the kind of bread my mom craved. I have now surpassed her bread baking skills and having risen to the level of master bread baker, I’m currently leveling up to beginner artisan baker.

Though she never got a chance to taste my bread, every loaf I make is influenced by my mother, and indeed, I feel her spirit encouraging me every time I put a flat loaf of dough in the oven, only to pull it out 40 minutes later amazed that it has become “real bread”! 

How to order:

To place an order, you can fill out this form. Orders placed by 11 am can be filled the following morning, in most cases, unless supplies are low. Orders will be picked up from my front patio, and when your order is ready I will text you to let you know that it is available for pick up. Most orders will be baked in the morning and available by 10 am.

Coronavirus concerns:

Production: My house and kitchen are disinfected 3 times per day, all of my utensils are sanitized after each use. I will not make bread if anyone in my house is knowingly exposed to someone with Coronavirus or if someone is my household begins to feel symptoms of any kind.

Pick up: I will disinfect between pickups, but we all need to participate in the health of our community and each one of us should follow the physical distancing and healthy hygiene recommendations. Please be careful and follow all health-related laws when picking up the bread.

As I add new offerings and iterate my order process, I will update this post and my order form. Thanks again for reading, sharing and for those inspired to order, thank you for your support!

Love, Iris