I love a good piece of sourdough bread, with champagne mustard and a slab of cheddar. I’ve recently noticed an abundance of pop up bake stands in my travels around the main streets and back roads of Central Mass (and on my social media), and like the opportunity to purchase delicious, homemade bread and pastries. Our oldest son brought Jay a delicious loaf of sourdough from Bacon Street Farmstand for Father’s Day. Was it a last minute gift (he lives right near there), or did he plan ahead and just happens to live near where he could pick up a loaf of one of his dad’s favorite foods? We don’t know, but it was delicious! I contacted a few locals I’m aware of, who I think do a very nice job with their presentation and promotion of their products, and their home-based business. I asked them why they’re doing it, their initial inspiration, their favorite product within their assortment, how people order, etc. Basically, anything they’d like to share.
I’d like this to be an evolving story–if you’ve created a local bread stand or you set up at a farmers market, etc. reach out to me for the potential to be added to this story! If you’re a reader, send me any questions you have for any of the bread purveyors and I’ll get them answered and added to the story. Feedback welcome, too! I want to know your favorites!
Victoria Knight
Bacon Street Farmstand, Westminster
I started experimenting with sourdough about a year ago when I wanted to be able to replace a few household items with a healthier, homemade alternative. I have two boys and even at the ages of 2 and 4, they still manage to eat through the groceries in my house within days. So anything to avoid a grocery trip was a win for me! Once I got the hang of making sourdough, I became obsessed. It was so satisfying to feed my family and friends something made of literally only 3 ingredients. I came in contact with a company out of Franklin, MA called Island Custom Coops who had built us a chicken coop and had a stand of their own, and asked them to build one for us. I figured it would be a fun hobby for me and my kids, and a good way for them to learn about work and money. I was so surprised that the first few days we were open we sold out in hours! Since then we have decided to open two days a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) and have been able to offer fresh sourdough, sourdough cookies, sourdough scones, and other baked goods to those who stop by. We decided to run by a first come first serve basis; as a busy mom I love stands that you don’t have to place an order with and can stop by when you feel like it so I wanted to implement that at ours! On open days, I post on our Instagram and FB page and list what will be available that day for purchase. I LOVE spicy food, so my Cheddar Jalapeño loaves are my favorite!
Facebook: Bacon Street Farmstand
Instagram: Bacon Street Farmstand
Seta Patsis
Our Daily Bread, Westminster
Our Daily Bread was founded in January 2024. I am a primarily stay at home mama of two boys and am always looking for the healthiest and most wholesome ways to feed them. I was horrified at the ingredients of store bought bread…enter sourdough! After I started making sourdough for my family, I quickly developed a love and passion for bread making. My faith has always been forefront in my life and I also could not ignore the strong connection between bread and Jesus. The idea for selling bread from my home via a licensed cottage bakery and sharing my love for sourdough and the word of God quickly developed and Our Daily Bread was born. I make artisan sourdough loaves, sandwich loaves, baguettes, and focaccia. I also sell sourdough cookies and scones. Ordering is done via direct message on Facebook or Instagram, and my menu posts every Saturday. Bread is picked up at my home, locally in Westminster every Friday.
Facebook: Our Daily Bread
Instagram: Our Daily Bread
Shauna Heagy
Abundant Bakehouse, Westminster
Making and creating has always been a big part of my life, truly an outlet of mine. As a mom of six kids life is busy and full, and recently my creative outlet has been making bread! I love serving my family with homemade foods that have ingredients I choose. I consider it my mission to bless others and my family with wholesome food to nourish the body and spirit. Bread making has been one of my favorites over the years, from sandwich bread, to Finnish nisu, to sweet dinner rolls and cinnamon buns, there’s just something so satisfying about working with dough from start to finish.
I started making bread for my family on a more regular basis about a year and a half ago, specifically diving into the world of sourdough. I have been eating gluten free for 10 years and had heard that sourdough could be tolerated by many gluten intolerant people. After many rounds of making sourdough bread, my family fell in love with all the sourdough recipes I whipped up, and I fell in love with the challenge of mastering them. It only seemed natural to take the next step and sell what I was already making tons of. And the mission of blessing others with good wholesome food could happen more often! I pursued a residential kitchen license and opened up shop.
I currently bake to order, and sell once a week with pick-ups from my home in Westminster near Wachusett Mountain. But I hope to eventually have a pop-up, or roadside stand where people can come once a week and shop what’s in stock. Currently my main items are sourdough artisan loaves, cookies, and sourdough pizza dough. I plan to offer more gluten free (gluten friendly) items, like gf bread and cookies. I would love to bake for you! I chose Abundant Bakehouse as my name because we have been given the gift of abundant life (Jn 10:10) and I often say to my kids, “we have been given so much in this life, let’s give to others from the abundance we have!” Be sure to check out my ordering platform Hot Plate, click on “never miss a sale” and you’ll be kept in the loop whenever I open my menu.
Facebook: Abundant Bakehouse
Instagram: Abundant Bakehouse
Bryan Faucher
Golden Grain Artisanal Bread, Princeton
Why you’re doing it:
Succinctly put – for the love of cooking and a desire to share it with others. I think it’s universally understood that food has a kind of nostalgic power. It can, figuratively, bring you back in time and to a specific place. It can connect people. It can lift moods, it can make a gathering special, and it can be a great way of showing your love for someone. I suppose I like the idea that I might be able to wield that power. While, yes, this is a business, I am not primarily motivated by money and profits. I do this because I get a tremendous sense of pride from the work and the process itself. This is not a job for me – it’s the pursuit of mastery. I very much want to become expert in bread baking and I’m absolutely ecstatic that there are so many people that care to follow my progression.
Your initial inspiration:
I have been teaching myself to cook from a fairly early age. As a rather picky eater growing up, I’d often have to make my own meals and, through the years, that became a practical sort of hobby. There is a real sense of satisfaction that comes from making your own food. As for “why bread”, I’m not entirely sure I’ve pinned down the reason(s) as to why I chose to focus on bread baking. Truth be told, I consider myself more a cook than I do a baker. I think I preferred the former because it’s less precise and allows for more creativity. You can also cook on instinct and feeling more so than you can in baking. Making good bread requires strict attention to detail and pinpoint accuracy across several variables (e.g.: time, temperature, hydration, culture activity, etc.). Though that’s in stark contrast to what I said I prefer in cooking, I was drawn in by how challenging it was. To me, making a loaf of bread equal to that of decades-old boulangeries was a lofty goal and the pinnacle achievement for a home cook. Enroute to accomplishing that, I gained a real appreciation for it. At the risk of coming across a bit cheesy, it’s become an artform for me.
Speaking broadly, food itself is the inspiration driving this upstart business. If you follow us on social media, you’ll see that our breads aren’t always front and center. The ingredients we use are equally important and worthy of the spotlight, too. I’m also planning to use the platform to develop and share recipes that utilize or compliment our breads. If interested in purchasing one of our Mediterranean Olive loaves, then I want to talk to you about the varieties of olives included, their characteristics, the reasons we’ve opted for that particular blend, and some things you might want to try it with. Tapenade, perhaps? A whipped feta spread, maybe?
I’d also say that the growing sense of community here in town served as inspiration, too. While Christmas tree shopping this last year, we happened across Maplebrook Farmstead in Sterling. The owner/operator had an unstaffed farm stand selling milk, eggs, meat, cheeses and the like at the front of her property. I remember being pretty blown away by the outpouring of support – she’d amassed a nice following and she told us that the farm was sustained on sales from that stand. Previous to that day, I would not have thought that there was enough local interest to merit opening a micro-bakery. She’s the reason I had any nerve at all to attempt this. I really owe her a debt of gratitude for opening my eyes to the possibility.
Your favorite product of your assortment:
I think the nod has to go to the baguette. I love everything about them. It’s as versatile a bread as it is iconic, a true culinary staple and a globally recognized symbol of a historically rich food culture. It’s generally accepted that baguettes trace back to 18th century France; a period so long ago that the monarchy was still in place. Baguettes were ubiquitous in French daily life and so they’ve endured to this day, perfected over centuries by the contributions of countless skilled bread bakers. Parisian families had a kind of relationship with their local bakers. I rather like the idea that I might have a similar impact on the people in my community and those who come to visit us.
When developing my version of a proper French baguette, it was very important to me that they tasted, smelled, looked, and felt right – they needed to be genuine baguettes. I think the greatest compliment I’ve received came from a French expatriate on our Facebook page. She wrote in saying that I’d achieved a “real baguette” and that each bite brought her “back to France”. As said, food has a way of transporting us momentarily through time and place. That’s precisely what I love most about cooking/baking and I suppose that’s the experience I’m trying to deliver.
How people order:
Ordering with us is simple, it just requires a little advanced planning. We have a Hot Plate account where weekly “drops” are posted. Orders received prior to Sundays at 10pm will be ready for pickup at our address on Tuesdays between the hours of 5pm and 8pm. We’re building what we’ve lovingly dubbed the “Bread Shed” on our property where orders will be made available for pickup. We are currently only offering one weekly “drop” due to this being peak season for farmers markets. Toward the end of the summer, though, we’ll look to stock the Bread Shed with fresh offerings a couple times per day so folks can buy from us without having to place orders in advance. That web address is as follows:
Should you want to come see us in person, you can find us at the Shrewsbury Summer Market every Thursday from 3pm to 6:30pm and at the Sterling Street Market every Saturday from 10am to 2pm. We’re also actively looking for wholesale partners so do feel free to drop us a line if you think we could be a fit for your business.
Facebook: Golden Grain Artisanal Bread
Instagram: Golden Grain Artisanal Bread
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