It can take three days to make a single loaf of bread.
Raquel Stanek does not consider this work.
In April 2020, Raquel Stanek began working on her sourdough starter, bought a 50-pound bag of flour and became a pandemic baker. “Each day I would feed the starter and try my hand at mixing up a few loaves,” she said. “It was rough going at first—the loaves were dense and generally disappointing.”
But luckily for Stanek—and her legion of fans—her attitude is more fascination than frustration.
As a result, today, bread lovers can buy Stanek’s variety of artisan breads at her farm stand at Lovgreen off North Madison. Loaves that make regular appearances at the stand and at local farmers markets include classic, oatmeal, seeded classic, cranberry walnut, rugbrød, organic wheat and special limited loaves such as triple chocolate cranberry.
What about baking bread appeals most to Stanek?
I love the simplicity of it: flour, water, and salt. The mastery that comes with repetition is always something that makes this interesting to me.
Having baked for five years, Stanek said that the most interesting aspect is the seasonal change that the bread undergoes. “From season to season, the amount of water necessary for a loaf changes, the starter changes and the fermentation time in summer compared to winter is drastically different,” she said. “Above all, learning to be present with the dough and all of its needs is a true lesson in tuning in to the current moment.”
Before becoming a baker, Stanek was a self-taught glass mosaic artist for more than 20 years. “With baking— as with glass— I build on my skills with each piece of art or loaf I make,” she said. “I learned I could play around with the same materials and create new concepts. I’m driven by a desire to understand what I’m seeing in front of me and how to make it better each day.
“It’s also important to me that each loaf is visually consistent and looks like my creation,” she added. “I keep the design on the classic loaf the same so it’s identifiable as my signature loaf.”
And if you still aren’t sure if it’s the real deal, just take a bite.
Raquel’s Farm Stand
9590 NE Lovgreen Road
206-715-0666
