Influenced by her grandmother and faith, Westminster woman starts bakery in her kitchen

Seta Patsis, a local Westminster mother, transferred her hobby and love for artisanal sourdough bread into Our Daily Bread Co. micro-bakery.

On Monday, Feb. 5, Patsis had her kitchen inspected by the Westminster Board of Health before she could start offering her bread to the community. That same week, after the board approved her, she started to accept orders through her social media accounts. To make an order, message Patsis through the Our Daily Bread Co. Facebook or Instagram page.

Patsis said she sold out 30 sourdough loaves in her opening week and is floored by how the community reacted to her bread. She said she is primarily at home with her two young boys, so her schedule is flexible, but being a one-woman show has challenges. But overall she said it has been very empowering.

"My 5-year-old is delighted and excited because he loves baking with me," she said. "My husband and parents have been nothing but supportive."

Every Monday, she plans to post her menu for the week: the usual Rustic White for $12, the Seeded Sourdough for $13, and the weekly specialty loaf for $14, which changes every week. She said every Friday will be the order pick-up day.

Also, Focaccia bread is always available for pre-order because it takes less time to make a loaf.

Patsis said she can only yield 30 loaves a week from her home kitchen with non-commercial baking equipment. She also said it takes more time to make sourdough bread because the dough needs two to three days for the natural fermentation process to complete so the bread can be baked.

"Sourdough is a healthier bread alternative due to the fermentation process that it requires in order for it to bake," she said. "It doesn't have commercial yeast or manmade yeast; it uses natural leavening cultivated by the environment."

What inspired Seta to start baking?

Inspired by her deceased grandmother, Patsis started to bake bread over a year ago as a hobby but also to find a healthier alternative to store-bought bread. She said she grew up watching her grandmother bake tons of bread, so baking holds a lot of sentimental value for her.

"If she was here and she saw what I was doing, she would have loved it so much," she said. "I definitely know that she's looking down and smiling down on me."

Sourdough bread is high in nutrients; Patsis said it has small to moderate amounts of protein, iron, vitamins A, E, and B1 through B6, magnesium, folic acid, and folate, and it's loaded with probiotics. She said there are many benefits to eating sourdough bread for people with gluten sensitivity or intolerance and those with diabetes.

"We live in a community where a lot of people are either gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive or with diabetes, and this is just a healthier alternative for them," she said. "My sourdough only has three or four ingredients, all organic, and no commercial yeast."

How her faith ties into her business

Patsis said her faith has influenced not only the name of her small business but it has motivated her to share her craft with the community. She said sourdough bread dates back thousands of years, and Jesus likely ate sourdough bread with his disciples.

A scripture card is tied to each bread bag in order to spread the word of God, and she said her baking and her faith all tie together as a way to serve God.

"There are about 500 biblical references to bread in the Bible," she said. "Jesus is the bread of life, and he calls us to eat bread in remembrance of him, so it is very symbolic and beautiful for me to bake bread.

"Jesus is my daily bread, so I am able to draw the parallels and connection between the love I have for God and baking," she said. "Also, I am able to offer that and share it with my local community, which has really inspired me to launch this small business."

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: New sourdough bakery, Our Daily Bread Co., opens in Westminster