Conversations with Yana Magruder

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yana Magruder.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
November 17th, 2021. I will never forget. My sourdough starter finally peaked. I was elated. After weeks of troubleshooting water, flour, temperature, and time. It finally worked. My sourdough starter bubbled and thrived.

That month was the defining moment in my sourdough journey. Honest Bread did not come to fruition just yet. First I baked. I baked so many loaves, I lost count.

My neighbors became my taste testers. I baked bread and gave it away to friends, family, people I just met, and anybody who was willing to try a slice or two.

It was exhilarating. Honest Bread LLC happened with gentle guidance from my husband. His encouragement was the pilot light that allowed me to dream, take bold risks, to move forward with my ideas. Honest Bread was launched in May of 2023.

I still remember my first order. Two loaves – one country, one jalapeno & cheddar. They are still two of my most popular menu items today.

Speaking of which, my menu offers a little bit of everything. A country loaf – versatile, tangy, and chewy. It’s the perfect loaf for sandwiches, French toast, you name it. Then, there’s the jalapeño & cheddar loaf, which brings bold flavor of spicy jalapeño and sharp cheddar. And of course, there’s the whole-wheat, a beautiful caramel colored loaf, carrying deep fragrant flavors of a whole wheat berry.

I’m on a mission for my community to rediscover the goodness of bread. Bread, that that is made from organic flour, water, salt.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been a wild journey. After all, we’re dealing with wild fermentation here. I have learned to look at struggles as learning points, especially the very painful ones.

Where do I start? I have experienced equipment failure, over-fermentation, lack of fermentation, and other challenges that come with owning a bakery. It comes with the territory. I remember waking up one morning to a refrigeration failure, forty loaves of bread ready to be baked had over-proofed because the refrigerator couldn’t keep up. Let’s just say that there were tears. Nonetheless, a situation like that taught me a lot about how to navigate pressure, think on my feet, and keep moving forward. After all, life is a journey of failure, success, and everything in between.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Located in the heart of Stilwell, Honest Bread LLC is a cottage micro-bakery that specializes in organic artisan sourdough. These breads are naturally leavened, made from flour, water, salt, and sourdough starter.

A sourdough starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water. Fermentation occurs when wild yeast, microorganisms that live in the air, consume sugar molecules inside the flour. It’s literally taking microorganisms out of the air to make fluffy bread. I mean, how incredible is that?!

All of our breads are made from USDA Certified Organic Hard Red Wheat. Certified organic flour is made from wheat that is grown and milled according to strict standards to ensure it is free of artificial ingredients and pesticides. It is produced using sustainable farming practices.

I take great care to ensure that my community gets the best bread possible. This means making and baking loaves in small batches. All loaves are made to order. When customers receive their orders, they know that their bread that has been baked the day of.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is to slow down. This mad rush of schedules timed to the minute, I ask myself, is this how we are supposed to live? Coffee to-go. Food to-go. Always on to the next thing. It seems to me that most days are filled to the brim with things to do and places to be.
I’m here to help my community slow down. To take a breather. To gather around a table sharing a meal. I believe that happy tummies create happy people. Happy people create happy moments, and those happy moments flutter, creating beautiful harmony in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.honestbread.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honest.bread.llc/
• Facebook: Honest Bread LLC