Beatrice is a cottage bakery in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
We specialize in artisan sourdough bread and sourdough cookies.
A cottage bakery is a home-based micro-bakery.
Is that a thing? Yes.
But is that a legal and safe thing? Yes and Yes.
We are licensed from the Town of South Hadley via the same process as commercial kitchens. We are state-certified in food safety and our business is fully insured.
And, now, let’s get to the making of the bread, the delivering of the bread, and the selections of the bread.
Bread, bread, wonderful bread…
Meet Beatrice
Beatrice is our beloved sourdough starter. She is named after the owner’s maternal grandmother, she smells like banana-bread when she’s due to be fed, and it’s likely she’s better cared for than our family cat and dog (both of whom are beyond spoiled, btw). Our Meet Beatrice page explains all-things-Beatrice and why we all should be eating more sourdough…
Our Story
How this all began. In brief. (Hopefully.)
FAQ
Why doesn’t this taste like the “sourdough” from my local grocery store (and why do you want me to ask that in the first place)? How can I place an order? Why are quantities so limited? Do you plan to expand? How is your business responding to the pandemic? How can I learn to make sourdough too? Can you help me with my own starter? All that and more in the FAQ.
Delivery Schedule:
AKA, A Tale of 4 Dutch Ovens
A cottage bakery is, by definition, a small operation. And we’re starting out really small.
As in only four-loaves-baked-an-hour small.
And one sourdough recipe takes 2-3 days to make.
All that to say: our quantities are limited.
Orders are posted from Tuesday through Sunday for the following week’s deliveries on Tuesday/Thursday. If not sold out, orders will remain open until Sunday for the current week. When you place a delivery order, please ensure you pick the day of the week in which we’re delivering to you.
Deliveries will be made between 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. on the specified delivery day. Cuz there’s nothing better than fresh sourdough with dinner. (And don’t forget the cookies for dessert!)
Weekly Selections
Most weeks we will offer a trio of sourdough breads:
A spectacular-but-plain loaf, i.e., made of only flour, water and salt. (Ahem, none dare call this “plain;” there is nothing better than warm plain sourdough with butter, imho);
A savory loaf, i.e., one with nuts, seeds, olives, and/or cheese;
A sweet loaf, i.e., brioche, babkas or chocolate sourdoughs.
We will also offer cookies. Some weeks those cookies will be made with excess sourdough starter to help us not waste the excess flour used to feed Beatrice. (See Meet Beatrice for more information about sourdough starter care.)
On COVID-19
Our family takes the pandemic very seriously. The safe preparation and delivery of our baked goods is our top priority. In accordance with the state-mandated guidelines for retail food preparation, we will wear masks and gloves from the time the baked goods come out of the oven and until they are packaged and delivered to you. We are only taking orders online and we will be offering contactless delivery through the duration of the pandemic.