Bread Artisan Bakery’s secret ingredient is a 30-year-old “mother” dough

As a child growing up in Brittany, France, baker Yannick Guegan had never tasted sourdough. The tangier San Francisco-style bread, “is really the American style,” he said with a smirk. “When I think about France, selling sourdough, it’s really impossible. They call this vinegar bread.” But it was an intriguing challenge for the seasoned baker.

I can make better sourdough, he vowed to himself. It would be tasty enough for even a Frenchman to enjoy.

He succeeded.

The Breakthrough

In 2021, the family-owned Bread Artisan Bakery landed a huge wholesale account. Trader Joe’s started carrying several styles of its locally baked sourdough. The bread, which is delivered fresh every morning to Crystal Cove Shopping Center, University Center, Walnut Village Center, and Woodbury™ Town Center, catapulted the bakery into homes all across Orange County.

Owner Jonnie LoFranco resurrected her father’s dream of owning an artisanal bakery that fed the community in 2011. When she met Guegan, the two built an empire by customizing freshly baked loaves, buns, tortas, rolls, and anything else their clients requested. Soon, big theme parks and Michelin-honored chefs started contacting the small Santa Ana bakery. Bread became a wholesale distributor to some of the most notable restaurants in the region. 

Perfecting the Craft

But, LoFranco and Guegan always wanted to connect with the community. How could everyone enjoy their fine baked goods?

Diners who’ve tasted Bread Artisan Bakery’s fluffy sourdough with its perfectly crusty exterior know that it’s an ideal vessel for toasted turkey sandwiches and sturdy enough to be topped with soft scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. Most people don’t even think about how their daily bread came to fruition. They simply enjoy it because it tastes fantastic. 

Would they be shocked to know that this slice that they’re eating started being made decades ago?

The Science

Guegan’s sourdough is prepared with a 30-year-old “mother” dough starter. He checks on it often as it rests in a large metal container. In the corner of the bakery, it’s kept at an ideal temperature and humidity in a 200 liter Fermento Levain machine. The boules and loaves made at Bread Artisan Bakery couldn’t exist anywhere else except for here. Each loaf tastes exactly as it does because of Guegan’s levain starter and the location where the bread is baked each day. According to Guegan, Southern California is a challenging place to bake. The West Coast’s Santa Ana winds dry out the atmosphere. 

Orange County’s climate is another element that makes Bread Artisan Bakery’s loaves unique.

Driven by Craft and Community

But if you love what you’re doing, even the challenges become an exciting part of the job. It doesn’t feel like work. 

Guegan still bakes pastries for fun on the weekends to sell at nearby farmers markets. Beyond Trader Joe’s, diners also find the bakery’s creations at restaurants such as Marché Moderne, Burnt Crumbs, and The Butchery.

Bon Appetit!