Our Story

Natural leavened sourdough bread. It has really changed our lives and has provided so many personal growth opportunities to our family.

At this time during 2020 and 2021, the only thing we knew about sourdough bread is that @impulsetolegend provided superb nourishment to my family every week with our country loaf subscription. We would pick up our loaf every Tuesday night and enjoy it for breakfast the next day. This routine meant the world to me and my family especially during times of uncertainty with the pandemic and everything that came along with it.

Fast forward to today, and now we are here… Pushing out anywhere from 40 to 100 loaves a week.

Here I am learning everything I can about grains and levain and gluten structure! But what I really love is the connections that this experience has provided. Connected to the senses, connected to earth and her beautiful people.

I thank the universe daily for dropping this into my lap less than a year ago. Giving me my bakery that I never knew I needed!

What We’ve Learned In This Journey

The Science of sourdough

When making sourdough, the transformation of dough into a loaf is chemistry in action as relies completely on a fermented “starter” of water and flour to provide lift.

This bacteria and yeast chemical reaction produces:

Acid that keeps other microbes from growing
Bacteria that give it the tangy flavor
Yeast that contributes more to complex flavors and aromas
CO2 that makes the bread rise and affects texture

For us, at Pastelito Sourdough Bakery, making bread is more than science. We use our hands, our heart and our mind to get to know, feel, understand and sense the dough. It brings us back to the basics and gives us an opportunity to connect with our Norco community.

Fermented is better.

The fermentation process for sourdough helps to unlock a whole slew of nutritional benefits. Here are a few listed:

Unlike other breads, it contains lactic acid – This helps to lower the pH of the bread. As a result, sourdough bread has a higher level of available minerals and up to 62% less phytic acid than conventional bread
Easier to digest – The fermentation process breaks down some of the gluten, which makes it more digestible
Supports gut health – Like all fermented foods, sourdough promotes general gut health and creates a favorable environment for maximum nutrient metabolism.

Ingredients are key.

We use organic ingredients that are fresher, without preservatives, less nitrate and more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. We also use organic, ancient grains flours, such as kamut, sorghum and rye, which tend to be higher in fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and zinc because they haven’t been stripped or refined.

Supporting our local community matters, which means that we get a lot of our products from local farmers right here from Norco. From the zucchini that we use in our zucchini bread, to the eggs that we use in our sourdough we are proud to support our local producers and use their products in our breads and sweets…

Every bake day is an opportunity to hone our skills

As bakers we need to learn how to read the weather and we feel the flour and the levain before starting to mix. Making sourdough is a complex dance of yeast, bacteria, time, temperature, moisture, and fermentation with the simplest of ingredients – flour water and salt – to create one of humankind’s most elemental foods. Our process is full of love, science and art.