We are a micro-bakery in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  Our mission is to make available to the people of Rockingham County and surrounding areas, the most wholesome, flavorful, and heartiest artisan breads.

What You Should Know About the Bread You Serve

At Staff of Life, our wheat flours are unbleached and unbromated. Bleaching reduces not only the nutrients, but the flavor as well.  The use of bromates in flours has been banned in Europe due to their carcinogenic properties.  

Our bread is free of corn syrup and hydrogenated fats, and is lower in salt content than the average loaf of store-bought bread.

We stone-grind all of our whole grains for superior flavor and nutritional value.  High-speed factory milling can heat the grain up to 400 degrees, causing the oil in the flour to quickly turn rancid.  This results in a bitter, grassy flavor in the flour.  Stone-grinding the flour keeps the temperature of the grain much lower, resulting in the flour staying fresh for much longer.  The high temperature of the factory milling also destroys many heat-sensitive vitamins and minerals, resulting in a flour much lower in nutrients than stone-milled.  For more information about the nutritional superiority of stone-ground flour, visit http://eap.mcgill.ca:80/publications/EAP35.htm

At Staff of Life, the flavor of our breads comes from more wholesome ingredients, and a greater amount of time and care devoted to crafting each bread.

At Staff of Life, our breads are always fresh -- never frozen.  They are made locally, right here in Broadway, Virginia, using techniques centuries (or even, millennia) old.  

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What is the Big Deal About Sourdough?

Many Staff of Life breads are sourdoughs.  In addition to having much better keeping properties than standard dough, sourdoughs are better for you.

As a cultured food, they contain pre-biotics, which help increase the effectiveness of the probiotics you eat.  The culture also breaks down the grain more effectively than your body normally would, helping you absorb more of the bread's nutrients. 

The acidic nature of the bread keeps it fresh longer, in addition to inhibiting mold growth. Additionally, the sourdough culture releases more minerals in the bran.

Additionally, sourdoughs are lower in the glycemic index, meaning they keep your blood sugar level at a more even keel. Check back at this website for more interesting bread facts. 

A Word About Storing Your Bread 

Our customers sometimes ask, "How can I keep my bread fresh?"  The short answer is, "It depends." Enriched and crisp-crust loaves require different care.

To retain the crisp crust of a sourdough, store them cut side down on your cutting board.  You may cover them with a tea towel, if you wish.

For softer enriched breads (containing milk, eggs, or butter), store in a plastic bag to retain freshness.  For a crisp crust, treat as you do sourdough.

If your loaf goes stale, it can be refreshed by wrapping it in foil and placing it in a 350 degree oven until hot.

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