Wild Yeast: Bread and Honey Bake Shoppe is a locally owned, family-run bakery specializing in artisan sourdough breads and baked goods. We love all things sourdough and want to spread the love through simple baked goods. We use natural ingredients, no fillers or flour enhancers, with ancient techniques that produce long-fermented sourdough loaves.
We are a cottage bakery which means we are exempt from inspection by the Virginia Dept of Health since we are currently operating out of a dedicated bakery space in our home. The dream is to expand into a commercial or industrial area where we can increase our production and add more exciting delicious items to our ever-increasing sourdough repertoire.
About the Baileys
Who we are and what we believe in.
Michelle and Matthew Bailey are the owners and bakers at Wild Yeast: Bread and Honey Bake Shoppe, located in the beautiful Shenan-DOUGH-ah Valley of Virginia.
Michelle is a native of the northern valley, where she grew up on a farm deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Michelle always wanted to help people and found a calling for nursing early in life. She was a CNA at the age of 16 and worked full-time through nursing school, becoming a RN at the age of 20. She worked as an oncology nurse, research coordinator, and stem-cell transplant coordinator over 16 years as a registered nurse. During and after the COVID pandemic, Michelle decided to leave healthcare and currently works in safety and wellness for a local school division.
Matt is also a native of the valley, growing up on a dairy farm here in Augusta County. Matt always loved cooking and baking, spending lots of time in the kitchen over the years with his mom and dad who each taught him and encouraged his cooking. After going to college at CNU (where he met Michelle through his roommate at the time), Matt joined the Peace Corps but returned for health reasons to the US during the economic crisis of 2007-2010. He worked in a corporate role before going to graduate school to become a school counselor. Matt worked for seven years as a school counselor and three years as director of counseling for a local school before deciding to leave education in 2023. This allowed him to focus more on the bakery business and supporting Michelle and their son.
So how did a registered nurse and a school counselor end up baking sourdough bread and baked goods?! Well, it was winter of 2023 and we had just experienced a close loss of a family member who was very dear to us. Through her grief, Michelle signed up for a sourdough class as something to do one evening, and what she found was more than just some delicious bread. The process of making sourdough was a saving grace for Michelle. It is like a mindful practice, measuring and mixing and kneading the dough by hand. Michelle was hooked and soon started baking loaves for family and friends. What started as a hobby and coping strategy for grief has bloomed into a business and a passion for making delicious, natural sourdough bread. We learned about the opportunity to sell at the Staunton Farmer's Market because of the relationship Michelle made through the sourdough bread class, and we thought the opportunity was too good to pass up.
One of the things we love about the sourdough bread and baked goods that we make is hearing from our patrons about how much they love sharing the goods with their family, friends, and coworkers. We hear about spouses who have licked bread to keep others from eating it and we love to know about the after-school snacks and conversation around the kitchen island that our sourdough bread has given to parents and their children. It's more than bread to us. It's connection and community.
Artisan Bread, Baked Goods, and More!
Extreme happiness, coming your way.
Artisan Loaves
Crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. This artisan bread is our top seller for it's versatility and delicious long-fermented sourdough tang. You can slice and freeze it if you don't think you will eat it all in the week... but we think you won't need to. :-)
Cinnamon Buns
These cinnamon buns are a special treat. Warm it up with a cup of coffee or top them with ice cream for a delicious desert. Yum!
Focaccia
Each week, we have focaccia with herbs, roasted veg, and a "pizza" focaccia in addition to special flavors of the week! This focaccia is a light sourdough flavor along with the crisp edges from the bread being oven baked in luxurious olive oil. Top with an egg for a delish meal!
Sammich Bread
Soft and buttery, with a hint of sourdough makes this a perfect bread for sandwiches, french toast, and more.
Pizza Dough
Take and bake! Our sourdough pizza dough is a huge hit with our family and friends. We think you'll like it, too, for your next family pizza night!
Sourdough Starter Kits
Take a stab at making your own sourdough bread with a starter pack that includes dehydrated starter, instructions, and our bread recipe!
