MIDDLEBURG - As the owner of a micro bakery, Melissa Jonyka prides herself in giving locals a taste of the best homemade bread. 

“[I] find it important to just bring real bread into people’s homes,” Jonyka said. “In however that may look.”

Since April, she has been running Hyssop and Honey Sourdough Bakery. Using a sourdough starter she began about four years ago and under the Florida Cottage Food Laws, Jonyka bakes and sells batches of fermented bread right from her home. 

From homemade soft cinnamon swirl and jalapeño cheddar to black pepper parmesan and chocolate chocolate chip, Jonyka said she has created a plethora of options and flavors. 

The venture began back in 2020 when Jonyka said the pandemic made it hard for her and her family to find bread. Something so simple, necessary and beneficial was in high demand at the time. 

“I couldn't find bread and I could not find commercial yeast,” Jonyka said. 

Jonyka said she never did a lot of baking while growing up, or in her daily routine, so it was all self taught. 

“It wasn’t until after I became a mom and realized, I needed to learn how to cook and bake,” Jonyka said. “Especially if I didn’t want to just depend on store bought, processed foods.” 

To prepare for her orders, Jonyka said it's a three day process. The first night, she said she takes her sourdough starter out of the refrigerator and feeds it using flour and water. She said this helps breed good bacteria and helps the bread to later rise. 

The second night, she makes her dough, using the sourdough starter, water, flour and salt. For a couple hours, she carves out time to do what she calls “stretch and folds” to build up the gluten in the bread.

From there, Jonyka said the bread takes six to 12 hours to rise, depending on how much bread she is making. 

Later that night she puts each loaf into a banneton basket, helping it to keep its shape and breath. 

A cold ferment in the fridge is next, allowing the bread to break down the gluten. Jonyka said it's this step that makes the gluten more tolerable for those with adverse reactions.

Jonyka said the next day it's time to bake it.

From using sourdough, Jonyka said she has found many benefits. 

“My husband claims that sourdough bread doesn’t bloat him as much as store-bought bread,” Jonyka said. “And, then what I like about it is, not only does it naturally rise … but I can use the discard from the starter to make other things like, I’ve made pancakes, I’ve made tortillas, I’ve also made crepes.” 

Delivering to local customers, she is glad that her recipes have been taking well. But, she said she is open to any criticism to improve her products. 

“I’ve always asked my customers to leave feedback on Facebook,” Jonyka said. “I’ll take any kind of constructive criticism.” 

For the future, Jonyka said her biggest goal is to continue bringing real bread into peoples homes and encouraging the benefits of eating real food. 

“It’s just at this point, educating people about sourdough bread [and] the benefits of eating fermented foods, like sourdough and bringing it into their homes and to their tables,” Jonyka said.