Baca’s Breads blesses with baked goods
BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Owner of Baca’s Breads, Rachel Baca, prepares homemade breads and other baked goods as well as locally-made tallow balm.
“I started baking sourdough bread back in 2021,” she said. “[Previously] I was getting it from my sister, but she was having a baby that year, so I had to learn how to make it for myself. She taught me how [and it was a] steep learning curve. It took me a long time to get it down. And then two years ago, a lady at my church suggested that I start trying to sell my bread — she told me all about the Alabama Cottage Food Laws, all the things to go along with that. Then I did my first pop-up shop at the Blue Button in downtown LaFayette. From there, I've just been selling bread.”
Through courses to participate in the Cottage Food Laws, Baca said she can sell her product without purchasing a storefront.
“For the Cottage Food Laws, you take a serve safe course, which [covers] food safe handling — it’s an online thing,” she said. “You take that and you submit some paperwork to the health department. It was all really simple to get started, actually. And then basically you’re able to sell certain food products from your home kitchen.”
Baca said the products she bakes and sells through Baca’s Breads are local favorites, and many baked goods can be baked with sourdough — making them even tastier than expected.
“I make artisan sourdough bread, and my sourdough cinnamon rolls are super popular — those are probably the two main things I sell,” she said. “I've also made muffins, bagels, pizza dough and cookies — you can make pretty much anything sourdough, even brownies, which sounds really weird and like it wouldn't be good at all, but it's actually delicious. I also make tallow balm as well.”
Artisanal sourdough is an art which many struggle to master, but through hard work and practice, Baca said her recipes are habitual — making delicious dough with minimal ingredients.
“I've gotten to the point now where I've got the recipes memorized that I usually use, and so it's a nice way to be able to serve healthy bread to my family, and it's delicious,” she said. “It’s fun to be able to see the process from just flour, water and salt all the way to a beautiful loaf of bread.
“People really like homemade baked goods,” she said. “A lot of people work full time and don't have time to do that for themselves, and so it's really cool to be able to have a product that people enjoy and they can share with their families.”
As a new mom, Baca said her business has changed, but baking bread is an activity that provides her with an enjoyable outlet.
“I used to do weekly orders, but I had a baby earlier this year, so that slowed everything down a ton, and now I'm getting back into it, trying to figure out a rhythm, to have a good balance,” she said. “I'm a stay-at-home mom, and obviously, my daughter is my priority… [Owning a bakery at home] allows a lot of flexibility, especially with being a stay-at-home mom. I'm able to bake bread, but then also put my daughter down for a nap, and I don't have to leave the house to do it. I didn't have to buy any expensive equipment; I just used what I already had and was already using to make the bread that I was already making. So it was just a really good opportunity to bring in a little bit of extra income.”
As her young daughter grows up, Baca said she plans to pass on her hard work and baking skills.
“I hope [my daughter] sees from this endeavor that being a stay-at-home mom is amazing, and you still have opportunities to have a creative outlet and provide products that're useful and helpful to people who are just trying to feed their families as well,” she said. “We plan to homeschool her, so I intend to include banking in that curriculum.”
To purchase bread and goods from Baca’s, visit the Blue Button during RockingFest on the Square. Baca said as she reflects on Baca’s Breads, she is thankful for the support of Chambers County and the provision of God.
“[The Blue Button has] been very kind to host me there before, and they were excited to have me back,” she said. “I'm excited to be there… Chambers County is a really great place to be. Everyone's very supportive. People love to support small businesses here, which is encouraging, and it's been cool to meet other people who bake and learn more about selling.
“I'm thankful to the Lord for placing me in this town,” she said. “I grew up in this area. I've been here my whole life, and I'm just thankful to the Lord for the opportunities he's provided for me to be able to do more than just bake bread for my family. Being able to do it for other people has been a really nice gift.”
For more information, visit Baca’s Breads on Facebook.
