Aug 022018
Miga Bread

I have to say… I am so excited and honored to feature this amazing, local, at-home baker, Ellie. She is a Carpinteria/Santa Barbara native, wife, mother, and full-time worker and part-time baker. With the help of her husband, she started Miga Bread in 2018. Now I get to share her story (but not my loaf of bread) with all of you!

“Cooking has always been a passion of mine and my husband’s, it is one of the things we connected over from the very start of our relationship. We love to share our food with friends and family and have always heard things like “you should open a restaurant” “you could sell this!” But it was never really something that interested us, like that would have taken the fun out of it all. But then I started this little sourdough adventure and well, I kinda’ couldn’t stop baking. There was certainly some trial and error involved, but pretty soon I was turning out some really really good bread… I was bringing loaves to work to share and giving them away to friends and family. But then it hit me, I could sell this bread! In just a matter of a few days, Miga was born!”

 

Of course, I HAD to ask her about the name, which she was happy to explain. “I never knew before I started baking that there was actually a name for what the inside of the bread looks like, you know, the holes and whatnot.. well it’s called the crumb, which is what “Miga” means in Spanish.”

Jalapeño Cheddar

Ellie was happy to give some insight on the best ways to store fresh bread… Especially since fresh bread gets such a bad reputation for going bad quickly.

“The great thing about sourdough bread is that the natural yeasts used in leavening actually act to preserve the bread longer than traditional yeast breads. Of course, they’re amazing when still warm from the oven, but the flavor continues to develop over the next day or so. I’ve enjoyed toasted slices 6 days after baking when storing in a linen bag on the counter. Alternatively, it also freezes incredibly well. If you slice a cooled loaf, wrap in foil then place in a freezer bag, those slices can go straight to the toaster and even I’d have a hard time distinguishing them from fresh baked. You can do the same with a whole, unsliced loaf, but instead of the toaster place in a 325° oven for about 20 minutes or until thawed and warmed through.”

Miga Bread has a wide variety of breads offered, including: white, seeded, cinnamon raisin, jalapeno cheddar, garlic herb… “I do a fun one where I substitute pureed fruit for some of the water in the loaf, resulting in a slightly fruity taste to the bread, I like to add in things like dried apricots to these ones, they make AMAZING french toast. I can really add in almost anything you can think of, I love to take your ideas and bring them to life.

After learning about this amazing bread, I asked what recipe she would recommend! “Who doesn’t love avocado toast? We love to pile up as many fresh veggies on a nice thick toasted slice as we can. Avocado, radish, microgreens and red onion are a great combination. Last night we had a sundried tomato, basil, roasted garlic loaf with ricotta, heirloom tomato, basil, red onion and grilled zucchini slices.” She also recommended bread bowls for soup and using anything leftover for homemade croutons!

 

I love Ellie’s story and most importantly her bread. As I’ve munched and typed this (yes I can do both)  I can say that she has created works of art! The bread has such great tangy flavor that you want to find in a good sourdough. She’s created a country bread texture that is chewy, soft, but heartier than store-bought bread. I suggest you get your own!

So excited to dive in!
Lookie at the texture! This is mine. Get your own!

Email your orders to Ellie at migabreadsb@gmail.com She loves to make special orders and can typically fill them with about 12-24 hours notice. You can also follow Miga Bread SB on Instagram @migabreadsb, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/migabreadsb.

Cheers!