Breaking Bread
Words by Fielder Hagan | Photography by Henry Williford
Both Foley natives, Matthew and Anna Claire Stinson are Auburn/Opelika’s local bakers. Any given weekend, this dough-namic duo churn out some of the freshest and well-baked bread that anyone can get their hands on. Whether it be at the usual Saturday at Whistle Stop or the occasional pop-up at an event or local business, the trip is sure to be one well worth it. These handmade sourdoughs, focaccias and other breads are like a diamond in the rough in the local food-scene.
While Anna Claire grew up baking, Matthew found interest in the hobby through his horticulture and plant pathology background. Shortly after they both graduated from Auburn University with their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, the couple moved to Opelika where they eagerly began their sourdough baking. The first book they picked up was “Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast” by Ken Forkish followed by “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread” by Peter Reinhart. They both credit the majority of their influence from “Tartine Bread” by Chad Robertson.
“I made our first sourdough starter and then Matthew walked by, he's like, ‘Ooh, that looks cool like science.’ Right! Then we made our first loaf of bread in October of 2019 and gave it to some friends and then it just kind of spread from there,” Anna Claire said.
Surely, when a good loaf of bread is baked, everyone is bound to hear about it.
“We made some bread for ourselves, and then we shared that with one of our friends and then they started asking for bread. And then after a while strangers started asking.” Matthew said.
Now that they have mastered the basics, experimentation with all sorts of different ingredients has begun. Matthew loves to mix and match different ingredients while adding herbs that impact aromatics, not just flavor. Lemon and blueberry, jalapeno and cheddar, and spiced walnuts are just a few of the seasonal flavor combinations the Stinsons have incorporated into their bread. Along with that, they experiment with different types of flours that can drastically change protein content and gluten formation.
Their marketing strategy relies mainly on word of mouth. The Stinsons also keep very active social media accounts where they update each week’s bake sale.
If you have been to Side Track Coffee during the week, it is impossible not to hear about the Stinsons and their bread. David Bizilia, owner of Sidetrack and close friend to the Stinsons, met the two at the Lindy Hop on the Plains, an interactive swing-dancing workshop weekend coordinated by Matthew and Anna Claire. This workshop sparked a friendship between the three that would end up proving to be beneficial for both of their independent businesses.
“I'm trying to not underplay how good they are at what they do. Like they're really, really good. They have full-time jobs and this is just a side gig for them and they're still killing it. Researching, studying and working together as a team. What do they add to the conversation? What they add is time and flavors. And everything else is a manifestation of their hearts and their spirits. I mean it's contagious,” Bizilia said.
On Saturdays the Stinsons open shop with their bags of bread, set up their sign and sell their bread for a few hours all the while nurturing their relationships with the community. It is not as much about buying bread from Stinsons Breads as much as it is picking up a sourdough from Matthew and Anna Claire.
The community has raved ever since Stinson Breads began. Isaac McCarty, an Opelika local, met the Stinsons at a local restaurant where they talked nothing of their bread-making. Just as many have before him, Isaac heard through a barista in town that there was a couple making sourdough, and as a self-proclaimed bread connoisseur, this piqued his interest immediately. He messaged them on Instagram and had a loaf delivered to him shortly after by the same couple he met at Zazu’s a month before.
“The Stinsons represent everything that is good about local business. They are one of the puzzle pieces helping our area grow and thrive. They are major proponents for supporting local business, not just their own. They have an authentic love, not only for what they are making, but for the people they are making it for,” McCarty said.
Sloane Daly, an Auburn University student, heard about their bread sales through her visits to Side Track where the Stinsons sold their bread on Saturdays before moving to Whistle Stop Bottle and Brew across the tracks in downtown, Opelika. In her opinion, their bread brings people together. Since their bread can not be bought in stores, their sales bring out more people in the area who love to support other locals.
“When you go to their sales, you see so many other local folks and can engage in some cool conversations with people you might not have met in the Kroger bread aisle. I think they truly love providing the goods they do for their community,” Daly said.
There is something to be said about the transcendental aspect to what the Stinsons are bringing to the table. They invite their customers to ask questions like, “How was this made? Who made this? Who can I share this with?”
“Okay, I got my bread in, but I want people to be able to slow down and actually think about what they're eating. Hopefully, they’ll experience eating something new that a lot of people who live around here had never really had, honestly, until we made it. The process of slowing down and actually saying, ‘Something as simple as a slice of bread can help us think intentionally about other things that we eat and think about who it's coming from,’” Anna Claire said.
They mix and proof dough in the wee hours of the night, bake them in the morning and bag them up ready for sale that afternoon. Since they both have full-time jobs, sometimes life gets in the way of being bakers, and they have to take a weekend off for themselves. Ultimately, the couple expresses their love by baking bread, and they’ll go pretty far to make sure you get to experience it.
“If push comes to shove, if there ever are any extenuating circumstances, you know, we cut our teeth on driving all over town to drop bread off at people's doorstep. We're not above doing that. So if you can't make it to the bread sales and you just really want some bread, let us know and we'll get it to you,” Matthew said.
The Stinson’s wanted their customers to have something personal to carry their bread with them after their sales. After throwing out the half-serious idea, Abby Griffin Patton of Griff Goods on 1st Avenue created an apparatus which served that special function. Thus, The Bread Bag was born. Available now at Griff Goods, Abby designed the bag to replace disposable bags.
“The relationships with our community members is what we are selling, just through the medium of bread. If the most valuable part of our business was the bread, then to us, we have failed.”
After continued support from the community, their cottage-food days could only support so many. The law states that individuals can produce certain nonhazardous foods in their homes. Cottage food cannot be sold to restaurants, novelty shops, grocery stores, or over the internet. Recently, Stinson Breads has grown into a commissary kitchen at Whistle Stop Bottle and Brew. Matthew said this change does not necessarily mean they have tripled their numbers. This is just another way for them to connect to the community. This opportunity gives them a chance to move away from cottage-food law and work with other businesses who want to share an experience through their bread.
“The relationships with our community members is what we are selling, just through the medium of bread. If the most valuable part of our business was the bread, then to us, we have failed,” Matthew said.
Since their arrival to the food scene, the impact left on locals has been a warming one. The Stinsons understand the impact that aroma can have in a setting. Whether it be in the early morning with a slice of toasted sourdough and butter for breakfast, or a freshly-warmed focaccia meant to be enjoyed with your dinner meal, these subtle moments are where the Stinson’s bread is truly valued.
Stinson Breads is a local, artisan bakery. Mathew and Anna Claire announce their bread sale schedule every week on Instagram, and you can preorder loaves and gluten-free cookies via their website, www.stinsonbreads.com. You can also buy bread the day of, but show up early—they almost always sell out fast!
