A Little History
Hello! Barbara’s Bakery is so excited to share our small tale with you!
It all started at one of the local restaurants in small town Marquette, MI. Connor Madsen was a young ambitious Chef that would stop at nothing to ensure that his restaurant made everything “in house.” When it came to bread, the obsession grew and never went away. By the hands of Connor, and the help of the micro organisms all around us, on March 14th, 2023 Barbara was born. Hundreds of hours and thousands of loaves later, the restaurant finally started making a product that would rival the sourdough from the big cities. Slowly, Connor’s passion for fine dining and the excitement for fast paced kitchens started to fade and was overtaken by the quiet solitude of the bakery and the never ending quest to craft a perfect loaf of sourdough bread.
Connor started Barbara’s Bakery on June 16th, 2025.
There’s plenty of reasons why sourdough is the "correct” way of making bread.
First, it’s much better for our bodies. The whole process of making our sourdough takes around 35 hours. Throughout this long fermentation, the micro organisms in Barbara eat away at the natural sugars and starches and create an acidic environment. This allows for the harmful gluten networks, that our bodies can’t digest, to break down.
Second, it attaches us to our ancestors and ourselves. Humans have been making bread with natural leavens for thousands of years. It’s not a coincidence that we still do it today! The long, meditative practice of crafting artisanal bread helps us to slow down and appreciate life at the most basic level. It’s so beautiful to think that four ingredients and a little time can create something so delicious.
Lastly, it tastes way better than any other types of bread! When making bread with commercial yeasts or other chemical leavening agents, you loose out on so much flavor. Taste our sourdough side by side with anything from the store and you’ll know what we mean.
And that’s only listing a few!
Why Sourdough?
Here at Barbara’s Bakery, our mission is simple. Make exceptional sourdough bread by hand, and share it with our amazing community here in Marquette. We want everyone to have an opportunity to enjoy great bread with every meal.
Our operation is also nearly zero waste! This is only possible because of our wonderful friends at Partridge Creek Composting. What they’re doing is really amazing. We highly encourage you to sign up with them and start composting at your own homes. If we all help a small amount, it’s going to make a big difference in our environment.