SOURDOUGH TREATS
NightWork Bread Co. baking up artisan fare
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » New local business NightWork Bread Co. is baking up artisan sourdough breads and treats for Spa City customers to enjoy.
Cofounders Leigh Rathner and Cindy Rosenberg started NightWork Bread Co. when the couple moved to Saratoga Springs from Los Angeles earlier this year.
Though becoming entrepreneurs in the food industry is new territory for both Rosenberg, who practices acupuncture, and Rathner, who has worked in film for almost 30 years, both have a passion for the products they are making.
Their shared love of sourdough started in California, after discovering they each could not eat wheat products.
The duo did their research on why bread, a food that’s been consumed across cultures for centuries, was becoming an issue for them and so many others.
“We gave up eating grains years ago because we really just couldn’t digest them. We thought the grains were the problem, but we learned it was actually a combination of industrialized grains, farming practices and pesticides combined with modern baking shortcuts that were making the food that has been the mainstay of many cultures since ancient times totally off limits for so many people,” the owners explained on their website. “We learned that if you select the right types of grains, grown under the correct circumstances, and you allow them to ferment slowly, many of us can actually eat them.”
In searching for these answers, Rathner and Rosenberg found a few West Coast bakers making sourdough products that met their needs.
Before long, they began making this type of bread at home, and eventually created recipes for other sourdough-based treats like cookies and babka.
Meanwhile, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting both of their careers, the couple decided to start a bakery business - along with another big decision to move across the country to Saratoga Springs, a place they had dreamed of relocating for years.
Since launching NightWork Bread Co. last month, the business has seen a great reception from the local community, Rosenberg reported. “People were super excited.”
The company has already created partnerships with downtown restaurant Seneca and Schuylerville retailer Old Saratoga Mercantile.
Additionally, NightWork Bread Co. uses the commercial kitchen space of 9 Miles East Farm in Northumberland.
“The community’s been amazing,” Rosenberg said. “I feel like everybody’s rooting for us … It just feels so welcoming and so supportive, and we’re just excited to be a part of the community.”
Following an initial online order-based launch, NightWork Bread Co. recently established a regular presence at the Spa City Farmers Market and the Saratoga Farmers Market, with plans to soon expand into additional markets in Ballston Spa and Bolton Landing this summer. The business will also be at the Night Market at 9 Miles East in Saratoga Springs intermittently throughout the season.
The NightWork Bread Co. product line currently includes six kinds of bread: Country Bread, Sesame Country Bread, Olive Bread, Date Cardamom Bread, Artichoke and Roasted Garlic Bread and Chocolate Cherry Bread as well as treats like Chocolate Chip Cookies, Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Butter Miso Cookies, Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies, Cinnamon Babka, Dark Chocolate Babka and Cardamom Knots.
Throughout the company’s offerings - all naturally fermented using freshly milled organic grains - the owners carefully source their ingredients, which are local when possible.
NightWork Bread Co. employs old world techniques including a long fermentation process that results in increased digestibility.
“There’s a lot of health benefits to this type of baking,” Rosenberg said, explaining why they started the company.
Looking ahead, the goal for the future of NightWork Bread Co. is simply to see how the business flourishes over the next few months at the area farmers markets, Rosenberg said. Eventually, she and Rathner might like to open a brick and mortar bakery, but for now they’re focused on expanding the menu, which will soon include some summer fruit flavors, and further establishing NightWork Bread Co. within the community.
More information about NightWork Bread Co. is available online at www.nightworkbread.com, and on Facebook and Instagram.