Business Spotlight - Civil Sourdough
What is Civil Sourdough? An artisan bakery making delicious sourdough bread.
Why did you start your business?
“When I started baking sourdough in April 2023, I was living far away from my friends and family, had a 1 year old son, was due in May with my daughter and had just traumatically lost my dad a few months prior. I was having a hard time keeping up with my pre-motherhood hobbies. I was lonely, heartbroken, and knew I needed something to keep my mind busy. I started seeing bread things come up on my Instagram and I had ABSOLUTELY no clue what made sourdough what it was- so I was very intrigued to figure it out. I had been watching how-to videos on YouTube for about a month and finally decided to try and make my own starter from scratch. At the time I had no idea about the health benefits of sourdough, I didn’t know all the recipes you could make with sourdough discard and I didn’t know baking could be so scientific! I continued baking for my friends and family and after months of people suggesting I start selling my bread I finally did and was just SHOCKED at how many amazing people I’ve been fortunate enough to bake for. “
Why eat sourdough?
It’s good for your gut health and easier to digest.
Part of the baking process is letting the dough ferment. Fermented foods are known to improve gut health and digestion, they help your body absorb vitamins and nutrients more efficiently. It can also be easier to digest for people who have trouble digesting gluten. In addition, sourdough has a lower glycemic index than other breads which means it won’t spike your blood sugar as dramatically after consumption.
How did you come up with the name?
”When talking about the air bubbles and texture of the inside of sourdough bread, you’re talking about its ‘crumb structure’. My Dad was a civil engineer until he retired around 71 or 72 years old. I grew up always hearing about different bridge and building structures and what made them strong or weak or long lasting. I started baking to get me through the mourning of my Dad and I never thought it would have brought me here. Losing him guided me to where I am now so I had to include him somehow in the naming of Civil Sourdough.”
Jill only uses King Arthurs unbleached bread flour. It is unbromated, which means it does not contain the additive bromate. Bromate is banned in many countries because it’s a probable carcinogen meaning it causes cancer. Bromate is not banned in the US, but it is definitely banned from Civil Sourdough bread! Bread flour also has a higher protein content than other flours. Jill has been perfecting her technique for almost 2 years now, always researching ways to improve the look and taste of her bread.
Why buy your bread from Civil Sourdough?
-Buying from a small baker like Jill is better because you can get ‘sourdough’ from the grocery store, but it still includes commercially made lab grown yeast and preservatives and other unnecessary chemicals. Civil Sourdough bread only has unbleached flour, filtered water, and salt.
-Being a small scale bakery Jill is really able to pay attention to little details. She converses with and gets to know her customers each week. She is always willing to accept special requests for parties/events or flavors or anything of the sort.
-We stumbled on Jill’s Instagram over the summer and immediately wanted to try her bread. Her page is fun and informative, but once we tried her bread we were absolutely hooked. The first weekend we made tomato, mozzarella, and pesto paninis with her garlic parm flavor. Then used the cinnamon swirl loaf for dunkaroo dip! The jalepeño cheddar was so good as a base for avocado toast. With this bread the sky is the limit.
Jill has been married for 6 years with 2 beautiful babies. Jill and Nick went to high school together but didn’t reconnect until after college. She also has 2 older sisters, 2 nieces and 3 nephews.
“I love my Mom and Dad more than words can say. I wish I could tell my Dad I loved him one more time and thank him for being such a great Dad to us girls and husband to my Mom. I wish I started baking earlier so he could have tried it and known about all this-I like to think he would be proud of me.”
Jill is also a registered nurse and works in an ICU, so taking care of people is something she takes seriously whether it be her kids, family or strangers. She also has an exercise science degree and lifts regularly. She has always loved fitness which goes well with her desire to have a clean and natural diet!
Placing an order
If you follow Jill on Instagram you’ll see she posts a weekly menu on her stories Saturday or Sunday. There will be a mix of sweet and savory flavors to choose from. Order by directly messaging her.
Porch pickup is on Thursday and Friday.
Some of her rotating flavors:
-plain
-jalepeño cheddar
-cinnamon swirl
-chocolate chip
-garlic parmesan
-various scone flavors
Order through Instagram @its_just_jill
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