This summer at BreadLove

It’s been a minute since we’ve been in touch, and I wanted to let you in on what’s happening in the BreadLove kitchen this summer.

The short version? We’re taking a little step back—not away, but into something new.

Lately, I’ve found myself having more and more conversations with friends, family, customers, and healthcare professionals about health, longevity, and the role food plays in how we feel. Maybe it’s just me getting older, but it seems that people are paying attention in a different way. Some are navigating GLP-1 medications, others are simply asking different questions about what they’re putting in their bodies and how it affects them. In the midst of all these talks, I had a realization.

I’ve been baking the way I’ve always baked—with plenty of butter, oil, sugar, and flour. I’ve always cared deeply about quality ingredients and techniques that create great flavor and texture without artificial additives or shortcuts, but I also realized I wasn’t paying enough quite enough attention to the shifts happening all around me.

Traditional challah is beautiful, it’s delicious, and most important, it’s woven into our Jewish holidays, rituals, and celebrations. As the foundation of BreadLove, it’s not going anywhere. But tradition doesn’t have to mean standing still.

So this summer, I’m taking time to learn entirely new-to-me styles of baking.

I’m diving into gluten-free bread making with one goal: not “good for gluten-free,” but genuinely good. The kind of bread you’d happily reach for from the bread basket without realizing it was gluten-free unless someone told you. I’m experimenting with flour blends, starches, plant-based binders, and all the science that turns gluten-free bread from dense, gummy, or crumbly into something truly craveable.

I’m also stepping up my sourdough baking—exploring the magic of long fermentation and how time and temperature can change not only flavor and texture, but digestibility as well.

And I’m expanding the teaching side of BreadLove through MOGO (Make One, Give One) BreadLove. The heart of MOGO has always been about connection. Yes, it’s about challah, but it’s also about gathering around a table, learning something new, and sharing it with others. I’m working on ways to make challah baking approachable, joyful, and doable for anyone who wants to try.

There will be plenty of reading, researching, experimenting, and, yes, mistakes along the way (although I prefer to frame them as valuable learning experiences). So what does this mean right now?

BreadLove will be taking a pause from our regular rotation for the next several weeks. But if you’d like any of our usual products this summer, please reach out! Truly. Email me, text me, call me—whatever works. You can absolutely still place orders. I’m just spending more time in experimentation mode than on my usual baking schedule. We’ll offer occasional regular ordering opportunities, but in between those times, please do reach out. With at least 48 hours’ notice, I can still have fresh challah delivered to your front door. We’ll make it work.

By late August, I hope to share some things you haven’t seen from BreadLove before: Gluten-free bread options your GF friends can be excited about, thoughtfully crafted sourdough options, and, of course, the signature BreadLove challah that continues to honor the traditions that brought us here in the first place.

In the meantime, if you’d like to follow along, hit reply and let me know. I’m thinking about sharing occasional behind-the-scenes updates from the test kitchen—nothing formal, just some glimpses into what’s working, what isn’t, and maybe a few taste tests along the way.

Thank you for your patience, your encouragement, and for being part of this community. I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep learning and finding new ways to serve you a little better.

Wishing you a peaceful week,

Joanna

P.S. If you have a dietary need—or a bread dream you’ve been quietly hoping for—this is the perfect time to tell me. I’m listening!