PINEVILLE, Mo. -- Donna Kelly stayed up until 1:30 a.m. to finish baking. When she was done, she had 20 loaves of home-baked sourdough bread.
Later, that same morning, regular customers who love Kelly's bread clamored to get a special loaf of the bread they love, putting a major dent in her inventory. She was sold out by 10:30 a.m.
Josh Rose was lucky enough to get the last loaf. He purchased a loaf the week before, which he thoroughly enjoyed for breakfast each morning, he said.
"I cut it in four chunks, and then I sliced the chunks," he said. He put the slices in his toaster for breakfast. Kelly's homemade recipe kept him coming back for more, he said.
The baker said the age-old recipe is something that our great-great-great-grandmas used to make.
"I'm not bragging on myself," she said, "but it's good."
Sourdough bread is different, as it's made without any yeast. A basic recipe of salt, flour and water has to sit for quite some time. It pulls the yeast out of the air, she explained, and a starter takes a little while to get brewing.
"You can't hurry the process," she said.
Kelly is only able to bake about three loaves in her oven at a time, so it takes her hours to build an inventory of 20 loaves. She makes plain sourdough and a crowd favorite that features jalapenos and cheese. The three cups of cheese and one cup of jalapenos are the treasured ingredients that create a delicious bread, she said, laughing.
Kelly also offers vegetables and salsa at her vendor booth at Mountain Happenings at Sims Corner in Pineville, Mo. She joined in May after co-founder and fellow vendor, LaSandra McKeever, urged her to sell some produce. Kelly used to give away a lot of vegetables to neighbors and friends but was encouraged to sell her bounty.
"I felt bad about taking money from my neighbors, but I got over it," she said.
Kelly plans to continue baking her bread and selling it at the farmers market. It's her labor of love. Most importantly, she's got some die-hard fans.
"My husband is addicted to it," she said, laughing.