Bread & Flours: Artisan Sourdough Loaves and Local Delights in Greater Palm Springs
As part of our "Love Local" series, we're spotlighting the shops, restaurants, spas, attractions, and businesses that define Greater Palm Springs' unique personality—the stories that capture our destination's special experiences and win our hearts. To know them is to love them.
What does “Love Local” mean to you?
"This is our home. We don’t ship anywhere else. We want people to come and enjoy our bread, our flours, our jams, and our granola here because we’re special and this valley is special. It’s also about supporting the farmers and the community as much as we can."
There’s an art to baking the perfect loaf of bread—just ask Mark Gavigan, owner and operator of artisan micro-bakery Bread & Flours from his Palm Springs home. Soon after relocating from Chicago to Greater Palm Springs, Mark and his wife, Kristin, identified a culinary gap: artisan sourdough bread. Healthy, preservative-free bread. Unbelievably delicious bread. Hand-delivered to your door or freshly sliced at local restaurants.
Though their online shop offers specialty pantry items (like fruit preserves and olive oils), locally grown produce, and even pizza dough, sourdough is Bread & Flours' star.
It all starts with premium ingredients.
The couple sources over a dozen grains from U.S. farmers, including two from nearby Imperial Valley (Yecora Rojo and Desert Durum®). “We always prioritize farmers first, then bring it to our community,” Mark explains. “Store-bought bread often has preservatives; all our loaves are 100% preservative-free. We focus on whole ingredients and whole products.”
Customers order online or by phone from Sunday to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Mark then calculates batches, grinds grains, mixes dough with pink Himalayan salt, water, grain, and sourdough culture, folds it, and refrigerates for overnight fermentation. Time and temperature are key in this precise 35-hour process—more science than art.
Golden-crusted boules emerge from Belgian brick ovens like a masterpiece's final stroke. Cooled and packaged in recyclable/compostable materials (standard for all products), they're delivered Saturday mornings—Mark's favorite day.
“It’s been a joy,” Mark shares. “I wake up every morning loving what I do.”
Home deliveries evolved from farmers markets in September 2019, when COVID-19 hit. They pivoted successfully, adding heartfelt, hand-signed notes that delight locals and vacation renters alike.
“The customer interaction is wonderful,” Mark says. “It’s such a warm feeling.”
Visiting? Enjoy Bread & Flours sourdough at Grand Central or Arrive Palm Springs pool (avocado toast, BLTs with a twist). Grab homemade granola at On the Mark gourmet market in downtown Palm Springs.
Bread & Flours
760-880-0950
info@breadandflours.com
breadandflours.com
