Can i purchase sourdough starter?

Absolutely! We sell our starter most days that we are open! Just give us a call before you swing by to ensure that we will have some ready/available when you arrive. You can purchase just the starter ($7) or our starter kit, which comes with food and instructions for keeping it alive ($10).

are your breads and baked goods made with organic ingredients?

Yes! All of our breads and pastries are made with high quality, organic ingredients. We also try our best to source anything that we can locally and when in season!

What type of flour is used in your bread?

We primarily use the brand King Arthur for our flour. The reason for this is because it is highly trusted in the baking world. It is high quality, organic, especially tailored for our needs (we order certain types for certain breads) and is consistent and eliminates potential unforeseen variables in the mixing process. We will have fun with local flour and with milling our own (for the Julia), but the main reason for us not diving head-first into the use of NC grown flour is to ensure consistency in our product. This may change in the future, but for now we want to provide the best quality possible while also making the most consistent bread in a process that is very inconsistent by nature!

do you offer gluten free options?

We do! Daily, we offer gluten free muffins and chocolate praline bars. Fridays we offer gluten free focaccia and gluten free brownies in addition to our daily offerings.

do you have any Vegan options?

We do! Daily, for pastries we offer vegan mini bundt cakes. Most of our breads that we offer daily are vegan, with the exception of our Japanese Style Milk Bread, Braided Challah, & Honey Whole Wheat.

i have a nut or a gluten allergy.

We are very conscious about allergies in the bakery! We do our best to not cross contaminate. We keep nuts and seeds separate from the rest and we work on gluten free product away from flour! To be safe and if curious, do not hesitate to ask a baker for exact ingredients in something when you come visit! We have them all easily accessible in a binder for our knowledge and yours.

What type of flour is used in the gluten free focaccia?

We use Caputo! Here is more info straight from the source “For those who pursue high-performance flour without the gluten, we have created Caputo Gluten Free.
The result of years of research and development, this product is crafted by the masters in Naples using only pure, top quality natural starches and gluten-free flour, blended precisely for superior performance. Adaptable to a wide range of uses including gluten-free pizza, breads, pastas and baked goods, our Gluten Free flour works cup for cup in all your favorite recipes!”

i just bought a loaf of bread, but likely won’t finish it today. how do i keep it fresh?

Since the majority of our breads are sourdough, they all freeze well! Our advice on keeping close to first-day freshness is to: slice the bread BEFORE freezing, store in plastic wrap or ziplock freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat it pull it out by the slice and throw it in toaster or oven to refresh! If you choose to freeze the whole loaf, follow the same steps above for storage and when you’re ready to eat it let it thaw at room temperature for 4 hours minimum, unwrap or remove from bag, turn on your sink faucet, put bread under water (only for a second!!) and throw it into the oven at 500° F for 3-5 minutes to crisp-back-up!

Where did my favorite bread/pastry offered around the holiday season go?

If you don’t see a certain bread or pastry on the menu that you’ve had before, this is because we have slight menu changes based on the seasons! But don’t worry, it’s very likely that your favorite will be back on the menu soon!

Can i place a special bread, cake, or pastry order?

For any specialty cake, pastry order (12 or more), or bread order (5 loaves or more) you will need to fill out our Cake Order Request form or our Bread & Pastry Order Request form on our site. For any bread or pastries on the current menu we require a 2 week advance notice and for specialty cake orders or a bread/pastry order for items not currently on our menu we require at least 1 month advance notice. If you are interested in placing a day of, smaller (less than 12 pastries or less than 5 loaves of bread) order please call the shop. Please give us a week to answer any special request forms. We are a small, but mighty team! Your patience is appreciated!

why are you closed 3 weeks of the year?

Being a small, family run business, we have little to no time off. It is important to us to be able to celebrate the holidays with family (the second week in January) and to have the chance to travel or take a true break once a year (first 2 weeks of September), especially before the craziness of the holiday season arrives!

why aren’t you open more days of the week?

We are at the bakery every day, believe it or not! Our production for the week starts on Monday, and all of our breads are a three day process, meaning the bread you get fresh Thursday morning starts on Tuesday evening! In order to make the very best product, we take the long, more labor intensive route rather than the semi-home made and fast route. Every part of what we do is made from scratch and by hand, no short cuts! We need to be closed to the public in order to clean properly and to also utilize our time wisely… believe us, we wish we could see you all more!

can i rent the space or host an event at little loaf?

Yes! You can get in touch with us through our contact email to get prices/options!

do you host private classes?

Yes! We typically require a group size minimum. You can get in touch with us through our contact email to see what options are available!