Lorelei began baking bread as a spiritual exercise back in 1990. During times of fasting, bread made by her own hand was one of the few foods she was allowed to have. She enjoyed the process (not to mention the results!), and began experimenting with adding different herbs to the plain dough. After many years, she settled on the blend that she uses in her (in)famous Herbed Bread. Housemates would crawl out of the woodwork at the scent of her baking loaves and would pout mightily if told that the baking was not for them. She made bread for craft fairs, for friends and relatives and her own pleasure until the popularity of her loaves became such that people began wanting to order them. And after one long night of creative brainstorming, Lorelei’s Loaves was born.
Though reasonably talented in graphic arts herself, Lorelei employed the amazingly talented hands of Jared Fiori to create her logo, and found him to be worth every penny and then some! She also brought in another friend, Katrina Kent, to do a photo shoot of the many varieties of bread, and her own brother Gordon to do the props and set-up for the shoot and was extremely pleased with the results. And thanks to the generosity of Eunice Pomfret Media, the Lorelei’s Loaves website became a reality. Lorelei’s husband Travis was also involved, giving his opinions and ideas surrounding graphics and pamphlet designs, and setting up spreadsheets to track expenses and customer orders so that his wife would cease to go mad (spreadsheet creation is not her friend).
Lorelei prides herself on using organic herbs (whenever possible) and no preservatives or anything artificial. This does mean that her loaves should be refrigerated for longer shelf life, or frozen for a future occasion.
In April of 2013 after pondering the wild, wide world of fudge, Lorelei added fudge to her line. 13 flavors, some traditional and some unique, caused her refrigerator to overflow, and many friends ended up profiting from her over-eager cookery.
There are plans for the future, when more kitchen space becomes available, for such things as a Frequent Buyer program where you get one free loaf after purchasing 15… hopes for purchasing flour from a Maine company… and enjoying a partnership with the Sabbathday Lake Shaker gardeners to bring you a new herbed style, Shaker Italian Herb Bread!
And someday, Lorelei’s Loaves Bakery and Cafe, where you will be able to experience and purchase a variety of fresh-baked breads and cakes, beverages and other snack items in a mellow environment.
In the meantime, Lorelei sincerely hopes that you enjoy the products of her labor as much as she and her family do, and we welcome your questions and comments at any time. Blessed Be!
