Many Idahoans know the struggles of needing to maintain a gluten free diet. For some, it’s a daily health concern, for others, it’s a personal dietary choice. But the gluten intolerant agree, there is something special and genuinely revolutionary about the breads, cookies and treats coming from Wild Phyllis Bakery.
It All Begins With Phyllis
The idea of the Wild Phyllis Bakery came from the hardships many faced at the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Meredith, the baking mastermind behind the counter was like thousands of other Idahoans who lost their job in early 2020.
Her background wasn’t originally in baking, but she found her way to it as a hobby. When she needed a new way to make money, she made her hobby into a full time business. For over 25 years, Meredith had been maintaining a sourdough starter named Phyllis. This starter became the foundation of all the bakeries' breads.
Within the first few months of having her goods available, both locally and across the country, the orders kept increasing. Then Jeanne met Meredith and her life was changed. Since 2013, Jeanne had not been able to eat anything containing gluten. After trying a slice of Wild Phyllis’ famous long fermented sourdough, she broke bread for the first time in over ten years.
Jeanne became a business partner and together the two women have grown the company from a small business operating out of Meredith's kitchen, to a full blown bakery with a new, brick and mortar location on Fairview Ave
What Makes The Sourdough Revolutionary
Using their own recipe, along with the addition of Phyllis, every bread coming out of the bakery has been found to be a gut-friendly product that still contains wheat flour. This technique has been perfected by Meredith and has found wide acceptance by local doctors, nurses, naturopaths, nutritionists and dentists. In fact, they are loyal customers!
What’s the difference between the Wild Phyllis bread and a loaf you might buy at the store? The answer: their signature long-fermentation process. Giving the wheat a longer period to sit, bubble and ferment gives the wheat time to break down the substances that give our guts issues.
Using a growing revolutionary trend in wheat milling, a technique dating back to World War 2, the whole wheat grain is exploded and blasts it into a fine powder. This is called the unifine milling process. What you’re left with is a healthy whole wheat flour alternative that tastes amazing and gives the bread that classic internal structure.
As the business has grown, Wild Phyllis is now working with local farmers like 1,000 Springs Mill to grow and produce their own signature line of wheat, which is then used for all of their baked goods in a mixture of purely organic flours.
They have also partnered with local farms such as Bold Rebalance in Emmett, Cloverleaf Creamery in Buhl, Ohadi Farms in Marsing, Happy Hens Farms in Eagle to put purely home grown ingredients in all their goods. Truly farm to bakery!
These gut-happy creations are:
- Loaves of sourdough
- Cruffins
- Pizza dough
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Cookies
- Scones
- Hand pies
- English muffin loaves
- Challah
And upon request, they can make:
Interested in trying your hand at baking? Curious bakers can now purchase Wild Petunia. Head into their bakery to pick up your new addition!
Where To Find Wild Phyllis In The Treasure Valley
Ready to try these radical new breads?! Head to the Wild Phyllis Bakery at 12646 W Fairview Ave. in Boise. Their bakery is open on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm, and Friday, 11 am to 3 pm.
No matter where you live in the Treasure valley, you’re going to want to visit their adorable bakery and cafe to meet the incredible staff, like Jeanne and Meredith, who are the cooperative partners behind the Wild Phyllis bakery. Be sure to try a Mud Water, a delicious, chai flavored alternative to traditional brewed coffee. It’s not unusual to see a line out the door of their milk barn turned bakery, but while in the queue, you’re sure to make friends with their loyal customers and amazing community. Once you visit, break bread with the Wild Phyllis team, you become a part of their amazing journey.
Their shop also features products from local brands like Honey Apothic 208, Melt Chocolate, Ginger June Candle Co., Hellenic Farms, Lark Ellen Farms, Kula Vegan Spread, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, and Holly Tristan.
If you’re out and about, and would like to pick up some Wild Phyllis on the go, head to these local cafes:
- The District Coffee House - 219 N 10th St, Boise
- Form & Function - 511 W Broad St, Boise
- Coffee and Supply Co. - 36 N Echohawk Way, Eagle
- Fat Guys Deli - 1626 S Wells Ave, Meridian
- Cliff’s Country Market - 217 Blaine St, Caldwell
- M & W Market - 1835 E Warm Springs Ave, Boise
- Old Fashioned Fruits & Veg - 1525 S Cloverdale Rd, Boise
- Mountain Timber Coffee - 106 E Williams St #2760, Meridian
- Mocha Moose Coffee - 2596 N Bogus Basin Rd, Boise
To order your bread, follow them on social and keep up with their exciting new expansion, find Wild Phyllis on these channels:
Website: wildphyllisbakery.com
Instagram: @wild_phyllis_bakery
Facebook: @wildphyllisbakery
Already a Wild Phyllis Bakery fanatic? Show us your favorite menu item on Instagram by tagging us #totallyboise and @totallyboise to help us share the love with our community. We love to feature the talented, hard working small businesses found across the Treasure Valley, and you can read more about them at our Local Stories page below.
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