Bernside Bakery logo Bernside Bakery & Crafts · Ithaca, NY

Good bread,
baked on South Hill.

Slow-fermented wheat and rye breads, plus a few treats, from a small farm bakery in Ithaca. Made in small batches with organic, regenerative, regional flour.

Pre-order this week Where to buy
Hand-drawn illustration of a scored loaf on a cutting board with wheat, a spoon, and a rolling pin
Small batchesNaturally leavenedOrganic, regenerative, regional flourBaked in Ithaca, NY

Your week in bread

Bread goes fast. Pre-order to hold a loaf, or catch me at one of these spots while it lasts.

Bake days: Wednesday pre-orders and Saturday at Shelterbelt.

Every Wednesday Pre-order pickupLocation shared after ordering · 3 to 6 pm Pre-order
Every Saturday The Store at Shelterbelt Farm200 Creamery Road, Brooktondale, NYSelf-serve farm store · stocked around 10 to 10:30 am, usually in stock through Tuesday Walk in

How ordering works

Two bakes a week: pre-order for Wednesday, or find me at Shelterbelt on Saturday.

  1. Friday, 8 am

    Orders open

    The week's lineup goes live on Hotplate, and email subscribers hear first.

  2. Sunday, 8 pm

    Orders close

    Sometimes sooner, if things sell out. Closing early lets me bake exactly what's been ordered.

  3. Wednesday, 3 to 6 pm

    Pickup

    Bread baked that morning. I'll send the pickup spot after you order.

  4. Saturday morning

    Shelterbelt

    Missed the window? Country loaves, rugbrød, and cookies land at The Store at Shelterbelt Farm by about 10:30.

On the board

My regulars, plus whatever is coming out of the test kitchen. Lately that means bagels and loaves with einkorn and spelt.

A dark, blistered country loaf held up to show its crust
A batch of scored country loaves, seen from above
A country loaf cut in half, showing its open crumb

Organic Country Loaf

$12

The everyday loaf. Regional half-white flour, a dark blistered crust, and a soft, open crumb.

Every bake
More about this bread

This is my everyday sourdough: slow-fermented and made with 100% organic flour from a mix of regenerative grains. It has a chewy, deeply browned crust with a gentle tang, and a moist, hearty crumb inside.

How to enjoy it

It's good enough to eat on its own with nothing but butter. It also makes a sturdy base for sandwiches and a natural partner for a bowl of soup or a big salad.

Keeping it fresh

Keep it in a paper bag, cut side down, for 2 to 3 days. For longer, slice and freeze it, then toast slices straight from the freezer. There are more tips under Good questions below.

Ingredients

Organic flour, water, sea salt.

630 g per loaf · Contains wheat

Seed-covered rugbrød loaves cooling on a wire rack
A rugbrød loaf cut into thin slices, showing its dense, seedy crumb
Smørrebrød: a slice of rugbrød topped with smoked salmon and a creamy herb sauce

Organic Rugbrød

$15

Dense Danish rye with chopped rye and toasted seeds. Slice thin, top generously, and it keeps most of a week.

Every bake
More about this loaf

This is traditional Danish rugbrød: dark, dense, deeply flavored, and made for substance. It's nothing like light, airy sandwich bread, and that's the point.

What goes in

  • The base. Organic dark rye and whole wheat flour, fermented slowly with a mature rye starter, plus malt syrup and a touch of honey for natural sweetness and depth.
  • The seed soak. Chopped rye, brown flax, and toasted sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds, soaked ahead of time so they're full of flavor and give the crumb its hearty bite.
  • A splash of buttermilk. It rounds out the loaf with a tender crumb and a gentle tang.

Why it's worth it

  • It keeps. Rugbrød stays moist on your counter for most of a week.
  • It's made for smørrebrød. Slice it thin and pile on salted butter, smoked fish, sharp cheese, or avocado.
  • It's hearty. Rich in fiber, with protein from all those seeds, and dense rye breads like this generally have a lower glycemic index than white bread.

The fermentation and seed soak take a few days, so I bake these in small numbers. Pre-order on Hotplate to make sure you get one.

Ingredients

Organic rye flour, organic whole wheat flour, water, chopped rye, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, buttermilk, malt syrup, honey, sea salt.

900 g per loaf · Contains wheat, milk, and sesame

Brown butter dark chocolate chunk cookies with flaky salt on a cooling rack
A hand reaching for a cookie studded with melted dark chocolate

Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookie

$3

Nutty brown butter and dark chocolate, crisp at the edges and soft in the middle.

Every bake
More about this cookie

Browned butter, brown sugar, and a bit of sourdough starter give these cookies a rich, gently tangy flavor with deep notes of chocolate and toffee.

Ingredients

Organic flour, water, levain (organic flour, water), caster sugar, brown sugar, unsalted butter, egg yolks, dark chocolate, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, sea salt.

Contains wheat, milk, and eggs

Three sourdough baguettes with deeply browned, scored crusts
A row of freshly baked baguettes, close up
A baguette split lengthwise, showing its open crumb

Organic Sourdough Baguette

$7

A crackly crust and a deeper, heartier flavor from a whole-grain starter. Best the day it's baked. Available with Wednesday pre-orders only.

Occasional bake
More about this bread

These baguettes are naturally leavened, with no commercial yeast. The starter is built with whole-grain flour, which gives them a crisp crust and a darker, heartier flavor than a typical baguette. They're great for sandwiches, alongside soup, or torn at the table with dinner.

Eat it fresh

Like any true baguette, this bread is at its best the day it's baked and goes stale quickly. To bring a day-old baguette back, run it quickly under the tap and warm it in a hot oven for a few minutes until the crust crisps up again.

Ingredients

Organic flour, water, sea salt.

Made from about 325 g of dough · Contains wheat

Seed-topped sourdough bagels on a cooling rack
A sourdough bagel sliced in half to show its crumb

Sourdough Bagels

Naturally leavened, boiled, then baked. Still dialing them in. Join the list to hear when they land.

Test kitchen

My story

"My mission is to share the same joy that fills our family table with every loaf."

Jonathan Sidhu, baker

Jonathan presenting a peel of fresh sourdough loaves to a group of bakers

I learned to bake alongside my mother and grandmother in Ohio, in a family of cooks and caterers. By the mid-90s I was baking bread on my own, and it did not take long to fall for sourdough.

Years later, a surprise holiday gift of baking tools from a former manager got me back at the bench in earnest. Encouraging words from friends and family did the rest, and Bernside became a licensed cottage micro-bakery in New Jersey.

Now Bernside has a new home at One108Ithaca, our 68-acre farm in Danby. There are sheep in the pasture, woods up the hill, and bread coming out of our farmhouse kitchen. The focus is the same as ever: organic ingredients, natural fermentation, and regional flour.

Thanks for being part of this.

- Jonathan

The grain

Organic flours and grains, including those from Farmer Ground in Trumansburg, a short drive from the farm.

The starter

My sourdough starter raises every loaf. No commercial yeast, just time and a lot of attention.

The crafts

Handmade woodenware by Jonathan, like spoons and cutting boards, made for everyday use in the kitchen.

How a loaf
comes together

Sourdough doesn't do shortcuts. Here's what happens between a bubbling starter and the loaf on your counter.

Most of the work is waiting.

  1. 01

    Feed the starter

    Before every bake, the starter gets a fresh meal of flour and water. Once it's bubbly and smells pleasantly sour, it's ready to work. It's the only thing that makes my bread rise.

  2. 02

    Mix

    The dough starts simple: flour, water, salt, and a scoop of that lively starter. I mix just until everything comes together, then give it time to settle.

  3. 03

    Stretch and fold

    Once the dough is mixed, I give it a series of stretches and folds over the next few hours instead of heavy kneading. Each round builds a little more strength without pushing out the air.

  4. 04

    Rest in the cold

    After shaping, the loaves rest overnight in the fridge, where their slow fermentation keeps going. That long, cool rise is where the mild tang and deeper flavor come from, and many people find slow-fermented bread easier on the stomach.

  5. 05

    Bake it bold

    Each loaf gets a quick slash and goes into a very hot oven, and I bake it until the crust is deep brown. Color is flavor. In the oven's heat, natural sugars and proteins in the dough react with each other and create hundreds of new flavors and aromas. It's called the Maillard reaction, and it's the same browning that makes toast, roasted coffee, and a seared steak taste so good. A pale crust misses most of it.

Good questions

How do pre-orders work?

Order online through my Hotplate shop between Friday at 8 am and Sunday at 8 pm, or until items sell out. Pickup is Wednesday from 3 to 6 pm, and I'll share the location after you order. You can pay in Hotplate at checkout, and returning customers can also pay at pickup.

Isn't sourdough always sour?

Not at all. How tangy a loaf tastes comes down to choices the baker makes: how the starter is kept, how warm the dough stays, and how long it ferments. I keep mine on the mild side, so you get deep, rounded flavor with just a gentle tang. If you've been put off by puckery sourdough before, give it a try.

What about allergens?

Every item is labeled with its ingredients and allergens. My kitchen handles wheat, dairy, seeds, eggs, soy, and tree nuts.

What's the best way to store my bread if I can't eat it right away?

Bread is best enjoyed the day it's baked, but if you need to keep it a little longer, here are some tips.

To store: Keep it in a paper bag, cut side down, for 2 to 3 days. Rugbrød keeps well wrapped for most of a week.

To freeze: Wrap the whole loaf (or what's left of it!) in plastic wrap, place it in a zip-top freezer bag, and enjoy within three months. Tip: slice the loaf before freezing, and you can pop a frozen slice straight into the toaster whenever you want one. No thawing needed.

To reheat a whole loaf: Let it thaw at room temperature while still wrapped. Once it's defrosted, preheat your oven to 350°F, unwrap the loaf, run it briefly under the tap, and place it directly on the oven rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Nearly as good as new!

Can I order for an event or a store?

Yes. Email jonathan@bernsidebakery.com with dates and quantities and I'll work out what the oven can do.

Where is your bakery?

I make Bernside Bakery products in my home kitchen in Danby, NY, under the New York State Home Processor exemption. I sell and deliver within New York State only.