About Artisan Bakehouse

Artisan Bakehouse goes back to 1995 when I was first introduced to sourdough bread baking. I spend nearly a year traveling throughout the United States learning how to create true artisan bread. This experience resulted in the opening of City Bread Company in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. City Bread developed a strong following and was regularly awarded Best Bread in Memphis. 

A detour in my life shifted my career focus from bread baker to psychotherapist. Working in hospitals and private practice for the past two decades, I found helping people incredible rewarding—but I never lost my passion for baking. This desire to create true artisan bread and share it with others led me to open Artisan Bakehouse.

Photos/Videos:

  1. Photo of Robert Gardner in an apron holding a baguette 

  2. Photo or article from City Bread Co.

The Best Ingredients 

True artisan bread is comprised of only four ingredients, the quality of each contributes greatly to the final product. Artisan Bakehouse uses freshly milled flour from a small wheat farmer in Illinois. This organic flour is combined with a natural starter (levain), sea salt, and filtered water to make bread that is nutritious and flavorful. Only the best ingredients are ever used to create Artisan Bakehouse bread. 


Photos/Videos:

  1. Photos of ingredients including wheat and flour in bag

  2. Video of wheat being milled into flour

  3. Photo of Janie’s Mill wheat farm

  4. Others?

Traditional Baking Method

Artisan Bakehouse follows an Old World bread baking method using fresh-milled flour, filtered water, and sea salt, leavened by a natural starter—a living culture of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria. This ancient process relies on a long, slow fermentation resulting in bread having a complex, tangy flavor. 

Baked in an Italian stone oven that introduces steam during the baking process to create a thick, crackling crust while maintaining an interior crumb that’s moist and flavorful. Artisan Bakehouse bread takes up to 40 hours to produce but the final result makes the time and effort all worth it. 

Photos/Videos: 

  1. Video of mixing dough 

  2. Video of shaping dough

  3. Video of removing bread from oven