The folks at Bread Alone are changing the world, one loaf at a time. Daniel Leader started Bread Alone in the early 1980s as a response to the commodification of the food system, particularly grains. As such, the bakery has always valued the farmer-miller-baker relationship; all their mills work with family farms that grow grains on a regenerative rotation. Many of the farmers are also involved in diversity grain trials; as the primary baker in the Catskills, Leader and his wife and co-owner, Sharon Burns-Leader, use their decades of experience with sourdough techniques and small-batch bread to offer feedback and recommendations for particular varietals. As a result, their breads, crafted with organically grown grain and baked in a wood-fired oven, reflect time and terroir. Two signatures include the French sourdough (also known as pain au levain), and the Lefort levain, made from 100% regional grains and named in honor of the Parisian mason who built the bakery’s wood-fired ovens. Both loaves benefit from a long, cool fermentation to coax out a depth of flavor as well as the wheat’s natural sweetness. Pick up a loaf or linger for a sandwich at the main Kingston location, or visit one of the bakery-café locations in Woodstock, Boiceville or Rhinebeck. Though Leader has retired, the couple’s son, Nels, has taken the reins to ensure the future for the next generation of farmers, millers, bread bakers — and a community of bread lovers, too.