Gregorio, Mike Talley's sourdough starter, helps him make delicious breads for others to enjoy. Under his business, Talley Dough, he admits he simply loves to bake bread.
The name Gregorio, of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese origin, means "watchful," "alert," or "cautious." Mike, who holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and now works in hospital finance, says he had a college professor by that name and he always liked it.
"I started with baking cookies as a kid, then made normal yeast bread. One day, a friend and I were goofing around, watching videos of sourdough bread baking techniques. I then read books, and started my sourdough journey about eight years ago during 2017," Mike says.
He reveals his first sourdough starter "croaked" after a couple years, but his current one turned five years this May after he started it from-scratch. At the point he started Gregorio was when he also applied for his license to start a home-based cottage bakery.
"Sourdough starters are like having a pet. You feed them, water them, clean up after them," he says.
While Mike sometimes offers sourdough banana bread, baguettes, babka and cookies, his bread and butter (required pun) product is his sourdough loaves for $10 each. He mainly sells at Farmersville Market, which is the first Saturday of each month.
"I also take special orders for porch pickups, and am open to deliveries on a case-by-case basis," he adds.
"More fan favorites are Cheddar jalapeño roasted garlic sourdough, as well as oatmeal or peanut butter sourdough cookies," he says.
For anyone thinking about working with sourdough, Mike recommends committing to consistency. "You get to know your dough, its personality, and how it changes with the seasons, such as different hydrations and rising times."
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