Manayunk Timber, Philadelphia’s only sawmill, is now also home to Dead King Bread, a sourdough bakery that relocated there this fall from a farm in Germantown, writes Jenn Ladd for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The offbeat bakery has mostly operated on a subscription basis over the last eight years. To create their crusty sourdough loaves, founder Michael Holland and business partner Molly Flannery were making dough in one place to be transported to another spot for baking, before finally delivering it to customers in several Philadelphia neighborhoods. 

“It wasn’t sustainable,” said Flannery. 

Now that Dead King Bread has a new home, as well as a linear bake, the owners can start to grow their customer base and expand their selection of offerings. They also now welcome the public to their premises, but only for a few hours on Saturdays initially. 

The bakery’s kitchen space is currently up and running and the pair are currently working on building out a retail storefront. The bakery’s 150 subscribers will still receive bread on their doorstep, and the delivery radius will also be expanded. 

It will be a while before Dead King’s plans are fully realized, but Holland hopes to cultivate a vibe that feels “more like an open house than a retail store.”

Read more about Dead King Bread in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in December 2023.