Richard Bourdon

Richard Bourdon had only $300 in his pocket when he and his three children emigrated from the Netherlands to the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts in 1985. Today, he owns Berkshire Mountain Bakery in Housatonic with more than $1 million in sales.

At least 90 percent of sales come from the bakery's naturally leavened bread, made using European techniques. Wholesale customers include about 60 gourmet and health food stores, co-ops and restaurants.

Breads are made from three types of starters — wheat, rye and spelt. The dough ferments for four to seven hours, depending on the bread variety. Ciabatta, rye, spelt and whole wheat need five hours and white sourdough ferments for six hours.

After moving to the United States, Bourdon's biggest challenge was the U.S.'s low enzymatic, high protein flour. “It didn't rise correctly, so I had to adjust my formulas accordingly,” he says.

Bourdon uses only winter wheat for consistency, and he slow mills (at 160 rpms) the whole grain on premises to maintain nutritional value. He uses organic grains and other ingredients whenever possible.

He mills 50 lbs. of flour at a time and uses eight to 10 20- to 30-lb. bags per week. To save money, he buys the wheat berries by the truckload. He is able to do this because wheat berries have a longer shelf life than milled grains.

Dough mixing and dividing processes are automated. The dough, which is soft and sticky due to a high water content, is divided right out of the mixer and pre-shaped by hand after a one-hour rest.

Most breads are produced on Monday and Thursday, ciabattas and pizza crusts (another significant source of revenue) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mixing and baking begin at 4 a.m. on Monday and Thursday and the last loaves come out of the oven at about 9 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, mixing begins at 6 a.m. and baking ends around 7 p.m.

One of Berkshire Mountain Bakery's best-selling breads is Sunny Flax, made with organic flax and sunflower seeds, which is available in both a 16-oz. oval and packaged 24-oz. pan loaf. Other top selling loaves are the rustic Peasant French, made with unbleached organic white flour and stone ground organic whole wheat flour, and 16-oz. and 4-oz. ciabattas.

The mini-ciabattas (4 ozs.) have soared in sales since Bourdon first introduced them in five flavors — traditional, cheese and herb, chocolate, jalapeno and cheese, and olive — in 2004. Another well-received newcomer is Hearty Wheat, made with organic wheat and blackstrap molasses. It is available in 16-oz. boules and 30-oz. pan loaves.

Berkshire Mountain Bakery also is known for its packaged spelt pan loaves made with stone ground organic whole spelt flour and natural spelt sourdough. In addition to plain, the bakery also produces a raisin variety flavored with cinnamon and a whole meal loaf with whole spelt berries and organic sunflower seeds.