I could not wait to meet up with the quite literal breadwinner of the campus. Emily Horstman is known around Pitt as the one who bakes delicious homemade and organic bread for students to purchase on a weekly basis inside the Cathedral, all for a good cause. She came up with a catchy business name, Edgar Allan Dough, and things began to soar (Check out the Facebook page here!). This quaint set-up steadily had customers stopping by throughout the duration of our conversation, showing people’s love for the delicious smells circulating throughout the room and loving the outcome of a lot of hard work! Not only are her fresh loaves the most incredible baked goods to ever reach your taste buds (trust me, I cannot get enough of all the flavors!) but Emily has a lot of hidden reasoning behind her purpose. She not only puts a smile on anyone’s face when they take a bite of her prized bread, but she also reminds us why it’s so important to be aware of the kinds of ways overly-processed foods could potentially harm the earth and our bodies as well. I sat down with Emily and her baking assistant Danny Logue with their picnic basket full of bread to sell, to find out the inside scoop behind the successful hidden treasure within campus.
HC: What are some of the things people say about your bread?
Emily: Just the other day during my friend’s birthday, when I got him a free Italian roll with his bread, he texted me saying, “This is the dinner roll to rule them all.” In addition to getting texts that say it’s the best dinner ever, even the bus driver says it all smells so good it makes his day. When someone says something amazing it makes it all better- like if I burn a batch and have to throw it away and am just having a bad day, people still appreciate the hard work.
HC: Where did u come up with that catchy title?
Emily: On Tumblr! I came across Edgar Allan Poe jokes, like “Edgar Allan Foe” and “Edgar Allan Dough opens up a bakery.” I thought it was really funny- and everyone laughs when they say it!
HC: How often do you sell bread?
Emily: Once or twice a week, but I’m trying to get it up to more like three times as it keeps getting more popular.
HC: Do you experiment a lot with different flavors of bread?
Emily: For a long time I’d do the recipe just how it’s written, but now I do what I think is going to work the best. I bake a lot with maple, because there are so many flavors you can put into it. This week I was out of multigrain cereal, so instead there are sunflower seeds in here. I used to do a lot more experimenting, but now I bake so much from people’s orders so I don’t have a lot of time to; but it’s one of my favorite things to do. Every week there’s something new, and that flavor would be the baker’s choice which can be curry honey bread or Italian rolls for example.
HC: When did you get the idea to start selling bread (for such a reasonable price might I add)?
Emily: It had to do with coming back from studying abroad and wanting to make a positive impact on the food economy. I started pretty soon afterwards. The very first time I started selling was last January when I only made less than ten loaves of bread. It seemed like the right thing to do and share with the world; helping others lessen their impact on the earth as well as lessening my own.
HC: Have you ever thought of making more than just bread, like pizza or other baked goods?
Emily: We are thinking of expanding- Danny is pushing for a storefront, so it is definitely a possibility. I like being spontaneous, so I’m not sure what the future would hold. We are trying to appeal to as many people as we can. I am considering making pizza dough, because the pizza would be easy for people to make at home.
HC: How much do you bake on regular basis?
Emily: Anywhere between 15-30 loaves a week, sometimes a little bit more. The highest in a week was 42 leaves over three days.
HC: Have you ever thought of taking a baking class or learning from a professional baker?
Emily: I don’t really have such plans, but one of my friend’s mom’s bakes pastries, so I’m planning on baking with her. And if any of you reading this wants to give me any ideas and tips, let me know! I’m always down for learning swapping.
HC: Did you ever expect your small business would get so popular?
Emily: Not even a little bit!
HC: Why is the bread organically made?
Emily: What we do is we first just go and pick up organic ingredients such as local honey to use for baking. Everything is organic because there are so many problems with all of the pesticides used in other foods and the effect they have on the ecology and soil. I disagree with the way cows and chickens are treated with non-organic farming so I try to avoid animal products. This is to help people reduce their environmental impacts and participate more directly in the local food economy.
HC: How did you first start becoming aware of all of this negative impact food had on the world?
Emily: It started a year ago when I studied abroad in Tanzania, India. The trip focused on local issues and sustainability. I came back here and thought about where our food was coming from.
HC: Do you have a passion for baking?
Emily: I’ve always loved baking cookies and am obsessed with finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I don’t think I really got into it until I started baking bread with organic ingredients rather than ones that were fertilized. I learned about the conditions on the crops that fertilizers cause during my study abroad program, and all of the benefits of farming in different ways that are healthier for the earth and people as well.
HC: How has this whole process impacted you?
Emily: It is really incredible to know that this project has as much support as it does; I feel supported too. When going through any tough times it’s incredible to see all the Facebook likes and after every time I bake even if it’s stressful. People tell me how much they enjoy the bread and it’s incredible to see people being excited and willing.
Danny says he’s always wanted to be organic and sustainable but never had much motivation, and this was it! Emily commented that it has inspired him, so now he’s a lot more conscious of where things (food) are coming from and the amount of waste he has in his life that impacts the environment.
Photo Credit: Edgar Allan Dough Facebook Page