At the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, many people started baking sourdough to cope with uncertainty and fill free time. But Kate McCormick kept at it, turning her hobby into Bread Drop, a St. Louis-based microbakery. “I worked as an ICU nurse during the pandemic,” McCormick said. “A coworker gifted me a sourdough starter —I had no experience with it prior to that.”
She was drawn to the challenge of perfecting her sourdough technique, even though “it took me nearly a year before I was able to make a proper loaf that wasn’t flat as a pancake, burned, dense, or something like that.”
“As an ICU nurse, I was taking care of the sickest of the sick COVID patients,” she said. “It was monotonous, having the same difficult conversations over and over. I needed something to occupy my mind and hands to cope with the day-to-day… Sourdough was easy to return to time and time again. Even if it’s not perfect-looking, it tastes great.”
She officially transitioned from hobbyist to professional baker in early 2023, with the launch of an Instagram page and website. “Bread Drop came about as a result of me wanting to bake loaf after loaf to perfect my technique,” McCormick explained. “My family is just me, my husband and our dog Mo — we couldn’t consume all of the bread I wanted to make to get good at it, so I started giving it to friends and family, and then started selling to family and friends by delivering it at people’s doors, a bread drop.”
Currently, McCormick bakes 20 to 40 loaves of sourdough per week for customers across St. Louis, with deliveries on Monday and curbside pickups on Thursday. All bread is made to order twice weekly in her home kitchen and she balances her Bread Drop responsibilities with a full-time, remote nursing position. “Luckily with sourdough, it’s not all hands on—there’s a lot of rest periods. I can run errands or do chores or work on a nurse project. It can fit into my schedule.”
A creative lineup of flavored loaves sets Bread Drop apart from other microbakeries. “Every microbakery makes their own signature classic loaf,” said McCormick. “Once I figured that out, I thought what else can I do, just to see how far I can take it.”
Customer favorites include the roasted garlic and herb sourdough flavored with basil, rosemary and thyme, as well as the Cheesy Goodness loaf made with a choice of cheese and optional fresh jalapenos. McCormick also offers sweet flavors like cocoa cherry, chocolate chip, cinnamon swirl, and lemon poppyseed, as well as a striking green-hued matcha swirl loaf.
Looking to the future, McCormick is eager to tackle Bread Drop’s first holiday season and has already received inquiries about bulk orders for Thanksgiving and Christmas. “It will be busy but great!” she said. “I’m excited to see how it continues to grow. I have new customers each week. I’m looking forward to opportunities I have yet to imagine.”
AUTHOR
Stacy Brooks is a Minneapolis-based freelance journalist focusing on food and travel. Her writing has been published in Hemispheres, Midwest Living and Wine Enthusiast, and she blogs at Tangled Up In Food.
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