Meredith's Bread

It's likely that right now, the crew at Meredith's Bread is baking for the farmers market. Led by husband and wife, Bob and Lynn Allen, and their daughter Amanda, they get started in the hours before dawn, and by mid-morning, the bakery is lined with racks full of breads, pies, cookies, and more, all cooling from the ovens.

The Allens began with a simple farm stand in 1972. Soon after they tried out baking, and it became the new love that stuck. Encouraged by positive responses to their baked goods, they realized that they had something special. In 1987, when a local woman decided to sell her established, home-based bakery label name, the Allens bought it along with some baking equipment. Today their early farm stand days are reflected in their products: they bake with seasonal fruits and vegetables all year long, offer whole grain loaves made with New York State grown flour and also make jams with seasonal fruits.

Yet, years into their business, the Allens rose to a brand new challenge that Lynn says was "like starting a whole new bakery," when both Lynn and Amanda were diagnosed with Celiac Disease. The family's response was to invent a new line of baked goods that meet their high standards for texture and flavor but are gluten-free. Lynn and Amanda spearhead the bakery's gluten-free branch with totally separate space, ovens, equipment, and ingredients. The key to gluten-free baking is to replace the protein mix of gluten. From there, the creativity begins. "It takes many gluten-free ingredients to recreate the structure of gluten," Lynn says, "And everyone here is passionate about finding the right mix." Lynn and Amanda's dedication have resulted in breads, pies, cookies and more for gluten-free customers.