Turning their backs on night work and industrial methods, Jessica Schillström and Natalia Hagstedt have created an oasis of fresh sourdough bread, local collaboration and sustainable working life. All from one street in Bålsta.
When you step into the bright and airy Schillströms artisan bakery you'll be greeted by the smell of freshly baked goods, but unlike many traditional bakeries, baking doesn't start in the middle of the night. Here, the philosophy is to bake while the shop is open, so that customers can enjoy warm buns and fresh bread well into the afternoon.
- We bake all day instead, so that you can get freshly baked no matter when you come to us," explains Jessica Schillström, who after many years in the industry in Stockholm got tired of commuting and poor working conditions.
The bakery is run by Jessica together with Natalia Hagstedt. They met as colleagues and became good friends. When the premises in Bålsta became vacant just under two years ago, it felt like ”now or never”. Jessica went for it and Natalia was quick to follow. And it was precisely sustainability that became the theme throughout.
At the heart of the business is sourdough, which makes up around 90% of the entire range. Using cultured cereals and giving the dough a long time to ferment creates a bread that is more filling, nutritious and better for the body. The dough is left to rise slowly, often in the fridge overnight, allowing the flavors to develop properly. They strive to keep the bread as ”pure” as possible and bake without any added yeast.
- Once you start eating bread made from cultured cereals and sourdough, it's hard to go back to anything else," says Jessica.
Cooperation with local actors within the Fjärdhundraland network is important. The flour comes largely from Jädra Prästgård, the honey from Kronbacken's apiaries and the coffee is a special roasting from White Cockatoo Coffee Roastery.
- We try to use local actors, we think it's nice," says Natalia.
The focus on quality has also produced clear results. The bakery won two gold medals in the Swedish Crafts Championship 2024 for its Äppel-nöt and Jädra Levain breads, baked with cultural grains from Jädra Prästgård. The bakery describes itself as a ”premium variant” compared to the easily accessible range of supermarkets, but notices that customers appreciate the solid craftsmanship.
Jessica and Natalia consciously choose not to follow fleeting trends, instead focusing on flavors they like and ingredients that follow the season. In addition, the customers themselves contribute to a varied range that follows the changes in nature.
- Sometimes customers come in and leave berries that they have picked and that we can bake with, in exchange for bread," says Jessica.
To make room for recovery and family life, the bakery is not open every day. Jessica and Natalia are careful to set limits and keep their ideas at a reasonable level so that they can run the business in the long term.
- "To be sustainable in this and also to build a family, we need to be free sometimes," they explain.
Even when the bakery is closed, the premises are rarely quiet. Natalia likes to spend her time preparing dough for the week and working on creative projects, such as building elaborate gingerbread houses for charity at Christmas. Both are looking forward to continuing to develop the business and have several goals they are working to achieve.
But of course, it has to be done in a sustainable way, just like the slow sourdough bread.
- On the road ahead, it should also feel like you're alive.
Text and photo: Annelie Salminen
