Alex Williams enjoys the pleasure of seeing projects through from start to finish. As the man behind Preston Hill Bakery, he gets to do just that six days a week. With a background in architecture he built the building that houses his bakery and finds himself adding on an extension every few years. Alex splits the wood, builds and tends to the fire that heats his outdoor wood-fired brick oven to over 600 degrees Fahrenheit, makes the dough for his delicious breads, bakes the loaves, and brings them to market to sell them. Alex is the face of Preston Hill Bakery, though his golden retriever Molly keeps an eye on him throughout the day.
With the exception of his chocolate bread, which contains a bit of milk chocolate, Alex’s products are all vegan. Alex also uses organic, whole-grain flour as he strives to take actions that are good for the earth and respect our relationship with it. When it’s available, he uses flour from Grant County, over in Eastern Washington. Alex also likes to use a local apple cider to sweeten his pastries.
Alex bakes his products fresh on Tuesday mornings so they are fresh and still warm for the Carnation Farmers Market in the afternoon. Alex’s favorite part about being at market is getting to know the people who shop there, so be sure to stop by, say hi, and try some samples. If you ever see his olive bread, don’t hesitate to give it a shot—it’s his favorite one to make! Stop by early as his chocolate bread and focaccia are so delicious that they tend to sell out.