Cook This Now! Big Fresh Bakery’s banana nut bread

The early bird gets the worm. That old adage also applies to die-hard fans of freshly made bread waiting on a delivery of sourdough loaves to grab before they sell out. “Last Wednesday morning, customers were asking, ‘What are those people waiting for?’ says Southampton’s Barryville General co-founder Eric Komoroff of the weekly cue outside. “I said, they’re waiting for Mackenzie to deliver her Big Fresh bread!”

What first began with a somewhat cult following has grown into a lucrative career for Mackenzie Harrington, the self-taught baker of naturally leavened bread, pastries, and holiday cookies she sells under the moniker Big Fresh Bakery. The Southampton native who says she always “loved to bake” had fans from the get-go, with requests for her holiday cookies in high demand and suggestions from friends to sell them locally. Not afraid of a challenge, Harrington explored bread-making during what seemed like a Sourdough renaissance, creating her starter about three years ago. “For me, baking has always been trying to find the hardest thing to do, and I felt sourdough was a good challenge,” she recalls. “It was way easier than I thought the first time I did it, which inspired me to push further into it and see how intricate I can get with ingredients.”

Southampton’s Barryville General co-founder Eric Komoroff carries Big Fresh Bakery items, which die hard fans frequently line up for on delivery day. (Photos by Doug Young)

Now, with an arsenal of Belgium-made Rofko electric ovens that hold 12 loaves each, the self-described ‘out of house’ baker has brought her coveted Sourdough treats (including chocolate chip cookies, brioche cinnamon buns, and cheesy bread) to the masses, selling them not only to weekly fans at Barryville General but at Southampton Village Farmers Market in season. “I just upgraded to a 60-quart mixer and a cookie depositor, so hopefully, the quantities will keep going up,” she continues, “it’s been a lot of fun!”

Harrington, who holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and sustainability from the University of Vermont, also aims for her company to have a small-scale carbon footprint, incorporating what she learned by collaborating with other local purveyors. “I’m going to try and do a little bit of milling with some local, organic grains,” she says, adding, “I just got my first pack of Amagansett Sea Salt, which I’m excited to try in recipes.”

This ‘willing to try’ ethos may be why Big Fresh Bakery’s incredibly moist and flavorful banana nut bread became a hit with loyal customers since first selling it at the Southampton Village Farmers Market last summer. “I just happened to have ripe bananas and thought, ‘maybe I’ll just make banana bread this week’ she recalls laughing, “it became pretty significant and kind of annoying because I was like, the things that you don’t even think about sometimes become the biggest seller.” Originally offered by the slice, Harrington decided to include the requested treat into regular rotation, humorously recalling, “the weeks that I didn’t have it, people would be like, ‘where’s the banana bread?'”

Aesthetically, the banana loaf takes on a rich, darker hue partly due to the oven in which it’s baked. “There’s amazing radiant heat that comes from the bread oven that I use, and it tends to create a golden outer surface,” explains Harrington. “But the best part is that nice pop in the center,” referring to the layered, delicious looking indent on top of the loaf.

A couple of past-their-prime bananas, a few pantry staples and some active sourdough starter make for some killer banana bread. (Photos by Doug Young)

Perfect with coffee or tea as an afternoon snack, give this banana nut bread recipe (graciously shared) by Mackenzie a go, but let Big Fresh Bakery stick to the sourdough. “It’s an undeniable product that we began leaning on pretty quickly since we began carrying it,” boasts Komoroff, who recently shifted Barryville General’s sandwich program to be made on Big Fresh Bakery sourdough. “It can be a challenge to find items that make sense, that you believe in and trust,” he says. “Mackenzie’s sourdough bread and baked goods never last more than 48 hours on the shelf.”