The Maker And A Baker sourdough goods flavor 3 French Hens market in Morris

Less than two years ago, Alli Daugherty of Morris felt called to become a baker, and began experimenting to create the perfect sourdough loaf, naming her business The Maker And A Baker.

Last year, she became part of the monthly French country market organized by 3 French Hens in Morris, and found the response to her array of specialty bread flavors and related baked goods overwhelming.

People soon learned to arrive early to snag her items. Luckily, she also can accommodate later arrivals.

“If they want to reach out to me to set something aside, [they can]. God has blessed me – I sell out fairly early,” Daugherty said from her kitchen. “I’m a licensed and insured cottage baker. Everything is out of my home.”

She regularly features her four most popular loaves: the top-selling classic original sourdough, followed closely by cheesy jalapeño, smoked gouda and everything bagel.

“The cheesy jalapeño … makes such good grilled cheese,” she said. “I do like to make different out-of-the-box things. I do a French onion in the wintertime with caramelized onion and provolone cheese. I do a basil pesto mozzarella in the summertime. It’s just so yummy and refreshing.”

Another unusual sourdough offering is her classic white sandwich loaf, which she has fine-tuned to achieve a “soft and fluffy” product.

Her fans recommend it for the ultimate BLT sandwiches. Around the Christmas holidays, she receives special orders for her cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls, which are all sourdough-based. People still remember her mini dill pickle loaf, prepared with fresh dill pickles, mozzarella and fresh and dried dill.

“It’s incredible on Reubens … it may come back if people nag me," Daugherty said.

In June, she’s been featuring strawberry shortcake sourdough muffins, which she describes as a fluffy muffin packed with strawberries, with the perfect crumble on top.

Daugherty, who posts her menu every Thursday on Facebook, offers deliveries each Tuesday in the Morris area, and has pickups Fridays.

The 3 French Hens country market is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each second Saturday through October, where The Maker And A Baker is among 200 outdoor exhibitors offering everything from antiques and artisans’ hand-crafted items to fresh produce and flowers.

Vendors gather in the parking lot behind 402 Liberty St. Daugherty’s location at the market is usually across the street from NAPA Auto Parts, which is at 115 W. Jefferson St.

Each month, Daugherty brings about 150 loaves to the market and around 250 to 300 cookies, muffins, brownies and focaccia.

“I bring other sourdough goodies also,” she said. “My cookies are not sourdough. … I made that recipe up some years ago and it kind of tagged along."

She’s known for those Alli’s brown butter chocolate chip cookies, which also have been ordered for weddings and by businesses. Her only non-sourdough product, “The cookies have a pretty good reputation,” Daugherty said, noting market-goers look for them, some customers coming from as far away as Bolingbrook and Bourbonnais.

“The 3 French Hens market has been such a blessing to me,” she said, adding it also is an opportunity to finally meet face-to-face the customers she’s done porch pickups or deliveries for. “One of the fun things [is] I’ve been able to meet the people who love what I make. It’s been such a joy to meet them.

“It truly has been … a dream,” she says of her unexpected business role as baker. “I look forward to these markets so much. They take the whole week to prepare for. The grand finale is the market where I get to see everybody and laugh with everybody.”

The fact that people arrive at 7:45 a.m. for the baked goods “blows my mind every single market,” she said. “It’s flattering and humbling and I just love it.”

Back in the kitchen, it all begins with a sourdough starter, mingling wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

“My starter has a name: Donna,” said Daugherty, who has taught several bread-making classes. “The first rule is you have got to keep this thing alive. You might as well give it a name.”

All kinds of opportunities have bubbled up from it.

On Daugherty’s Facebook page, bread lovers are bound to be impressed by photos of the “bread bar” she catered for a wedding. She called her 6-foot table design “a giant bread charcuterie board,” complemented by cheeses, jams, oils, vinegars, spreads and butters, as well as sourdough items including baguettes, bread sticks and crackers.

A selection of about 40 types of loaves is offered, varying from sweet to savory.

“Watching Alli grow alongside this business has been an incredible blessing for her father and me,” said Ann Schwiesow, who assists her daughter’s enterprise. “We all look forward to this market where she can share her joy for baking while inviting shoppers to savor not just her bread and sweet treats, but a genuine slice of her heart and passion.”

To order items from The Maker And A Baker, send Daugherty a message on Facebook at tinyurl.com/3dp8yjkc or call 815-955-9464.