Delco baker brings home-based business to Wayne with Wild Yeast Bakehouse
Like so many of us, John Goncher tried his hand at baking bread during the worldwide COVID pandemic. But unlike most of us, his newfound hobby developed into a whole lot more. And soon, everyone in the area of Wayne’s Eagle Village Shops will be able to partake in his craft (and its delicious results).
The Wild Yeast Bakehouse will open a boutique sourdough bakery in the heart of the Main Line. Slated for the Spring of 2026, Goncher’s hobby is about to yield far more than a fresh loaf. This locally-based microbakery specializes in one thing: the crafting of small-batch, naturally leavened sourdough bread. It even aims to include delivery of its fresh batches!
Wild Yeast’s sourdough breads offer natural, authentic ingredients from a local baker. (Image courtesy of Wild Yeast Bakehouse)Goncher, the founder and owner of Wild Yeast Bakehouse, said the brick-and-mortar location will bring together his work of the past five years.
“The new space will be a ‘hub’ for all the bakehouse’s favorite things. It will be a place to: find your favorite sourdough breads and sourdough-based treats; grab a slice and discover some new favorites; learn more about the process and benefits of sourdough; gather with friends to try your hand at making some bread, and more.”
The expansion will provide increased capacity to more efficiently serve Wild Yeast Bakehouse’s customers, those Goncher calls part of his “bread share” (or sourdough subscription) customers. It also makes room for wholesale partners and farmers market channels, he said.
“Due to rapid increases in demand, [it] made home-based baking increasingly more challenging,” said Goncher. “My choices were to scale back or to look for external space, like a commercial kitchen or a retail/production space. I truly enjoy the interactions I have with my customers, so I knew I would choose a space with a retail component, if I could find the right space in the area.”
Thankfully, just such a spot was available in Eagle Village Shops in Wayne. In addition to its current basket of sourdough offerings, the Main Line bakery intends to offer additional sourdough-focused products such as baguettes, babka, scones, and cookies in this new space.
The Wild Yeast Bakehouse is slated to open in the Eagle Village Shops in Wayne in the Spring of 2026. (Image courtesy of Wild Yeast Bakehouse) “From an operating space perspective, the move will mark a ten-fold increase in square footage,” said Goncher. “I am excited to join so many wonderful businesses in Eagle Village Shops. Renovations and fit-out of the space will begin shortly.”
The shopfront will be a big step up from Goncher’s beginnings. Founded in April 2021, Goncher used his kitchen oven to bake and deliver ten loaves of freshly baked sourdough bread to his “bread subscription customers.”
Goncher, who was born and raised in Reading, said social media had a helping hand in his earlier days.
“I have been largely self-taught, drawing on a number of techniques and recipes from well-regarded books and the robust community of sourdough bakers on Instagram,” said Goncher. “I also learned from lots of practice – many loaves too flat, too dense. It took countless trial bakes to get the recipe just right.”
He must have done something right. Soon, word began to spread. Customers liked the convenience of his home delivery, loved the fresh-baked bread, and appreciated supporting a local small business.
“Nearly four years later, WYBH delivers to 240 bread share customers each week,” said Goncher.
Goncher, who has lived in Radnor since 1999, said that, in addition to his growing fan-base, his concern for healthier options fueled his passions.
“My interest in focusing on healthier, ‘real’ food was influenced primarily by the works of Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food, Omnivore’s Dilemma, Etc.). Specific to sourdough baking, my early influences were books such as Tartine Bread and on-line resources such as The Perfect Loaf (theperfectloaf.com),” he said.
Once his hobby was clearly growing into something more, Goncher began the steps to create a new and legitimate business.
“I set out with the purpose of creating a business around my baking – it was only a matter of whether I could routinely deliver a quality product,” said Goncher. “In tandem with my early bakes, I registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as a Limited Food Establishment so I could produce/sell out of my home and registered Wild Yeast Bakehouse, LLC.”
For those that find baking of any kind rather intimidating, Goncher has you covered there, too.
“It’s not difficult to produce a healthy, delicious loaf,” he said. “The process does take time – a loaf takes nearly 48 hours start to finish – but results in a product that is far superior in taste and nutritional value to commercial bread.”
Goncher will also lend a hand at teaching home bakers in the region, too.
“Our plans include small-group, hands-on classes covering a variety of sourdough topics. There will be opportunities to make bread!” he said. “I love the blend of art and science inherent in the sourdough process. There is always something to learn and new techniques to try. The space will allow us to expand our offerings and to provide an environment to gather and learn more about the techniques and benefits of sourdough baking.”
Radnor resident and founder/owner of Wild Yeast Bakehouse John Goncher enjoys the taste and health benefits of his locally made breads. (Image courtesy of Wild Yeast Bakehouse)A love for sourdough isn’t just for its flavor. This baker also said he appreciates its health benefits, too.
“In addition to high-quality, healthier ingredients (more whole grains, for example), the long fermentation process we use improves gut health, digestibility, more stable blood sugar levels, and increased availability of nutrients,” said Goncher of his sourdough bread. “In a few words, [sourdough is] nourishing and uncomplicated. Our loaves are made from quality flour, water, salt and our sourdough starter. I focus on straightforward loaves that highlight the grains. When I add inclusions to a loaf, I strive for healthy additions.”
WYBH also produces custom weekly bakes, which it provides to select wholesalers throughout in the region, including:
D’Innocenzo’s at the Wayne Farmers Market
Rosie’s Coffee at Villanova Station
Gryphon Coffee in Wayne
Martindale’s Natural Market in Media.
WYBH also has a stand at the Media Farmers Market in Media, Delaware County on Sundays throughout the year and is a member of the Wayne Business Association. And, while construction is slated to begin soon, you don’t have to crave sourdough for long.
“Even though our bakery won’t be open till the spring, you don’t have to wait until then to try our bread. You can join the bread share for weekly delivery, place a one-time order, or find our bread throughout the community. All that information is available on our website.”
For more information, visit www.wildyeastbakehouse.com.
