In the News

 By Craig Reed

Britney Obenhaus admits she despised baking when she was younger. She has since done an about-face in her kitchen.

Now 35 years old, she specializes in baking a variety of sourdough breads, sourdough sweet breads, cinnamon rolls, muffins, bagels and baguettes.

Her newfound interest led Britney to establish Busy B’s Sourdough Micro Bakery and Homestead in February 2022. The business is based out of her Meadow Lane home northwest of La Pine.

“It’s been an incredible journey,” Britney says. “My family has supported me and my labor of love. It’s rooted me into my home.

It has become a form of therapy for me, working with my hands, being challenged by the sourdough.”

Britney credits her sister, Elizabeth Ribera, for getting her started with sourdough baking. After a December 2021 visit, Elizabeth—who enjoys baking—sent Britney home with a jar of sourdough starter with instructions.

“I thought, ‘I don’t have time for this,’” Britney says. “I enjoy cooking, not baking. But once I used the starter, it quickly became an obsession and then a passion.”

Britney struggles with gluten intolerance. “That was one of the big factors in my sister sending starter home with me,” she says. “Commercial yeast upsets my stomach. Sourdough is a way for me to enjoy baked goods again and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“It’s not just a passion, but also a science for me,” she says. “I’ve learned the nutrition side of it and how sourdough is gut-healthy.”

When Elizabeth saw the loaves of sourdough bread Britney baked, she told her, “You could sell these loaves, they’re so beautiful. You need to start a bread business.”

Britney again followed her sister’s suggestion and established Busy B’s.

“It’s truly because of my sister and her little gift of sourdough starter that I’m where I’m at now,” Britney says. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”

She says sourdough has saved her, in a way.

“It has allowed me to be present with my children at home and has also sparked joy in my life,” Britney says. “It’s been a beautiful adventure and journey.”

Helping along the way has been Britney’s husband, Kyle Obenhaus, son Gavin, 14, daughter Emma Jean, 8, and son Colt, 6.

Kyle, a general contractor, built a booth for Britney to use at vendor events and a greenhouse for growing vegetables and herbs. Gavin helps with dishes and setting up and taking down the booth. Emma Jean helps care for the family’s chickens. Colt, like the other family members, is a taste tester of Britney’s sourdough creations.

Candy Carrington, a La Pine resident, has been buying Britney’s sourdough products for the past few years. Candy says she’s been a sourdough fan since first eating it about 50 years ago.

“I’ve tried many different sourdough breads in my lifetime, and I have to say Britney’s is the best,” Candy says. “The traditional loaf is my favorite. It’s

got a golden, crispy outer crust with chewy texture on the inside. There’s all those nooks and crannies that cradle the butter after it’s toasted. It’s so good.”

In addition to sourdough products, Britney has expanded her home business to include honey, eggs, jams, syrups, candles and soaps. Emma Jean helps make candles and soap.

Britney also keeps four beehives and is a self-described “crazy chicken lady” with 20 chickens.

A lifelong member of the La Pine community, Britney’s family roots reach back several generations in the area. Her great-grandparents, Loss and Marie Cagle, built the Wickiup Junction building in the mid-1900s and several buildings for small businesses in La Pine. Her grandfather, Harry Anson, was the La Pine fire chief for many years and was a lineworker with Midstate Electric Cooperative.

To support the La Pine community, Britney sources ingredients from other small local businesses. She trades bread for goat milk, using the milk both in her kitchen and in making soap.

“Britney is a gift to our little community,” Candy says. “Her secret to making good sourdough is to make it with love.”

Britney sells her homemade goods through her Facebook page, at local fairs and festivals and at pop-up events at her home.

“I always encourage people to like and follow me on Facebook to see what I have available and where I’ll be selling,” she says. “The support of people has been an eyeopening experience. People want to shop direct and want to know what is in the products. I’m providing the best quality I can, and people are finding that important today.”