Morning Loaf is a family-owned bakery on Maple Street. We bake everything from scratch, buy from farms we can drive to, and know most of our regulars by their order.
It began with one loaf and a lot of flour on the floor.
In 2010, Maggie Halvorsen was a hospital administrator who baked bread to unwind. Her starter — a jar on the windowsill she'd named Gus — was the most reliable thing in her week.
When a neighbor talked her into a stall at the Lakeview farmers' market, she sold out in an hour. Then she did it again the next Saturday, and the one after that. Daniel Okafor, who ran the coffee cart two stalls down, started sending his customers her way. Within two years they'd quit their jobs and signed a lease on the old Hendricks Hardware building at 418 Maple Street.
Gus is still alive, by the way. He's in every loaf of country sourdough we bake — about 1,100 a week now — and you can take a scoop of him home from any of our bread classes.
No. 418 Maple Street — the hardware store's original oak door is still the one you walk through.
“Bread asks you to slow down. You can't rush a 48-hour ferment, and honestly, we wouldn't want to.”
— Maggie Halvorsen, co-owner & head baker
Along the way
A short history of No. 418
From a market table to a neighborhood fixture — with a lot of help from Lakeview.
2010
A folding table at the farmers' market
Maggie sells 40 loaves of sourdough from her garage oven. They're gone by 9 a.m.
2012
The doors open at No. 418
Maggie and Daniel sign a lease on the old Hendricks Hardware building on Maple Street.
2016
More seats, more ovens
We take over the shop next door, add 30 seats and a second deck oven. Rosa joins and the croissants arrive.
2020
Order-ahead and the pickup shelf
A shelf by the front door turns into the most-used part of the bakery.
2022
A real catering kitchen
A dedicated cake and catering kitchen in the back — and June, our cake designer.
2025
Best Bakery, twice
Lakeview Ledger readers vote us Best Bakery in 2024 and 2025. We bake them cookies to say thanks.
The bakers
The people behind the counter
Plus fourteen more bakers, baristas and dishwashers — all paid a living wage, with health coverage after 90 days.
MH
Maggie Halvorsen
Co-owner & head baker
Grew up kneading lefse with her grandmother. Left a career in hospital administration in 2010 to bake full time, and hasn't slept past 4 a.m. since.
DO
Daniel Okafor
Co-owner, coffee & catering
Former barista trainer who runs the front of house, the espresso program and every catering quote. Ask him about water chemistry. Actually, don't.
RD
Rosa Delgado
Pastry chef
Trained in a Chicago hotel kitchen. Responsible for the croissants, the cardamom knots, and the line out the door on Saturdays.
JA
June Abernathy
Cake designer
Has piped more than 2,000 birthday messages and never once spelled a name wrong. (She triple-checks.)
Sourcing
Ingredients we can drive to
About 70% of what we spend on ingredients stays within 40 miles of Lakeview. The rest — chocolate, vanilla, sugar, spices — we buy from fair-trade importers.
38 miles away
Prairie Stone Mill
Wheat & rye flour
A family mill grinding heritage wheat on granite stones. We buy their whole crop of Turkey Red wheat each fall.
22 miles away
Cedar Hollow Dairy
Butter, cream & milk
Grass-grazed Jerseys and a slow culturing process give our croissants their nutty, tangy butter.
11 miles away
Larkspur Hill Farm
Eggs
Pasture-raised hens moved to fresh grass every week. Those deep orange yolks are in every brioche.
17 miles away
Little Bend Orchard
Apples, cider & berries
Twenty-two apple varieties and the raspberries on top of most of our cakes, June through September.
0.6 miles away
Two Herons Coffee Roasters
Coffee
Roasts our Lakeview Morning blend every Tuesday, six blocks away. We pick it up on foot.
9 miles away
Bramble & Bee Apiary
Wildflower honey
Raw honey from hives scattered across prairie restoration land. The star of our honey oat latte.
What we believe
Three things we won't compromise on
Scratch, every day
No mixes, no frozen dough, no par-baked anything. If it's in the case, someone here made it before sunrise.
Nothing goes to waste
Day-old bread becomes croutons and bread pudding. What's left goes to the Lakeview Community Pantry every evening.
Good jobs
Living wages, predictable schedules, and Mondays off for everyone. Happy bakers make better bread.
Want to bake with us?
Join a hands-on class, or — if you love early mornings — we're hiring a weekend bread baker.
