Ag Journal: Washington State University Breadlab with a focus on tasty, nutritional bread
About 72% of Americans bought bread in 2024, according to data from Innova Market Insights.
But about 90% of these purchases contained refined grains, which can negatively impact health, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The Washington State University Breadlab aims to address these health concerns by breeding and baking breads that are both more nutritious and appealing than conventional options.
The Breadlab opened in 2010 in the same building as the Washington State University Skagit County Extension west of Burlington. It was started by Stephen Jones, a former WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center director and wheat breeder from Pullman.
"(The Breadlab) started as a way to develop varieties that would be grown in Western Washington," said Breadlab Research Associate Robin Morgan. "Over time, the focus of the Breadlab evolved to specifically narrow down and focus on whole grain, nutrition and flavor."
VIDEO: Inside the WSU Breadlab
A look inside the Washington State University Breadlab.
Though bread is central to the diets of Americans, most bread-making methods leave nutritional gaps, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Most breads use refined flour. Milling removes bran and germ, stripping away fiber and nutrients, and leaving mostly starch and gluten.
According to 2020 USDA data:
* 98% of Americans do not meet their daily recommended intake of whole grains
* 74% of Americans exceed recommended intake limits for refined grains - primarily through white flour
* 94% of Americans do not meet their daily recommended intake of fiber
The Lancet, a peer-reviewed journal, reports that not eating enough whole grains is the second-largest dietary risk factor for illness and death in the United States.
Fiber is crucial for promoting healthy digestion, regulating blood sugar and supporting heart health, according to the Mayo Clinic.
"The idea is developing varieties that can be used as a whole grain to address relevant nutritional deficiencies that are common in North America," Morgan said.
For the Breadlab, the process begins by growing and breeding grains in the fields at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC.
The center grows varieties of wheat, barley, buckwheat, quinoa, spelt and perennial wheat.
A particular focus in on perennial wheat.
Perennial wheats look and work like regular wheat but regrow after harvest. They need less labor, still produce grain, and reduce soil disturbance from tillage, which is the mechanical turning over of soil used to prepare fields for planting.
The Breadlab's seed has grains labeled by location and year produced. Some seeds are more than 100 years old.
There's also varieties stored at the NREC.
"They might be something that worked really, really well during a really wet year or a really dry year," WSU Breadlab volunteer Stephanie Swane said while pointing to a jar from 1907.
Swane continued, "We want to make sure that we have a collection of it so that it doesn't go away."
Along with breeding work, the Breadlab creates tasty bread options for the public. After hosting pop-up events for years, the new Toast Bar has added to the Breadlab's outreach.
The Toast Bar is a monthly event where members of the public can try the Breadlab's bread, with toppings included.
The all-you-can-eat experience costs $10, and children 12 and under eat for free.
"It's helped us understand more that people do, in fact, want to eat whole-grain bread," Breadlab Outreach & Engagement Manager Janine Sanguine said.
Using feedback, the Breadlab developed a 100% buckwheat sandwich loaf and starter. The loaf is gluten-free and popular among Toast Bar visitors.
The Toast Bar helps the Breadlab become a community space in Skagit County. Still, Sanguine said more awareness is needed locally.
"I get people from South Africa, from Austria, from the UK, from Australia, from France, saying, 'Ooh, the Breadlab.' But a lot of times, people don't know what's in your backyard. So we encourage our community to come to the events that we have," Sanguine said.
In terms of the Breadlab's future, it was recently awarded a BioInnovation grant from the Washington Research Foundation.
"The funding brings together organizations from across the state and will allow WSU researchers to continue developing new crop varieties for farmers," Sanguine said. "It will fuel efforts to bring more whole grains to the public, including into school lunchrooms. It will expand Washington state's commercial infrastructure for storing, transporting, milling and marketing whole grains."
In addition, the Breadlab has launched a Community School to expand its outreach and education program to reach more members in the community.
For more information about the WSU Breadlab, visit breadlab.wsu.edu.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.