Pence Farm Sourdough moves downtown Sonora, plans bigger bakery space

Pence Farm Sourdough has a temporary permit to open at 123 S. Washington Street in downtown Sonora, moving just down the block from 147 S. Washington Street while its permanent license is finalized. Sunny and James Pence have also filed for Caterer and Event permits, a clear sign the bakery is planning something larger than a simple bread counter, with Sunny Pence saying the business is "moving and making it bigger and better."

That expansion still starts with the loaves. Pence Farm Sourdough says its sourdough is built from just starter, 100% unbleached unenriched wheat flour, water and salt, with olive oil added to focaccia. The bakery says each batch is mixed and each loaf is shaped by hand, and that bread is made and delivered by the Pence family. The menu already reaches beyond plain boules, with rustic sourdough loaves, focaccia, avocado toast, build-your-own toast plates and house-made sandwiches.

The business grew from a small farmers market setup in summer 2021, after Sunny Pence got a cottage license and began selling a few loaves. By summer 2023, after the couple’s second child, Rowan, Jim Pence was able to leave his 9-to-5 job, and the operation had moved into selling bread to restaurants and stores. A Facebook video from Pence Farm says the couple leased a building in downtown Sonora and turned it into a sourdough bakery in 27 days, a fast start that helped build the brand’s local following.

The new address also fits the block. The City of Sonora describes Historic Downtown Sonora as a district filled with boutiques, galleries, restaurants, drinking establishments and events, while Tuolumne County defines catering as preparing, transporting and serving food for public or private events from an approved, permitted permanent food establishment. Pence Farm Sourdough’s move puts those pieces together in one spot, with a larger footprint that can handle bread, toast and gatherings without dropping the bakery’s farm-rooted identity. Visitor listings still place the shop at its old 147 S. Washington Street address, but the new storefront marks a bigger chapter for a bakery that built its name one batch at a time, then brought that same small-batch approach downtown.