Hello. Well, the first thing you need to know about us is that we are not a bakery. We are WSU researchers working outside of the commodity system on wheat and other grains. And, yeah, we bake. One of our goals is to introduce the concept of affordability into our regional food systems—specifically to develop better tasting, healthier, affordable bread and keep the value where it is produced while not pricing people out of staple foods.
Afterall, it’s just bread.
We create and breed different wheat, barley and rye varieties that are better for the soil and farming, way better tasting, and best of all, healthier for you. Then we share that knowledge with the rest of the world. We work with bakers, farmers, flour mills and basically anyone that wants to create healthier food through whole grains. Our goal is to change the way the world views and eats wheat.
We live and work out of Skagit Valley, Washington but our hope is that our philosophy and the actual idea of eating the whole grain becomes a world-wide habit.
Thanks,
The WSU Breadlab Team
Our Faculty and Staff
Dr. Kevin Murphy is a Professor of International Seed Systems in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at WSU and the Director of the WSU Breadlab. Prior to joining the Breadlab, Kevin and his team, the Sustainable Seed Systems Lab, worked on breeding, agronomy, end-use quality, and nutritional value of quinoa, barley, proso millet, spelt, buckwheat, and perennial grains.
Kevin’s research emphasizes crops, varieties, and farming systems that optimize nutritional value and provide tolerance to heat, drought, and diseases while improving yield, flavor, and end-use quality. Research studies have included intercropping, cover crops, crop rotation effects, no-till farming, crop-livestock integration, optimal planting dates and nitrogen, irrigation and seeding rates.
Kevin received his BS in Biology from Colorado College, after which he spent seven years working on a wide range of vegetable, fruit tree, and livestock-integrated farms in Arkansas, Michigan, and Washington. While managing a diversified farm on the Olympic Peninsula, Kevin and the farm crew grew over 500 varieties of 60 different crops, several of these for seed. Motivated by these experiences and a desire to develop resilient varieties of under-utilized, flavorful, and nutritious crops, Kevin received his PhD in 2007 from WSU in organic and perennial wheat breeding with Dr. Stephen Jones, founder and former director of the Breadlab.
Kevin has participated in international research and extension projects in Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan and now collaborates on sustainable agriculture research projects in Ecuador, Rwanda, Kenya, and Malawi.
Dr. Stephen Jones Director Emeritus
Stephen founded the Breadlab in 2009 and served as director until 2024. He has graduated 50 Masters and PhD students and has been a WSU wheat breeder and geneticist since 1995. Breadlab wheats that he helped develop were planted in the White House Garden by former First Lady Michelle Obama, who chose them because they were bred for flavor and nutrition. Since stepping down as Director, Stephen is working on research publications and germplasm commercialization strategies.
Kim grew up on a small farm in western New York and received a B.S. in Environmental Science from SUNY Buffalo. She spent several years in western Washington working in horticulture before returning to New York to work on the family farm and achieve a real sense of local food systems. For four years Kim helped run the farm where they raised over 20 different crops that were sold at their roadside stand and local farmers markets. She eventually returned to Washington and she began working for Dr. Jones in 2012. Kim’s work includes assisting in the breeding program’s field research, wheat and flour analysis, organizing community outreach events, and connecting farmers with bakers, chefs, and businesses to establish profitable and sustainable partnerships that will support the growing regional grain economy. She is co-author of Bread Lab!, a children’s book about the science and fun of sourdough bread baking.
Steve leads the greenhouse and field research portion of WSU Breadlab. Steve (B.S. Animal Nutrition ’79, M.S. Crop Science ’02, WSU) was a commercial grain and livestock producer in eastern Washington for 13 years and has worked the past 23 years developing wheat varieties for Washington State University. In 2007 he was awarded the O.A. Vogel/Washington State Crop Improvement Award and in 2013 earned one of the highest honors in his profession by having a new grain named in his honor—‘Lyon’ barley. Steve works closely with the Plant Breeding Program’s Ph.D. students and, to date, has been instrumental in the public release of 12 wheat and two barley cultivars as well as nine germplasm breeding lines.
Janine Sanguine was raised on a small maple and Christmas tree farm in upstate NY. Following a career as a camera operator and TV producer in Southern California, Janine relocated to the Skagit Valley. Her understanding of agricultural communities and her background in storytelling help her carry out WSU’s mission and vision as she leads the lab’s outreach and engagement projects, which include running the Breadlab Collective, developing web and social media content and educating kids and grownups about the benefits of baking and eating whole grains.
Most Recent PhD Students
Merri (Metcalfe) Manning was a doctoral student at WSU Breadlab working under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Jones. Her research focused on the accessibility, quality, and affordability of grain-based products from Western Washington and on breeding for increased fiber content in wheat along with subsequent health and cropping/food system benefits of doing so. She completed a Master of Sciences in Sport Nutrition at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) in May 2018. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies at the Breadlab, Merri worked as a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorder treatment and sport nutrition, but most recently has been moved by the need to cultivate a more positive and resilient food system. If she isn’t thinking about whole grains, fiber, or farming, her brain is most likely occupied by some sort of climbing goal or contemplating one of life’s mysteries that probably or perhaps hopefully can never be answered by science. Merri is currently a member of the Health and Nutrition faculty at South Seattle College.
Robin grew up in the North of Italy being exposed to the natural beauty of the west and the agricultural activities of the east. After working as a cook he decided to develop his passion about food by earning a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences and a M.S. in Organic Agriculture at Pisa University. During those years Robin kept developing his bread-making skills, leading him to start growing small plots of grain crops and getting involved in several participatory research projects of the Italian rural network (Rete semi rurali). Robin earned a Ph.D. in crop science at WSU Breadlab under the mentoring of professor Dr. Stephen S. Jones, exploring the intersections between breeding and baking. Robin’s work focused on the development of a new species of grain that chooses not to die and provides a way to further diversify contemporary farming systems. At the same time, he bred and selected wheat varieties with purple or blue seeds to expand wheat’s flavor range and assess American food sovereignty.
Laura came to WSU Breadlab with a B.A. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and more than two years’ experience of managing a small organic coffee roastery and porridge café in her hometown in Estonia. She earned her Ph.D. under the guidance of Dr. Stephen S. Jones. Born and raised in Estonia on rye bread, it seemed only natural to focus her research on rye, a much-underappreciated grain here in the US. Inspired by Paul Gaugin, she asks, ‘Where does rye come from? What is rye good for? What is the place of rye in the future?’ Underpinning her projects is the quest for diversity (in agriculture, in baking) and the plea for reconsidering our expectations (as farmers, millers, bakers and eaters). She is investigating the role rye could have in our food system to ensure sustainability, improve human health, and ensure culinary enjoyment.
Louie Prager moved to Skagit Valley from Carlsbad, California. Louie earned a B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he focused on botany and plant ecology. After graduating he started a craft bakery with his brother making organic artisan breads. Prager Brothers Artisan Breads began collaborations with the Bread Lab in 2013, this eventually led to the opportunity for Louie to join WSU Breadlab full time. Under the guidance of Dr. Stephen S. Jones, he earned a Master’s in Crop Science working on breeding colored barley for malting purposes with a focus on varieties intended for organic agriculture. Besides his love for food and helping communities improve their food system, Louie loves to backpack, surf, and ride his unicycle.
