Rock the Biome and {moon & mallow bakery}
Ferments Currently Available for Purchase
(in Mesa, AZ)
Sourdough
Our sourdough is slowly crafted over several days, which means availability can be limited. While we’re working toward having a few daily drop-in offerings, pre-orders are the best way to make sure your favorites are waiting for you.
Rock the Biome is now offering organic sourdough! We started our cottage bakery in 2023 dba originally as Desert Rise Bakery, and now as moon & mallow!
Our menu changes seasonally. Check out our Instagram page @omoonandmallowo for updates and photos!
Strawberry Cheese Buns
Strawberry cheese danish in cinnamon bun form! Instant fan favorite!
If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.
– Robert Browning
About the Baker
Hi, I’m Sandi, the baker behind moon & mallow 🌙
I’m a USAF Cold War Veteran, a mom and grandmother, and a lifelong lover of good food made with intention. I grew up in Virginia, lived all over the map as an adult, and finally put down roots in Arizona in 2003, where the desert somehow became home.
My path to baking didn’t start with flour, it started with microbes.
In 2017, I founded Rock the Biome, where I still work today as a microbiome- and genetic-focused health coach. My work has long centered on how food, fermentation and daily choices shape our health at a cellular level. Along the way, I fell deeply in love with traditional fermented foods and drinks like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, natto, kefir, and more. There’s something quietly powerful about letting time, culture, and care do the work.
In 2023, that passion naturally led me to sourdough, and there was no turning back.
Sourdough captured me completely: the slow fermentation, the living cultures, the way simple ingredients transform into something nourishing and soulful. I’ve been baking ever since, blending old-world methods with modern understanding of nutrition and digestion.
At moon & mallow, I prioritize exceptional ingredients and thoughtful processes. I mill my own khorasan wheat in-house, choose high-quality organically grown flours and add-ins, and let fermentation do what it does best. Every loaf is made slowly, intentionally, and with deep respect for both flavor and function.
My kitchen is a place where science meets tradition, where food is meant to comfort, nourish, and connect. Whether you’re here for the taste, the craft, or the quiet magic of naturally leavened bread, I’m so glad you found your way here.
Welcome to moon & mallow 🤍
Rooted in fermentation, guided by science, and baked for both joy and well-being
Water Kefir (temporarily unavailable)
Water kefir is a wonderful probiotic drink which, like milk kefir, contains beneficial bacteria as well as beneficial yeasts (so overlooked and so vital for optimal health!), and without the vinegary taste of kombucha. Please allow 2-5 days for your order to be ready; sometimes there is a waiting list. If you would like to taste certain flavors, let us know and you can stop by for a tasting (northeast Chandler).
All ingredients in our water kefirs are organically grown and purchased from reliable sources, locally grown when possible. We ferment with organic cane sugar and organic coconut palm sugar (tiny amount). The sugar is consumed during fermentation, however, there is no way for us to measure whether any may be left in the end product.
Bacteria/yeasts found in water kefir:
Dominant species:
Leuconostoc mesenteroides
Lc. citreum [4]
Lactobacillus casei/paracasei
Lb. brevis
Lb. harbinensis
Lb. hilgardii
Lb. hordei/mali
Lb. nagelii/ghanensis
Lb. rhamnosus
Bifidobacterium psychraerophilum
Bifidobacterium aquikefiri [5]
B. crudilactis
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Dekkera bruxellensis [1]
Other species:
Lactobacillus galactose
Lb. casei subsp. Ramos
Lb. casei subsp. tolerant
Lactobacillus brevis
Lb. coraciiform subsp. torquens
Lb. fructose
Lb. hilarities [2]
Lb. homophobia [2]
Lb. plantarum
Lb. pseudo plantarum
Lb. admonishes
Lactobacillus casei subsp.casei
Streptococcus cremeris
Str. faecalis
Str. lactis
Pediococcus damnosus
Sacc. florentinus
Sacc. pretoriensis
Candida valida
C. lambica
Kloeckera apiculata
Lachancea fermentati [3]
Hansenula yalbensis
Zygotorulaspora florentina [3]
Species vary in different grains. Without (extremely) pricey lab testing, it's not possible to know what species each individual family of grains have, but all families have beneficial species.
Species without references were taken from the Fermentation Certification Course that i attended, many of which can also be found here.
Why Drink Kefir?
Kefirs are found to cause apoptosis (death) of cancer cells.
Kefir helps reverse metabolic syndrome.
Water kefir inhibits certain breast cancer cells and keeps it from metastasizing.
Kefir helps reduce anxiety and cognition impairments from nicotine withdrawals.
Kefir contains the mighty bifidobacteria which performs a number of roles including: "the production and/or liberation of B vitamins, antioxidants, polyphenols, and conjugated linoleic acids; maturation of the immune system during early life and preservation of immune homeostasis during life; preservation of gut barrier functions and protection against pathogens by producing bacteriocins, decreasing luminal pH by the production of acids, and blocking the adhesion of pathogens to the intestinal mucosa."
Probiotics consumed in fermented foods and beverage are found to inoculate the gut far better than lab-grown probiotic pill supplements.
Fermented foods are considered more beneficial than probiotic pills for many other reasons.
Probiotic diversity is key to good health.
Water kefir is delicious!
