Breads for my daughter

"The baking time must be just right. And the weight of the sliced breads must be the same or more. Otherwise we have to start all over again," says Zhang.

At Yeh's shop, "artisan" means local, fresh, seasonal and natural. The shelf life of her breads is no more than a day and she refuses to do fancy desserts or cakes that require the use of refined sugar or artificial colorings such as green tea cakes or jellies and mousses.

Bread in Boulangerie Nanda may not look perfect and the variety is limited, but it has not affected popularity among the expat communities and Chinese consumers who patronize the weekend Beijing Farmers' Markets where Boulangerie Nanda has a regular spot.

"I won't call my bread organic. I call it natural. My daughter eats the same thing as you do," says Yeh, confidently.

"People come, smell and taste. They know it's good bread and they will return to buy again."

Yeh is now experimenting with gluten-free breads for her customers who cannot eat wheat. To make sure there is no cross-contamination, Yeh has created a separate working area on the second floor of her bakery.

At the Beijing Farmers' Markets, Yeh's stall is always crowded and her breads disappear very quickly. But, she says, Boulangerie Nanda is still far from turning a profit because of the cost of ingredients, and the cost of handcrafting the bread.

Yeh says the most important thing is that she is doing what she feels is right, even though she has already invested her daughter's college fund into the bakery.

"My husband and I are not a typical couple. Big houses and fancy cars are not part of our dream," she says. In the meantime, thanks to Nanda, Beijingers get to enjoy good bread, baked with conscience, love and integrity.