Its understated sign is easy to miss along busy South Elm Street as it stands on the sidewalk beckoning passersby to head down the alley.

Still, Simple Kneads’ sign seems to fit the charming, Old-World bakery tucked behind what used to be the Anna Marie gift shop. So does the little awning strung with lights and the screen door that’s always propped open during business hours.

The remote spot makes Simple Kneads feel like a great discovery, a discovery more customers are making every day. “As people have gotten to know us, they have certainly found their way back here,” says Bill Snider, who opened the bakery in 2001.

Snider moved to Greensboro from San Francisco in 1995, leaving behind the Bay Area’s artisanal bakeries, which produced the flavorful, crusty breads European bakeries are known for. “I could go to any corner store and have a full selection of fresh breads from artisan bakeries,” he says. “It became an essential part of my diet.”

Greensboro, however, had no such bakeries back then, so Snider promptly went to work in his own kitchen. Sometimes, it took 50 tries to get a loaf just the way he wanted it. Good bread, Snider says, is all about patience. Because most large, commercial bakers whip air into the dough, the rising time is reduced and total baking time is just a few hours. Even recipes for home bakers take four hours at the most. “Our bread takes 48 hours because we rely on natural fermentation,” Snider explains. “That’s necessary to develop great taste and texture. It’s similar to handmade cheese and beer in terms of the long fermentation process.”

And customers, he says, notice the difference. “I think there are more people who wouldn’t dream of eating a slice of store-bought white bread,” he says. “If you’ve eaten fresh bread for a while and go back to eating a loaf of store-bought bread, you can taste the chemicals in it.”

Snider says ingredients also make a big difference, and he uses local suppliers whenever possible. All the dairy items he bakes with, for instance, come from Homeland Creamery in Julian. Snider and his staff use those ingredients to create the kind of scones, brownies, breads, and muffins worth driving through a snowstorm for. “If we’re going to sell a lemon bar,” he says, “we have to develop the best lemon bar we’ve ever had.”

Although Snider says he likes everything he makes, he reluctantly admits to a favorite: “The asiago peppercorn bread has chunks of asiago that stay together so there are pockets of cheese,” he reveals. “It also has a nice, peppery after-bite.” Customers have their favorites, too. “We make a parmesan walnut bread that’s very popular,” he says. “We sell a lot of pumpkin cheesecake bars with a ginger crust. Our triple-chocolate brownies are also popular.”

If the steady stream of customers coming down the alley and through the screen door is any indication, Simple Kneads may just be the best thing that’s happened to sliced bread.