The Sourdough Podcast

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast I talk with sourdough sage Elaine Boddy about her recently released cookbook The Sourdough Whisperer. We discuss how her childhood in the middle east inspired her to explore cooking, baking, and blogging. She talks about writing a sourdough cookbook during lockdown, breaking all the rules of sourdough, and shares the advice she wishes she had as a new baker.

On this episode of the Sourdough Podcast, Annie Clapper joins me from her home and cottage bakery in Bentonville, Arkansas. We discuss her unique path to cottage baking from the documentary that initially inspired her, to selling at a farmer’s market within months of baking her first sourdough loaf. We talk about the evolution of her bakery, vegan baking, pandemic pivots, as well as her bakery coaching classes. Annie’s a wealth of information on all things cottage bakery and has some great advice for new bakers.

On this episode of the Sourdough Podcast my friend and sourdough cookie extraordinaire Alexandra Allen joins me to talk about her Lūv Cookie Dough Co conquest of the United States. We discuss her unique path to success from her Persian and Puerto Rican heritage and her world travels. Alex tells us about the inspiration she draws from her sourdough community as well as from nature and her love for foraged fungi and heirloom wheat.

On this episode of the Sourdough Podcast, David Kaisel of Capay Mills joins me to talk about his recent crowdsourcing success using the new platform SMBX. David describes his unique path into milling and farming and his goal to resurrect community-scale grain milling. We talk about our mutual wheat network and David’s vision for the future of the California grain economy.

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast, Anita Šumer joins me to talk about her new ebook “Bread Art.” Anita shares her beautiful journey as she celebrates a decade of baking sourdough and sharing it with the world. She tells us how sourdough has sustained her through hard times, about the lessons it's taught her, and we discuss the often understated spiritual side of baking. This was an interview a long time in the making - but worth the wait. You won’t want to miss it.

On this episode of the Sourdough Podcast, Andrew Heyn of Elmore Mountain Bread and New American Stone Mills joins me to talk about his unexpected journey into artisan bread baking. We discuss how his passion for fresh milled wheat led him to build his own stone mill and eventually mills for customers around the world. And we talk about how his pursuit of better bread has helped support the growth and development his own burgeoning Vermont grain economy and has inspired others around the country.

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast Beesham Soogrim reflects on his career as a master baker and chef, bakery consultant, and international sourdough teacher. Beesham shares his journey from Mauritius to Sweden, answers some of his most frequent beginner sourdough questions, and reflects on why he thinks sourdough has become a global phenomenon.

On this episode of the Sourdough Podcast I introduce you to my friend and local grain grower Jon Eck. Jon describes the successes and failures of his first year of wheat farming as well as what drew him to plant wheat in the first place. We talk about what it takes to do business in the wild west of wheat farming AND how his first harvest is already feeding students and transforming California schools. This episode examines our newly established local grain economy through the perspective of the wheat grower. I always love talking with Jon and I am so glad to be able to share this conversation with you.

Dr. Eric Pallant joins us to talk about his new book SOURDOUGH CULTURE: A History of Bread Making from Ancient to Modern Bakers.

My guest is Jennifer Lapidus. Jennifer is the founder of Carolina Ground Flour Mill in Asheville, North Carolina. Before she was a miller, Jennifer founded Natural Bridge Bakery where she baked her naturally leavened breads in a wood fired brick oven. I’m honored to be speaking with Jennifer about her recently published book SOUTHERN GROUND - it’s truly a love letter to Southern craft bakers and a celebration of stone milled flour and locally farmed grains.

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast I speak with writer Farah Heron about her recently published romantic comedy Accidentally Engaged. A "delectable" romantic comedy about a sourdough obsessed woman who fakes an engagement to the boy next door to enter a couples cooking contest. Farah shares how she got into writing and baking. And we talk about the book’s themes of family, Indian culture, and delicious bread and what, if any, intersections the main character’s story might have with Farah’s own life experiences.

My guest tonight is Mr. Campbell Macfarlane. Campbell is the founder of Rackmaster, a bakery equipment fabrication company operating in Wickford, England just about an hour east of London. Campbell has over 4 DECADES of metal fabrication experience creating bespoke bakery equipment for bakeries of all sizes all around the world. After decades of serving the micro and cottage kitchen community, and years of clandestine research, Campbell just released the RM2020, a 3 deck stone hearth oven, looking to take on the Belgian competition, and change the micro bakery landscape. On this episode of the podcast I interview master metal fabricator Campbell Macfarlane. We talk about his passion for sourdough and of course his newest creation, the RM2020 oven, by his company Rackmaster. He talks about the challenges, obstacles, and even the “hallelujah moments” of designing an oven. And we learn how the lockdown almost completely shut down his business and at the same time created the opportunity to pursue an idea that he’d been dreaming about for years.

My guest today is none other than the godfather of the sourdough instagram community, Chris Lem. I think of Chris as the Kevin Bacon of the sourdough community - we’re all connected and Chris is the central link we all have in common. Chris is an avid home baker and pizza aficionado. For many instagram baker’s, like myself, he’s the guy who’s always there with a positive comment, wisdom to share, and is the first person to come to mind when I think of the Sourdough Community. On this episode of the podcast I talk with long time IG sourdough friend Chris Lem. Chris shares his unique sourdough story and how the IG community has shaped and inspired his passion for pizza and bread over the years. Chris helps me troubleshoot my sourdough pizza dough problems, chooses his desert island pizza toppings, and throws down the ultimate cross Atlantic topping challenge.

On this episode of the podcast Kristen Dennis of Full Proof Baking joins me to talk about her sourdough journey from biologist to social media sourdough guru. In this special interview we review Kristen’s most viewed YouTube sourdough tutorial and answer your listener questions. From starter maintenance to final bake, Kristen shares insights from her years of research and practice. It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this on the podcast - so stick around. I learned a ton and I know you will too! My guest today is Kristen Dennis. Kristen is the sourdough obsessed home baker behind Full Proof Baking, the incredibly popular instagram account and youtube channel where she shares her sourdough wisdom with her 100s of thousands of followers. Kristen has a PhD in Biology and was a science editor before catching the sourdough bug. Kristen was recently featured on Forbes.com in an article about Bread-influencers and their rise to fame during lockdown. She is joining me from her home today in Chicago.

On this episode of the Sourdough Podcast I interview blogger and baker Hannah dela Cruz who just released her first cookbook Everyday Sourdough. Hannah shares how she discovered sourdough during a transitional time in her life and how her Filipino heritage informed her understanding of good food and good bread. She describes how she developed the recipes in her book and how she incorporates sourdough in delicious ways you wouldn’t have thought possible.

On this Season Two Finale of The Sourdough Podcast, baker Betsy Gonzalez joins me to talk about her sourdough journey and the bakers from around the world that shaped her vision for her own bakery @osonobread which she opened in 2018. We talk about her decision to highlight and support her Local Grain Economy through her business practices and some of the challenges she’s faced baking during a pandemic. And Betsy leads an importatant discussion about race in the hospitality industry and how the cottage bakery can be most effective in the fight for racial equality. s5rncf7c

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast, baker and author Michael James joins me from Melbourne, Australia to talk about his journey from Chef to Baker and his internationally acclaimed cook book The Tivoli Road Baker. He shares his thoughts and tips on sourdough and answers listener questions about starter health and viennoiserie, and even tells us about his 2nd book to be released later next year. You won’t want to miss this one.

On this episode of the podcast, I share my conversation with Claudia Carter, the Executive Director of the California Wheat Commission. She describes the CWC’s mission to support California wheat producers as well as some of her favorite California grown wheat varieties. We talk about the unique challenges and advantages facing California wheat growers and how growing wheat in CA can lead to more sustainable and regenerative farming practices.

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast, Josh Berger of Josh Fox Bread joins me to talk about his cottage bakery journey. Josh talks about the importance of maintaining a healthy starter and shares tips for new sourdough bakers as well as aspiring cottage bakers. He tells us about his biggest personal influences, and describes his vision for the future of Josh Fox Bread.

On this episode of The Sourdough Podcast, Karl de Smedt joins me to talk about the THE PURATOS WORLD HERITAGE SOURDOUGH LIBRARY. We discuss the history and science behind sourdough bread as well as some of the unique stories behind the library’s sourdough collection. Karl tells us how the concept for the world’s only sourdough library came to fruition and how you can add your own sourdough starter to the growing worldwide database and help preserve sourdough biodiversity and our shared sourdough heritage.