Saving Bread

Allison
  • 5.0 (46)
  • Education

Saving Bread explores sourdough, grain, fermentation, craftsmanship, and the people keeping real bread alive. Join baker and educator Allison White for practical lessons and thoughtful conversations with bakers, millers, farmers, oven makers, and others shaping the future of bread. Long live real bread.

  1. 2d ago

    Lessons E11 - Whole Grain Chat with Baylin Speidel

    Send us a question or voice memo! How do you choose the right whole grain flour when the names on the bag start to feel overwhelming? Baylin Speidel, head baker at Chimacum Valley Grainery, returns to Saving Bread for a practical conversation about grain selection, flour functionality, extraction rates and scalds. We break down hard red, hard white and soft wheat, along with rye, spelt, buckwheat and einkorn. We talk about which grains provide structure, which may work better in cookies, scalds or pan loaves, and how to choose flour based on what you actually want it to do. We also get into full extraction and high extraction flour, why a T85 does not mean 85 percent extraction, and the questions to ask a farmer or miller before buying a new flour. This is the companion to our whole grain Lessons episode and a practical guide for bakers who want to work with more local, stone milled and whole grain flour. RESOURCES Follow Baylin Speidel Chimacum Valley Grainery WSU Breadlab Listen to Baylin’s first Saving Bread interview Follow Saving Bread

    Lessons E11 - Whole Grain Chat with Baylin Speidel

  2. 4d ago

    Lessons E06 Whole Grain Sourdough: Fermentation, Microbiology and Adding More Whole Wheat

    Send us a question or voice memo! What actually changes when you start adding more whole grain to sourdough? In this Lessons episode of Saving Bread, Allison White breaks down what happens when a familiar country loaf moves from mostly white bread flour toward 40, 50, 60, or even 100 percent whole grain. Whole wheat is not white flour with a little extra color. It is a different raw material, and as the percentage increases, it can change water absorption, gluten development, fermentation speed, starter activity, dough strength, pH, handling, and ultimately what a successful loaf looks like. We begin with the wheat kernel itself and look at the role of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Then we move into the basic microbiology of sourdough, including what yeast and lactic acid bacteria are doing during fermentation, how naturally occurring flour enzymes help make sugars available to those microorganisms, and why changing the flour can change the behavior of both your starter and your dough. We also get practical with inoculation and pre fermented flour. Why does adding more levain usually shorten fermentation? How can lowering inoculation help when freshly milled whole grain is moving too quickly? Why can two bakers both say they use 20 percent levain while actually working with very different amounts of pre fermented flour? Then we bring it back to the country loaf and talk through how to begin increasing whole wheat without changing every variable at once. The goal is not to make 100 percent whole grain bread behave exactly like a loaf made with strong refined bread flour. At higher percentages, you are allowed to redesign the bread. We also touch briefly on pH and why a target developed for a mostly white flour dough should not automatically be applied to a high whole grain dough. A full Lessons episode on pH is coming soon. At the end of the episode, I challenge you to choose one whole grain flour and bake with it for ten loaves. Keep the other variables as consistent as possible, take notes, and learn the flour in front of you instead of chasing one universal hydration or fermentation number. This Friday, Baylin Speidel joins me again for the companion conversation. We will talk about hard red wheat, hard white wheat, extraction rates, flour terminology, flour blending, and how to choose a grain based on what you actually want it to do in your bread. This episode is the fermentation and dough side. Friday is the flour selection side. RESOURCES • Andrew Janjigian and Wordloaf: Wordloaf • Preorder Andrew Janjigian’s Breaducation, publishing November 17, 2026: Breaducation from Ten Speed Press and Penguin Random House • Thomas Teffri Chambelland: Thomas Teffri Chambelland • Sourdough Baking: A Treatise by Thomas Teffri Chambelland: Sourdough Baking: A Treatise • Sourdough Panettone and Viennoiserie by Thomas Teffri Chambelland: Sourdough Panettone and Viennoiserie • École Internationale de Boulangerie, founded and directed by Thomas Teffri Chambelland: International Bakery School • San Francisco Baking Institute classes: SFBI Classes • Modern Bread and Viennoiserie with Thomas Teffri Chambelland at SFBI: Modern Bread and Viennoiserie • Hanna Instruments HI981038 Bread and Dough pH Tester: Bread and Dough pH Tester • Listen to my first conversation with Baylin Speidel on stone milled flour and whole grain sourdough: Saving Bread with Baylin Speidel • Chimacum Valley Grainery: Chimacum Valley Grainery • Follow Baylin Speidel: @thedustedstone on Instagram • Saving Bread: Saving Bread Podcast • Follow Saving Bread on Instagram: @savingbreadpodcast Questions for an upcoming Lessons episode? Send me a message through Saving Bread or contact me through Matriarch Bread. Happy baking and long live real bread.

    Lessons E06 Whole Grain Sourdough: Fermentation, Microbiology and Adding More Whole Wheat

  3. Sep 2

    Interviews E09 - Jenny Berg on Wholesale, Cottage Food Laws & Knowing When Enough Is Enough

    Send us a question or voice memo! Jenny Berg of Crumb Sourdough Microbakery joins me for a conversation about what it actually looks like to build a home-based bread business and how many different paths that can take. Jenny started baking sourdough in 2020 and eventually turned that obsession into Crumb Sourdough Microbakery in Central Oregon. Along the way, she helped organize a grassroots effort to change Oregon’s cottage food laws, built a wholesale business supplying local grocery stores and farm stands, and worked her way up to producing 230 loaves a week on her own. We talk about why she moved away from direct-to-consumer sales, how she found and approached wholesale accounts, wholesale pricing and payment terms, her production schedule, and why predictable income has been worth giving up some margin. We also talk about something that doesn’t get said enough: growth doesn’t always have to be the goal. Jenny shares why she’s no longer interested in building an empire, how she thinks about quality of life and burnout, and what it means to create a business that is actually enough. And at the end, Jenny gives a beautiful answer to the question I ask every guest: What does Saving Bread mean to you? Find Jenny + Crumb Sourdough Crumb Sourdough Microbakery website Jenny on Instagram — @crumb.sourdough.microbakery Cottage Food Resources Jenny Mentioned in the Episode Forrager — Oregon Cottage Food Law Forrager — Oregon Domestic Kitchen Law Institute for Justice — Selling Homemade Food in Oregon

    Interviews E09 - Jenny Berg on Wholesale, Cottage Food Laws & Knowing When Enough Is Enough

  4. Aug 28

    Interviews E08 Eric Pallant - Sourdough Culture

    Send us a question or voice memo! This week on Saving Bread, we’re stepping away from the pH meters, fermentation charts, and troubleshooting for a conversation about the other side of bread: history, culture, memory, and story. Allison sits down with Eric Pallant, author of Sourdough Culture: A History of Bread Making from Ancient to Modern Bakers, to ask a deceptively simple question: What actually makes an old sourdough starter old? From there, the conversation travels through thousands of years of bread history. Eric and Allison talk about whether the age and origin of a starter really affect the bread it makes, how humans may have discovered fermentation, the people whose labor shaped bread history, what industrial bread production gave us — and what may have been lost along the way. They also explore why sourdough continues to pull people back, why making bread doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, and how a starter can carry a story from one baker, kitchen, and generation to the next. Plus, Eric shares what he’s working on next, including his forthcoming book Loaf and The World Atlas of Bread. This is a conversation about sourdough — but also about why bread has remained such an enduring part of human life. In this episode: • What does it actually mean for a sourdough starter to be “old”? • Starter microbiology, lineage, and terroir • How humans may have discovered leavened bread • Bread, labor, and the history of food production • Industrial bread vs. slow fermentation • Making good bread accessible • Why sourdough doesn’t have to be complicated • Why humans keep returning to bread • Eric Pallant’s upcoming books Find Eric + the book: Eric Pallant — Official Website EricPallant.com Sourdough Culture — Book information + purchase options Sourdough Culture by Eric Pallant If you’re enjoying Saving Bread, follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who loves bread. Saving Bread — Long live real bread.

    Interviews E08 Eric Pallant - Sourdough Culture

  5. Aug 26

    Lessons E05 Common Sourdough Failures — Country Loaf Troubleshooting

    Send us a question or voice memo! Why is your sourdough flat? What causes huge tunnels surrounded by dense crumb? How do you know when bulk fermentation is finished? And when a loaf goes wrong, how do you figure out which part of the process was actually responsible? In this Lessons episode of Saving Bread, Allison walks through the basic country loaf from start to finish and breaks down some of the most common sourdough problems and what to change on your next bake. We cover: Starter and levain strengthHydration and flour absorptionDough temperatureBulk fermentationUnder-fermented vs. over-fermented doughHow to judge when bulk is finishedBasket rise and final proofPreshaping and shaping without overhandling your doughCold proofingScoring placement and depthSteam and oven springWhy a flat loaf or missing ear doesn't always mean your fermentation was wrongThe biggest takeaway from this episode: bread is a system. Starter health, flour, temperature, hydration, fermentation, handling, shaping, scoring and baking all influence the finished loaf. One symptom rarely tells the entire story. Allison also shares an unexpected lesson from a recent three-day sourdough class at Central Milling's Artisan Baking Center. One batch of country loaves baked beautifully. The next batch, made from the same dough, came out completely flat. The difference came down to what happened in the final moments before and during the bake: where the loaves were scored and how they were steamed. It's a great reminder that you can get the fermentation, mixing and shaping right and still dramatically change the final loaf at the oven. Plus, a reminder for home bakers: loving bread does not mean you need to turn it into a business. You are allowed to bake because it's fun. Resources mentioned The Sourdough Journey — Tom Cucuzza Bulk fermentation guides, starter education and sourdough resources. Central Milling Artisan Baking Center — Petaluma, California In-person bread and baking classes. Hillary Austin — Backyard Terroir Instagram: @backyardterroir Follow Saving Bread Saving Bread Podcast Instagram: @savingbreadpodcast Allison White / Matriarch Bread Instagram: @matriarchbreadco Music by Joshua from DOAP. Saving Bread is a podcast about sourdough, whole grains, fermentation, baking science and the people working to keep real bread alive. Long live real bread.

    Lessons E05 Common Sourdough Failures — Country Loaf Troubleshooting

  6. Aug 19

    Interviews E07 Tom Cucuzza of The Sourdough Journey: Bulk Fermentation & Starter Health

    Send us a question or voice memo! How do you actually know when bulk fermentation is finished? What makes a sourdough starter strong and healthy? And how can understanding the science of fermentation help you become a more intuitive baker? This week on Saving Bread, Allison White talks with Tom Cucuzza, creator of The Sourdough Journey, about his years of experimentation with sourdough bread, starter health and bulk fermentation. Tom has built an enormous body of educational work around understanding what is actually happening inside our starters and doughs. In this episode, we get into the details. We talk about: Sourdough starter strength and accumulated acidityWhy repeatedly underfeeding a starter can create problems over timeTom’s peak-to-peak feeding methodHow to recognize when your sourdough starter has reached peakHow to judge the end of bulk fermentationDough temperature and percentage riseWhy fermentation does not stop when bulk fermentation endsGluten development and using the windowpane test throughout fermentationPre-shaping, bench rest, shaping and cold retardRefrigerator temperature and continued fermentationUsing pH as one tool rather than a hard-and-fast fermentation endpointHow changing one variable at a time can help you learn fasterDeveloping baker’s intuition through observation and experimentationThe relationship between science, precision and creativity in bread bakingTom describes himself as both analytical and artistic. For him, understanding the science is not the final goal. It gives him more opportunities to create the bread he wants to make. We also talk about why sourdough should not feel like an exclusive hobby and Tom’s belief that everyone should be able to learn how to make bread. LEARN MORE FROM TOM CUCZZA + THE SOURDOUGH JOURNEY The Sourdough Journey website https://thesourdoughjourney.com/ Instagram: @the_sourdough_journey https://www.instagram.com/the_sourdough_journey/ The Sourdough Journey on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thesourdoughjourney Sourdough videos and Mastering Bulk Fermentation resources https://thesourdoughjourney.com/videos/ SAVING BREAD Instagram: @savingbreadpodcast https://www.instagram.com/savingbreadpodcast/ Saving Bread is a podcast about sourdough, bread baking, whole grains, fermentation and the people working to preserve and move bread culture forward. Hosted by Allison White.

    Interviews E07 Tom Cucuzza of The Sourdough Journey: Bulk Fermentation & Starter Health

  7. Aug 12

    Interviews E06 Parker Cook of Basil & Bloom: Becoming a Better Baker, Building Trust and Learning Sourdough

    Send us a question or voice memo! This week on Saving Bread, Allison talks with Parker Cook, baker, educator and content creator behind Basil & Bloom. Parker has built a large online community teaching sourdough bread baking, fermentation, starter maintenance, whole grains, freshly milled flour and microbakery production. But there is already a lot of information online about how Parker makes bread. This conversation looks more at the person behind that information. Parker shares how he went from learning to cook while living in Italy to working as a research and development chef, and how that analytical background shaped the way he approaches sourdough today. They talk about how Parker actually learns a new technique, why he tests ideas repeatedly and side by side, the importance of building experience through repetition, and why becoming a better baker may be as much about becoming a better observer as it is about collecting more information. Parker and Allison also get into what makes an online educator trustworthy. Parker talks about creating content from real questions within his community, simplifying complicated baking concepts without losing the useful information, and the responsibility that comes with recommending products to a large audience. The conversation also covers beginner sourdough mistakes, bulk fermentation, sourdough starter maintenance, stiff starters, freshly milled flour, whole grain baking, microbakery systems, content creation, entrepreneurship and building Basil & Bloom alongside Parker's wife and business partner, Camille. They finish by talking about being open to different approaches to bread and Parker's belief that there are no strict rules in sourdough, only techniques that help you make the bread you want to make. FOLLOW AND SUPPORT PARKER Basil & Bloom Basil & Bloom website Instagram Follow @eatbasilandbloom on Instagram School of Sourdough and online baking courses Explore Parker's sourdough courses Whole grain, freshly milled flour and additional courses Basil & Bloom course library Parker's Picks and affiliate links Shop Parker's recommended baking tools and products If you enjoy Parker's free educational content and purchase a product he recommends, using his affiliate links is one way to directly support Basil & Bloom. If you enjoyed this episode, follow Saving Bread, leave a rating or review and share the episode with another baker. Long live real bread.

    Interviews E06 Parker Cook of Basil & Bloom: Becoming a Better Baker, Building Trust and Learning Sourdough

  8. Aug 5

    Interviews E05 Inside Great Bakes with Martin Sorge: Local Grains, Rye and Midwest Baking

    Send us a question or voice memo! This week on Saving Bread, Allison talks with Martin Sorge, self taught baker, writer, winner of The Great American Baking Show and author of the new cookbook Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest. Martin has spent more than a decade baking with local flour, whole grains and unique grain varieties, and his approach makes experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients feel surprisingly approachable. In this conversation, Martin and Allison talk about why flour deserves the same attention we give local produce, cheese and other regional foods, and how getting to know the grain itself can completely change the way we bake. Martin shares one of his favorite ways to test a flour he has never used before: make a very simple shortbread and let the flavor of the grain speak for itself. They also get into rye bread and some of the misconceptions surrounding it. Martin explains why the flavor many Americans associate with rye is actually caraway, how rye dough behaves differently from wheat dough, why acidity and sourdough are so important in high percentage rye breads and why some traditional rye loaves are actually better when you wait until the next day to cut into them. The conversation also covers buckwheat, spelt, black emmer, soft honey emmer dinner rolls, local grain from Janie’s Mill, German bread culture and Martin’s experience baking with Arnd Erbel in his centuries old bakery in Dachsbach, Germany. Martin also shares what competing on The Great American Baking Show taught him about trusting simple flavors and his own point of view, why failed bakes are an important part of becoming a better baker and why he believes bread deserves to be brought back to the center of the table. Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest is available now and includes more than 100 sweet and savory recipes inspired by the ingredients, people and baking traditions of the Midwest. Follow Martin on Instagram: @martinsorge Martin Sorge: martinbakes.com Great Bakes: martinbakes.com/books Martin’s upcoming cookbook events and classes: martinbakes.com/events Janie’s Mill: janiesmill.com Arnd Erbel and Bäckerei Erbel in Dachsbach, Germany: arnderbel.de If you enjoyed this episode, follow Saving Bread and share it with another baker. Ratings, reviews and sharing the podcast are some of the best ways to help more people find these conversations. Long live real bread.

    Interviews E05 Inside Great Bakes with Martin Sorge: Local Grains, Rye and Midwest Baking
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About

Saving Bread explores sourdough, grain, fermentation, craftsmanship, and the people keeping real bread alive. Join baker and educator Allison White for practical lessons and thoughtful conversations with bakers, millers, farmers, oven makers, and others shaping the future of bread. Long live real bread.

Information

  • Creator
    Allison
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Saving Bread
  • Show Website
    Saving Bread