There’s something thrilling about the idea of turning a passion for bread into something bigger—something sustainable, something that feeds both people and a dream. As I step into my ninth bake of this 1,000-loaf journey, my mind isn’t just on the dough. It’s on the systems, the efficiencies, the ways to transform a single loaf into the foundation of a thriving bread business.
Baking sourdough for yourself is one thing. Scaling up while maintaining quality, consistency, and joy in the process? That’s a whole new challenge. This loaf isn’t just another step in my baking practice—it’s an experiment in refining my methods, tightening my workflow, and imagining what’s possible.
Efficiency Starts with the Dough
Time is the most valuable ingredient in any bakery. Every wasted minute is energy lost, every inefficient movement is a drag on production. So for this bake, I focused on small but crucial tweaks in my process to maximize efficiency without compromising the heart of the bread.
- Batch Scaling – Instead of my usual single-loaf bake, I prepped enough dough for four loaves at once. This allowed me to optimize bulk fermentation and handle shaping in a streamlined manner. If I were to do this in a production setting, the next step would be refining how to manage even larger batches without losing control over fermentation.
- Pre-Mixing & Autolyse – I tested out a longer autolyse (letting flour and water hydrate before adding salt and starter). This shaved off time during mixing, making the dough come together more quickly and smoothly. It also led to better gluten development with less effort.
- Precision Fermentation – I kept close tabs on temperature and fermentation time, dialing in a consistent schedule that could be repeated in future bakes. This is one of the biggest efficiency factors in bread production—knowing exactly when the dough is ready instead of guessing.
The result? Less hands-on time, better dough strength, and a more predictable process. Every tweak like this adds up when scaling from home baking to a micro-bakery or beyond.
Shaping & Proofing: The Art of Consistency
One of the biggest differences between a home baker and a professional baker is precision in shaping and proofing. In a bakery, every loaf needs to come out with the same structure, the same fermentation, the same end result. That’s where refining technique becomes crucial.
For this bake, I focused on:
- Streamlining my shaping method – Instead of hand-wrestling each loaf, I practiced a consistent pre-shape and final shape that took no more than a minute per loaf. If I were making 100 loaves, this would save me hours over time.
- Standardizing proofing time – I used controlled fermentation in the fridge overnight to keep the schedule predictable. A repeatable process is key for any bread business—you can’t be at the mercy of unpredictable dough behavior when you have orders to fill.
- Testing different scoring techniques – I experimented with a single, quick slash vs. more intricate designs. While the decorative scores looked beautiful, the efficiency of a simple, clean cut is what would keep production moving in a bakery setting.
By the time I had these loaves shaped and proofed, I was already seeing the potential for how these small refinements could add up in a larger operation.
Baking Smarter, Not Harder
When it comes to baking, efficiency isn’t just about speed—it’s about making sure each step builds on the last to create the best possible loaf without unnecessary waste or effort.
- Oven Management – I baked multiple loaves at once, staggering loading times to ensure an even bake. This is crucial in a professional setting, where every batch needs to be timed precisely to maximize output.
- Crust Development with Minimal Effort – Instead of complicated steaming setups, I relied on a Dutch oven to trap moisture naturally. Simple solutions like this make a difference when scaling up production.
- Energy Use – Keeping the oven running at a steady temperature instead of heating it up multiple times saved time and energy—both critical in a production environment.
By the end of the bake, I had four perfectly crusted, deeply caramelized loaves, all produced with a fraction of the effort I’d used in earlier bakes.
A Vision for the Future
This loaf wasn’t just about perfecting a single bake—it was about taking one step closer to a future where sourdough isn’t just a hobby, but a thriving business. Each bake in this journey is teaching me how to work smarter, how to refine processes, and how to dream bigger.
Where does this all lead? Maybe a micro-bakery. Maybe a teaching space. Maybe something entirely new. But what’s clear is that every loaf is part of the foundation.
If you’re thinking about taking your own sourdough skills to the next level, check out our Starter Workshop—because every great baker, and every great bakery, starts with the basics.
Let’s keep baking, learning, and building something amazing—one loaf at a time.