About us
A small shop for patient bakers
We write baking books, film recorded classes and draw printable recipe cards, and we test every recipe in a home oven.
Our story
Written at the bench, tested in a home oven
Leaven began as a stack of handwritten cards next to a domestic oven. Friends kept asking for copies, so the cards became a book, and the book became a small shop.
Every recipe is baked again from the finished page before it is listed, in an ordinary kitchen with ordinary tins (sample process).
- Recipes baked again from the final page
- Real preview spreads for every book
- Plain-English licences
Mara Okafor, founder (sample name)
Baker's schedule
A weekend loaf, hour by hour
The timeline printed in every sourdough book and class. Times are a guide: a warm kitchen is faster, a cool one slower.
Friday
Wake the starter
19:00
Feed the starter
Equal weights of flour and water, then cover the jar.
22:00
Check for bubbles
Domed and bubbly? It is ready for the morning.
Saturday
Mix, fold and shape
08:00
Mix and rest
Flour, water and starter; salt after 45 minutes.
09:00
Stretch and folds
Four sets, half an hour apart.
13:00
Shape
Pre-shape, rest 20 minutes, then shape tight.
14:00
Cold proof
Into a floured basket and the fridge overnight.
Sunday
Score and bake
08:00
Heat the oven
Pot inside, as hot as your oven goes.
09:00
Score and bake
One confident cut, lid on, then lid off.
10:00
Cool
At least an hour before the first slice.
Static sample schedule. Adjust times to your kitchen and your recipe.
Help
Stuck on a dough? Ask a baker
Tell us which book or class, which recipe and what happened. We reply with ideas, or with a fresh download link.
- Replies within one working day (sample)
- A bake planner in every download
- Help by email, Monday to Friday
Bundle deal
The whole bookshelf in one download
Every e-book, every class and every recipe card set, with the teaching licence as an option.
Sample offer and example prices.
What you can expect
Our promises to you
Preview pages
Look inside every book before you buy: real spreads, not just a cover.
Instant download
Links on the order page and by email straight after checkout.
Clear licences
Personal and teaching terms in plain English (sample terms).
A baker replies
Stuck on a dough? Email us and a person replies (sample hours).