Hi! Welcome to the movement Bringing Bread Back!
My name is Maria Baradell and I’m the baker behind Leaf & Loaf, a thriving bread cottage bakery I run from my home in Dallas, Texas. You might know me for popularizing the Two Pan Method (aka Double Pan Method) of baking bread in bulk in home ovens, or for hosting the Micro Bakery Awards honoring home bakers around the United States.
My mission is to bring bread back. What do I mean by that?
Well bread isn’t just food — it’s quite literally the foundation of civilization’s growth and continuity.
Economies revolved around it: Ancient civilizations were built around grain harvests and milling; the ability to make bread determined food security and survival.
It fueled daily life: From farmers and builders to kings and scholars, bread was the daily staple that sustained energy and labor.
Cultural traditions formed around it: Every culture has a version of bread — tortillas, pita, baguettes — connecting people to place, family, and rituals.
Moments of crisis depended on it: Wars, revolutions, and migrations often rose or fell depending on access to bread (like the French Revolution’s “bread riots”).
so why so many people think bread is bad?
What happened was industrialization — when bread stopped being slow, nourishing, and central to community life, and instead became fast, cheap, and stripped of its goodness. Factories discovered ways to refine flour, bleach it, and speed up fermentation, which made bread last longer on shelves but removed nutrients and flavor. Additives and preservatives replaced time and care.
This shift broke our relationship with bread. The very food that built civilizations suddenly became something we feared — blamed for weight gain, gut issues, and inflammation — not because bread itself was bad, but because what it had become was a shadow of its original form.
This movement to “Bring Bread Back” is about restoring that connection — reclaiming the way bread was always meant to be: simple ingredients, slow fermentation, nourishing for our bodies, and central to our tables again.
so that’s where you come in
By subscribing, you’re not just getting weekly recipes that will make you fall in love with bread again. You’re helping me keep this mission alive — to show the world that bread can be wholesome, joyful, and worthy of a daily place at the table.
Imagine this: a loaf coming out of your oven, the crackling sound of the crust as it cools, that smell filling every corner of your house. Years from now, your kids will walk through the door and remember it instantly — that’s what home smelled like; that’s what love smelled like.
A sourdough starter is a beautiful heirloom you can pass down to your children and theirs, a link between generations. You won’t be baking just food. You will be baking comfort for a tired friend, a gift for a neighbor, appreciation for teachers, a way to show care without needing words.
are you in?
Subscribe to support my mission, join the movement and get full access to all my recipes and tips for successful baking. Many will be free with some premium content every week. I hope to see you in the comments section!
Stay up-to-date
As a busy mom of 5, I know how overwhelming your email inbox can be, and I hate spam so much, so here’s my promise: I’ll post new recipes every week, but I’ll only send one email a month with a roundup of everything I’ve shared. That way, you stay inspired without feeling spammed.
Of course, you can always log in anytime — either on the Substack app or right here on the website — to browse all the recipes whenever you’re ready to bake. Easy, cozy, no clutter.
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and please share :)
If you love my content, please consider sharing it with friends and family. Every share helps spread this movement — and as a thank you, you’ll unlock even more exclusive recipes and behind-the-scenes content.
Happy baking, my loaves!
