July at Leavened

Hello! I have been prompted by a few of you, our lovely customers, to write a few words so here I am. The truth is that the time in the bakery has been pretty hectic recently and became a little bit overwhelming for me, personally. A lot has changed. Our business and its needs have too, so it is my job now to adapt, take some lessons and hopefully at some point, bring the balance back. I am sure you have all noticed that everything on the farm is evolving at the speed of light which can sometimes be difficult for us, bakers. I often think that we are just a bunch of people of different ages carrying very old souls. The changes around us are exciting but also, in a way, intimidating.

To bring the spirit up a little, there are many exciting things on the horizon, but I will keep some sweet secrets to myself for now. One of the highlights of the month for me was that my bread "guru", Vanessa Kimbell, visited our bakery as she came to the Groundswell festival (I think the word "visited" may not be the right one to use as I approached her myself and nearly dragged her in and offered a hug that she did not refuse!). To anyone not familiar, Vanessa has been teaching people how to bake sourdough for years and was the main source of my knowledge back in 2020, when I was succeeding and failing to bake my loaves. I also recommend her first book to anyone who comes to my classes, so I think you can imagine how exciting that was for me.

I've also visited Warsaw just recently as it is wild blueberry season, which means an enormous amount of "jagodzianki" has to be consumed daily ("jagodzianka" is a sweet bun filled with wild blueberries and generously topped with crumble). I had the best time, especially since I got to spend one day with baking enthusiasts, learning more about sweet pastries and trying an abundance of delicious toppings, all finished of with seasonal fruit. The day was long but very fruitful (if you pardon the pun). I am hoping to test my new skills soon, so watch this space!

Last but not least, very important, we are now OPEN ON WEDNESDAYS, usual hours (8-3) with some pastries and coffees. At the moment we are not able to offer bread, but we do hope you can come and support us. I have decided to add another day upon our customers' requests, but so far (since 1st July) we have been rather quiet, so if you think that Wednesday at Leavened sounds like a good idea, please do come!

And with that, I am checking out as I am off to have a break with my family, leaving the bakery in capable hands of my team. See you soon!

Iza