The baker behind Proof & Crumb

Hi — I’m Maya Ellison, the baker behind Proof & Crumb. I develop and test every recipe on this site with a digital scale, a single home oven and a Dutch oven.

Why this site exists

I’ve been baking sourdough since 2016. To date I’ve documented 214 bake days of first-hand testing, which is why the recipes here carry exact temperatures and timings instead of “until it feels right.”

Most sourdough content is written for people who already bake. I write the way I wished someone had taught me: the answer first, the story second. If a technique doesn’t survive my kitchen, it doesn’t get published.

How recipes are tested here

• Every recipe is baked at least three times before it goes live — and re-tested when I change equipment.
• Ingredients are weighed in grams and hydration is calculated on the baker’s percentage.
• Discard recipes are made with starter that really has been sitting in the fridge for up to two weeks.
• Everything in the troubleshooting section comes from problems I’ve actually diagnosed and re-tested.

What I believe about sourdough

Sourdough is not precious. It is a fermentation you can learn like any other. You don’t need a 200-year-old starter, a proofing box, or linen bannetons to make bread you’re proud of — you need a predictable starter, a predictable schedule and one calm page that explains what to do when it goes wrong.

Disclosures

The gear pages on this site use affiliate links — if you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend equipment I’ve bought and used myself. I never take payment for placement.

Want to say hi, or report a recipe that didn’t work for you? Contact me — I read everything and I fix what’s broken.