The baker behind Proof & Crumb

Hi — I’m Maya Ellison. I run Proof & Crumb by myself, in my own kitchen, with one oven, one Dutch oven, and a digital scale that has outlived two stand mixers.

Why this site exists

I’ve been baking sourdough since 2016. To date I’ve documented 214 bake days across four apartments in three climates — humid summers, dry winters, weekdays and weekends — 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 — including one spectacular oven-spring failure with a 3-centimeter-tall loaf.

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.