Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Before commercially produced baker’s yeast became widely available, British bakers often relied on something called barm, the yeast rich froth collected from fermenting ale, to make their bread rise.

And in 1468, the stuff was apparently valuable enough to cause a dispute over its price in Norwich!

In today's Strange Crumbs, we're looking at the historical relationship between brewing and baking, the science of fermentation, and what all of this has to do with modern sourdough.

Quite fascinating how much our ancestors understood about making bread rise, long before they knew what yeast actually was/

🎧 Listen to the full episode of Baking Perfect wherever you get your podcasts.

#strangecrumbs #bakingperfect #foodhistory #bakinghistory #breadmaking #fermentation #sourdough

A recipe for beer barm - https://myloveofbaking.com/recipes/beer-barm

SHOW NOTES

❤️ A little about Baking Perfect

Baking Perfect is a Brown Butter Bakes podcast hosted by Ruby, a home baker and bakery owner based in Yorkshire, England.

From baking science and recipe development to the darker corners of culinary history, starting and running a home bakery, and all the wonderfully messy bits in between, Baking Perfect explores food from every angle, one curious story at a time.

Because I don’t believe there’s such a thing as the perfect baker, the perfect recipe or the perfect business. But I do think there’s an awful lot of joy to be found in trying to get better.

🍪 Find Brown Butter Bakes

Website & bakery shop:

https://www.brownbutterbakes.uk

Shop my postal bakes, home bakery business tools, digital guides and resources. The bakery restocks every Sunday at 10am!

Substack — Brown Butter Bakes:

https://brownbutterbakes.substack.com

Instagram — @brownbutterbake:

https://www.instagram.com/brownbutterbake/

Bakery life, recipes, new bakes and behind-the-scenes updates.

TikTok — @brownbutterbakesleeds:

https://www.tiktok.com/@brownbutterbakesleeds

YouTube — Brown Butter Bakes

Podcast — Baking Perfect:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/baking-perfect-a-brown-butter-bakes-podcast/id6820645425

⸻

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast, leaving a rating or sharing it with another curious baker. It helps more people find our little corner of the baking world.

And if you’ve got a baking science question you’d love me to investigate, come and say hello over on Instagram or TikTok.

Thanks so much for listening, angel.

Love, Ruby x

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

STRANGE CRUMBS | EPISODE 5: THE WHITE BREAD SCANDAL 🍞

Britain’s beautiful white bread had a very dirty secret.

For centuries, white bread was a symbol of wealth and refinement. But as demand grew, some unscrupulous bakers found a rather questionable way to make cheaper, inferior flour look expensive.

Their secret ingredient? Alum. A chemical additive used to make bread appear whiter and more desirable.

In today's Strange Crumb, we're heading back to Britain’s bread adulteration scandals to explore food fraud, Victorian anxieties about what was lurking in the nation's loaves, and the early fight for food safety regulation.

Turns out, worrying about what's in our food is nothing new!

Welcome back to Strange Crumbs, my little series exploring the strange, macabre and occasionally ridiculous history of food.

❤️ A little about Baking Perfect

Baking Perfect is a Brown Butter Bakes podcast hosted by Ruby, a home baker and bakery owner based in Yorkshire, England.

From baking science and recipe development to the darker corners of culinary history, starting and running a home bakery, and all the wonderfully messy bits in between, Baking Perfect explores food from every angle, one curious story at a time.

Because I don’t believe there’s such a thing as the perfect baker, the perfect recipe or the perfect business. But I do think there’s an awful lot of joy to be found in trying to get better.

🍪 Find Brown Butter Bakes

Website & bakery shop:

https://www.brownbutterbakes.uk

Shop my postal bakes, home bakery business tools, digital guides and resources. The bakery restocks every Sunday at 10am!

Substack — Brown Butter Bakes:

https://brownbutterbakes.substack.com

Longer reads, recipes, baking science experiments, recipe development, behind-the-scenes stories and extra resources for paid subscribers.

Instagram — @brownbutterbake:

https://www.instagram.com/brownbutterbake/

Bakery life, recipes, new bakes and behind-the-scenes updates.

TikTok — @brownbutterbakesleeds:

https://www.tiktok.com/@brownbutterbakesleeds

Baking science, ingredient experiments, baking tips and honest chats about running a home bakery.

YouTube — Brown Butter Bakes

Watch Baking Science Explained, my recipe experiments, Baking Perfect series and longer baking videos.

Podcast — Baking Perfect:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/baking-perfect-a-brown-butter-bakes-podcast/id6820645425

Listen to more episodes covering baking science, food history and starting a home bakery.

⸻

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast, leaving a rating or sharing it with another curious baker. It helps more people find our little corner of the baking world.

And if you’ve got a baking science question you’d love me to investigate, come and say hello over on Instagram or TikTok.

Thanks so much for listening, angel.

Love, Ruby x

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Do you need a commercial kitchen to start a home bakery? How much equipment do you actually need? And at what point does your cookie dough take over the entire fridge?

In episode three of our ten part Starting a Home Bakery series, we are looking at whether your kitchen is suitable for running a baking business, from food safety and storage to essential equipment, insurance and permissions.

We’ll also talk about how to work out your production capacity, identify what’s holding you back and avoid spending a small fortune on equipment you might not actually need.

Your task this week: Assess your kitchen, identify what you need before you start trading and put together a realistic start-up budget.

I’ll also point you towards official guidance to help you understand the requirements for running a food business from home in England.

Useful resources:

• Food Standards Agency: https://www.food.gov.uk
• Allergen Training (free): https://allergytraining.food.gov.uk
• Food Hygiene Level 2: (this is who I did mine with but choose whichever you like!) - here
• Register a food business: https://www.gov.uk/food-business-registration
• Running a business from home: https://www.gov.uk/run-business-from-home

Find Brown Butter Bakes:

Website & baking tools: https://www.brownbutterbakes.uk

Instagram: @brownbutterbake

TikTok: @brownbutterbakesleeds

My postal bakes restock every Sunday at 10am!

Thanks so much for listening, angels! Xx

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

A manor house, a tower, a dungeon and a family of swans. All made from sugar. And some of them even decorated with gold. Henry VIII certainly knew how to throw a dinner party.

In this episode of Baking Perfect, we’re back with Strange Crumbs, the series exploring the strange, forgotten and occasionally ridiculous history of food and baking.

This time, we’re heading to Tudor England, where sugar was an enormously expensive imported luxury and royal banquets were as much about showing off your wealth and influence as they were about feeding your guests.

Join me, Ruby, from Brown Butter Bakes as we explore the extraordinary world of Tudor sugarwork, from the elaborate edible sculptures known as subtleties to the spectacular creations recorded at Henry VIII’s court in 1527.

We’ll look at the skilled confectioners responsible for these extraordinary works of edible art, why sugar became such a powerful symbol of status, and how a royal feast could double as a rather elaborate exercise in political theatre.

We’ll also discover how some of these centuries-old confectionery techniques have survived into modern patisserie, albeit with considerably fewer sugar dungeons.

From baking science and recipe development to the stranger corners of culinary history, Baking Perfect explores food from every angle, one curious story at a time.

Follow Brown Butter Bakes

For more baking science, recipe development, curious food history and behind-the-scenes bits and bats, come and find me on:

🎥 YouTube: Brown Butter Bakes

📸 Instagram: @brownbutterbake

🍪 TikTok: @brownbutterbakesleeds

✍️ Substack: Brown Butter Bakes

And visit www.brownbutterbakes.uk for recipes, baking resources and all things brown butter!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Ever wondered why some recipes call for baking powder, others use bicarbonate of soda, and some use both?

They’re both raising agents, but they’re not doing quite the same job. And the difference goes well beyond how much your cakes and cookies rise.

In this episode of Baking Perfect, we’re getting wonderfully nerdy about the science of chemical leavening. We’ll talk about acids, alkalinity, carbon dioxide, the Maillard reaction and why the wrong raising agent can change everything from the colour of your bake to its flavour and texture.

We’ll also look at when to use baking powder, when to reach for bicarb, why some recipes need both and what happens when you leave them out altogether.

A little bit of chemistry, a lot of cake, and hopefully a few more things that make sense the next time you open a recipe.

❤️ A little about Baking Perfect

Baking Perfect is a Brown Butter Bakes podcast hosted by Ruby, a home baker and bakery owner based in Yorkshire, England.

From baking science and recipe development to the darker corners of culinary history, starting and running a home bakery, and all the wonderfully messy bits in between, Baking Perfect explores food from every angle, one curious story at a time.

Because I don’t believe there’s such a thing as the perfect baker, the perfect recipe or the perfect business. But I do think there’s an awful lot of joy to be found in trying to get better.

🍪 Find Brown Butter Bakes

Website & bakery shop:

https://www.brownbutterbakes.uk

Shop my postal bakes, home bakery business tools, digital guides and resources. The bakery restocks every Sunday at 10am!

Substack — Brown Butter Bakes:

https://brownbutterbakes.substack.com

Longer reads, recipes, baking science experiments, recipe development, behind-the-scenes stories and extra resources for paid subscribers.

Instagram — @brownbutterbake:

https://www.instagram.com/brownbutterbake/

Bakery life, recipes, new bakes and behind-the-scenes updates.

TikTok — @brownbutterbakesleeds:

https://www.tiktok.com/@brownbutterbakesleeds

Baking science, ingredient experiments, baking tips and honest chats about running a home bakery.

YouTube — Brown Butter Bakes

https://youtube.com/@brownbutterbakesleeds?si=t3PeRd1Q_iSP3B27

Watch Baking Science Explained, my recipe experiments, Baking Perfect series and longer baking videos.

Podcast — Baking Perfect:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/baking-perfect-a-brown-butter-bakes-podcast/id6820645425

Listen to more episodes covering baking science, food history and starting a home bakery

Xxx

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Baking Perfect | Starting a Home Bakery - Episode 2

What Should You Sell, and Who’s Going to Buy It?

Before you start designing logos, ordering packaging and planning a menu with 47 different flavours, we need to talk about what you’re actually going to sell, and more importantly, who’s going to buy it.

In episode two of Starting a Home Bakery, we’re chatting about choosing your products, finding your customers, researching your local market and working out whether your lovely little baking business idea is actually viable, EXCITING TIMES MY LOVES!

Your homework this week:

• Choose three products you’d potentially like to sell.
• Think about who would buy them, why and how they’d order.
• Research 3–4 similar businesses. Look at their menus, pricing, presentation and customers.
• Chat to potential customers and start testing your ideas before spending money on packaging and branding.

You don’t need to have everything figured out just yet!

Find me elsewhere 🍪

🌐 Website: https://www.brownbutterbakes.uk Shop my bakes, recipes and practical tools for home bakery owners.

📸 Instagram: @brownbutterbake Behind the scenes, baking experiments and everyday bakery life.

🎥 TikTok: @brownbutterbakesleeds Baking science, experiments and tips for home bakers.

▶️ YouTube: Brown Butter Bakes Longer-form baking education, experiments and tutorials.

✍️ Substack: https://brownbutterbakes.substack.com Recipes, baking science deep dives, longer reads and exclusive bonus podcast episodes for paid subscribers.

🎙️ Have a question or something you’d like me to cover? Leave me a voice message and you might feature in a future episode: https://rss.com/podcasts/bakingperfect/voicemail

Thanks so much for listening!

Love, Rubes x

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Baking Perfect | Starting a Home Bakery

Episode 1: What You Need to Think About Before You Begin

Do ya fancy starting your own home bakery but not quite sure where to start?

WELL LOOK NO FURTHER! Welcome to the first episode of Starting a Home Bakery, my ten part mini series exploring the practicalities of building a baking business from scratch :D

Today in episode one, we’re chatting about the things worth considering (IMO) before you spend a penny, what you actually want from your bakery, how it might fit around your existing life, the time, space, bandwidth and money you’ve got to work with, and how to build something that’s manageable from the very beginning.

I’ll also share a little exercise to help you work out what your own first steps might look like.

Whether you’re just toying with the idea or already making plans, I’m so glad you’re here!

Love, Rubes x

🍪 Find me elsewhere!

Website: https://www.brownbutterbakes.uk Shop my postal bakes (restocked every Sunday at 10am!), baking business tools, guides, recipes and free resources for home bakers.

Instagram: @brownbutterbake Behind the scenes at Brown Butter Bakes, baking experiments, recipe development and small business life.

TikTok: @brownbutterbakesleeds Baking science, experiments, tips, tutorials and all things cookies!

YouTube: Brown Butter Bakes Longer form (coming soon!) baking content, experiments, tutorials and baking science.

Substack: https://brownbutterbakes.substack.com Recipes, thoughts on baking, business, learning, weekly round ups, and the occasional existential life ramble cuz, ya know, I’m in my 30s THATS WHAT WE DO.

🎙️ Have a question or something you’d like me to cover? Send me a voice message! I’d love to hear from you: https://rss.com/podcasts/bakingperfect/voicemail

Thank you so much for listening and for being part of my wee little corner of the baking world 😬😬😬

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Baking Perfect | Strange Crumbs Ep. 2: The Pastry Coffin

What do medieval castles, meat pies and coffins have in common? Quite a lot, actually. And no, we’re not putting dead people in pastry. Although medieval cooks had some fairly questionable ideas.

In this episode of Baking Perfect, we’re back with Strange Crumbs, the series exploring the strange, macabre and occasionally ridiculous history of food.

This time, we’re travelling back to medieval England, where pastry wasn’t always something you were supposed to eat. Sometimes, it was quite literally the container your dinner came in.

Join me, Ruby, from Brown Butter Bakes as we explore the peculiar history of the pastry coffin, the thick, sturdy crusts used to cook and contain everything from meat to elaborate banquet centrepieces, and the medieval cookbooks that casually suggested building entire castles out of pastry.

Were these crusts actually eaten? Why were they called coffins? And how did these extraordinary constructions evolve into the pies and pastries we recognise today?

From baking science and recipe development to the stranger corners of culinary history, Baking Perfect explores food from every angle, one curious story at a time.

Follow Brown Butter Bakes

For more baking science, recipe development, curious food history and behind the scenes bits and bats, come and find me on:

🎥 YouTube: Brown Butter Bakes 📸 Instagram: @brownbutterbake 🍪 TikTok: @brownbutterbakesleeds ✍️ Substack: Brown Butter Bakes

And visit www.brownbutterbakes.uk for recipes, baking resources and all things brown butter!