Bake the loaf you keep meaning to make.
A plain-spoken guide for real kitchens. Keep a starter alive without the guilt, read your dough by feel instead of the clock, and pull a proper crackling loaf out of the oven — the kind worth clearing your whole counter for.
Sourdough
with Mayvis
Seven chapters, from feeding day to that first slice.
No 40-ingredient recipes, no bread-influencer mystique. Each chapter builds on the last, so by the end you're not following a recipe — you understand the loaf.
Wake up a starter
Build one from flour and water, or revive the neglected jar in your fridge — and actually keep it going.
The one dough to learn first
A single reliable recipe you'll make on repeat until it's muscle memory.
Read your dough by feel
Stop staring at the timer. Learn the pokes, jiggles, and windowpane checks that actually tell you what's happening.
Shape & score without the panic
Tension, seams, and one clean cut — the parts everyone rushes, slowed down and demystified.
Bake: Dutch oven & beyond
Steam, timing, and how to get an open crumb and a crust that crackles when it cools.
Fix it
The flat one, the dense one, the gummy one — what went wrong and exactly what to change next time.
Beyond the boule
Focaccia, a soft sandwich loaf, and discard treats so nothing goes in the bin.
Everything, the moment you check out.
Illustrated pages
Photos and step diagrams for the parts words alone can't teach.
Printable recipe cards
The core formulas, pared down to stick on the fridge and flour up.
Feeding & timing sheet
A fridge-friendly schedule so you always know the next move.
Free updates
Buy once. Every revised edition lands in your inbox, no extra cost.
I killed three starters before one finally stuck.
Mayvis Crumb bakes in a small kitchen with a temperamental oven and a starter that has, against all odds, outlived several houseplants. This book is the one I wish someone had handed me around starter number two — before I gave up and bought a loaf from the store out of spite.
It's written for the person who's tired of contradictory internet advice and just wants one clear voice walking them from a jar of bubbles to a loaf they're proud to slice at the table.
— Mayvis
What early bakers are saying.
“First loaf that actually had holes in it. I may have cried a little.
Dana R.Home baker, year one
“The troubleshooting chapter alone was worth it. I finally know why mine kept coming out dense.
Marcus T.Recovering perfectionist
“Clear enough that my teenager made the second loaf without asking me a single question.
Priya S.Weekend baker
Your best loaf is a download away.
Instant PDF, yours to keep, readable on your phone at the counter or printed and floured beyond recognition.
Secure checkout · Instant delivery · Read on any device
The questions everyone has.
A bowl, your hands, and something to bake in — a Dutch oven is ideal but I show you the alternatives. No stand mixer, no proofing box, no gadgets required.
Not at all. Chapter 1 walks you through building one from just flour and water in about a week, and keeping it alive after that.
It's a PDF. The moment you check out, you'll get a link to download it. Read it on your phone, tablet, or computer, or print the pages you want at the counter.
That's exactly who it's for. The troubleshooting chapter maps the usual failures — flat, dense, gummy — to the specific fix, so you're changing one thing on purpose instead of guessing.
Because it's a digital download you keep immediately, all sales are final — but if something's wrong with your file, email me and I'll make it right. (Edit this to match your own policy.)