“Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble and there is always time.”
–'Abdu'l-Bahá
A Baking Community
For several years now a variety of home-bakers has gathered weekly around a wood-fired oven with a single purpose in mind: to share fresh-baked breads, pastries, and pizzas with family, friends, and neighbours near and far in an effort to build and strengthen community. We neither charge for what we bake nor expect anything in return. It is our pleasure! Our hope is simply that in sharing food—perhaps the oldest custom known to humankind—we will connect souls, warm hearts, and fill tummies.
The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed, which encourages many bakers to try new recipes or methods. Please join in the fun!
Building the Oven
In 2020 Andrea and Jim Cribb settled on some rural property in Nanoose Bay on central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and set about building a wood-fired oven covered by a pavilion. It took nine months off and on to construct, with help from our daughter Jessica and our grandsons Tristan and Marcus. For the finishing stone work we hired Price Masonry: we are most thankful to Dean, Stew, and Adam for their fine craftsmanship.
A Brief History
I started baking bread thanks to Andrea's father, Desmond, who taught me how to make my first loaf. Then Andrea and I moved to a small village in the French West Indies where my French Canadian roots for fine bread truly kicked in—the village baker would hand me each morning a hot baguette right from his wood-fired oven, held in a paper sling torn from a bag of flour so I wouldn't burn my hands. That was in the early 1980s and the wonderful taste still lingers. Simply delicious.
The baker in Deshaies, Guadeloupe, who ignited my passion for simple, wood-fired oven baking. Sadly, I cannot remember his name.
Since then our travels have taken us to numerous communities at home in Canada and in countries abroad and wherever I go I scout out local bread. One of my favourites was in a village in Mozambique where bread was just coming out from beneath the ashes of a ground fire: dark, warm, crusty.
Baking Food to Share
For decades we've been baking French sourdough bread—whole wheat, multigrain, country (unbleached white and whole wheat blend)—along with baguettes and pain rustique. Our sourdough breads are made with flour, salt, water, and local natural yeast cultivated in our starter. Dried yeast is used in our baguette and pain rustique formulas. We use only organic ingredients and we mill our own whole wheat flour.
With the construction complete, we have moved our baking from an electric range indoors to the wood-fired oven outdoors, and carry on the traditions of our ancestors.
Some baked goods just out of our wood-fired oven.
Connecting with the Community
We host weekly bakes of breads and pastries on Saturdays with the wood-fired oven at temperature by late morning. Come to watch, learn about this age-old process, or, if you’re a baker, arrange with us to bring your creations to pop into the oven. Either way, we can all enjoy being together and share a simple meal with food warm and fresh from the oven.
Image created by Jeff showcasing bread from various bakers just out of the oven. Thanks, Jeff.
Community Bread-Making Classes
We offer sourdough bread-making classes hosted by experienced bakers from our wood-fired oven baking community. Learn how to measure, mix, knead, shape, score, and bake your own delicious sourdough bread. There is no charge; we're happy to share a tradition that has fed and nurtured families, friends, and neighbours for thousands of years.
Examples of bread right out of the oven from bakers who will help guide you to make your own sourdough bread.
In a relaxed environment in a cabin in Nanoose Bay you start measuring ingredients at 9 a.m. and by mid afternoon, with breaks and time for a simple lunch in between, the bread dough is gently placed into bannetons to proof overnight in the fridge. The following day you are most welcome to join in the Saturday Community Bake and watch the results of your efforts emerge from the wood-fired oven as beautiful sourdough loaves ready for you to take home, share, and enjoy.
If you have questions or would like to secure a spot for one of the sessions, please contact us at: connect@communitybaking.ca. Our next bread making class is scheduled for:
Youth Learning to Bake
Traditions form bonds across generations and the baking of bread is one of the oldest humans have enjoyed. To encourage youth to preserve this tradition we host informal bread making sessions. There is no charge. We look forward to hearing from you if you're interested in participating, so we can coordinate a date that suits you and the bakers who are eager to share their expertise.
Challah braided by our seven year old neighbour.
Strawberry tart painted with egg wash by our six year old neighbour.
Youth gaining hands-on experience preparing traditional sourdough bread to go into the wood-fired oven.
We Try Our Best
But clearly, as indicated by our daughter's note, we don't always succeed. True, this treasure was scribed by Jessica many years ago during the early days of baking in our kitchen, but its sentiment hasn't changed: we all have our own tastes.
Travelling and living on different continents has allowed Andrea and me to share in exquisite food, mostly served in homes and small rural outdoor settings. The majority was delicious, some not, but all was memorable for the connections we made with others. Such is the aim of our community bakes.
Contact Us
If you have questions or would like to learn more about our community baking project, please contact us at: connect@communitybaking.ca.