About
Hi, I’m Desi.
I’ve been baking since I was a teenager, but sourdough is a newer obsession. It started with a few failed starters and a lot of late-night research. Fast forward through some trial, plenty of error, and an unreasonable amount of Italian flour, and The Bake-Keeper started about two years ago as my cottage bakery. The blog is newer. I began writing it a few months ago to share what I have learned and the reasoning behind each recipe.
Real starter, real time, zero shortcuts, that’s the only way I know how to bake. I have worked in accounting for twenty years and have been a CPA for ten of them, and it shows. Every recipe here comes down to the gram, with cups alongside for those unlike me who hate math. Somebody had to make the bookkeeper joke eventually, so here we are.
These days I bake with a whole lot of love (and just enough chaos), fueled by a passion for sharing everything I’ve learned and keeping my teenagers and their always-hungry friends fed. New to sourdough? I love walking beginners through it. So come for the loaves, stay for the tips, tricks, and carb-induced happiness.
The cottage bakery
The Bake-Keeper began about two years ago as my cottage bakery in the Fort Lauderdale area of South Florida, and it still runs today. I bake sourdough loaves, cookies, bagels and pastries to order. Orders are local pickup only, with no shipping.
You can see the current menu, open pickup dates and what customers say, and place an order, at my bakery shop.
What You’ll Find Here
- Step-by-step sourdough recipes, most baked and re-tested in my own kitchen and some labeled Research-backed
- Troubleshooting guides for the problems every baker hits
- A free starter course for absolute beginners
- Useful kitchen essentials, merchandise, and courses, for when you’re ready to go deeper
- Free tools like the Sourdough Calculator and printable Quicksheets to take the guesswork out of baking
How the recipes get here
Every recipe starts as a formula in grams. It has been baked in my own kitchen, and I bake it again until it behaves the way I’d want it to for you. A recipe labeled Research-backed is built from established baking ratios and is waiting for its turn in my kitchen. I update posts when I learn something better. Here is the full process.
A note on photos: the pictures on this site come from a mix of my own photography and editing tools, including AI tools that generate and edit images. They show what a finished bake should look like.
Follow along on Instagram and YouTube
Instagram has the most to look at right now, with behind-the-scenes bakes and loaves straight from the oven. Find me at @the_bake_keeper.
The YouTube channel is newer and still growing. My family helps me film the recipe videos, and the library gets bigger with each shoot. The videos follow the recipes written up here, so you can watch the method and then bake from the gram measurements on the page.
Say hello
Questions, ideas, or a loaf that didn’t cooperate? Email me at info@thebakekeeper.com.
Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Disclosures and Disclaimer
Follow along for more sourdough tips and behind-the-scenes bakes.
Real Customers, Real Loaves
Why Customers Love Us
A perfect 5-star rating across verified customer orders.