How Three Ovens and a $60 Basket Started a Microbakery

When we first moved into Pauline Manor, one of the quirkiest features of the house was the kitchen setup. It came with not one, not two, but three ovens. At the time, I just laughed and said, “Well, I guess this will be great for hosting holidays.”

Baking was never the plan. Or at least, not this kind of baking.

But in November of 2023, I ordered a sourdough starter on a whim. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the colder weather or the feeling that I wanted to try something new. Maybe it was the part of me that craved more ritual, more rhythm. Whatever it was, that one decision sent me into full-on obsession mode.

I started practicing. Tweaking. Failing. Tweaking again. I was in the kitchen constantly, flour on my shirt and bannetons on every surface. I began sharing loaves with friends and family. They were kind and encouraging and probably a little overwhelmed with the number of cinnamon rolls I kept dropping off.

Then one night, Taylor had a school performance that included a silent auction. I thought it would be fun to donate a little “sourdough starter basket” in a banneton with a bag of dehydrated starter, a whisk, a lame, some seasonings, and instructions. I figured it might go for ten, maybe fifteen bucks. Just a fun little add-on item.

It went for sixty.

One of the highest bids of the night.

And then, something clicked.

A few people came up afterward and asked how they could get more. Some had tried my baked goods already, others had just heard through word of mouth. That moment made me realize maybe this wasn’t just a hobby. Maybe this was something worth exploring.

So I did.

As of this summer, I’ve officially launched my microbakery under the name Pauline Manor Bakery & Gardens. I’ve started taking pre-orders, small batch sales, and I just set up a profile on HotPlate so folks can get notified when something fresh is available. I’m keeping it small and seasonal, and letting it grow naturally. It’s not about scaling fast. It’s about sharing what I love in a way that feels real.

And to think—it all started with three ovens and a basket.

If you’d like to be notified when I bake, you can sign up here for updates and sales. I’ll be sharing more about the process, the recipes, and the rhythm of this new chapter in future posts. For now, I just wanted to mark the beginning.