Jono's Bakery

Today I received a visit that I've been waiting for since I opened in May. came over to check out what I'm up to and I'm so happy to report that they have given me top marks for my food hygiene.
I have worked in catering since I was a teenager so I have always been aware of the requirements of a professional kitchen but this is my first time being wholly responsible for one. This certification really makes me feel legit and it has also come after a week where I've received more orders than ever and I am starting to feel some momentum building.
Thanks so much to everyone who's ordered from me in the past few months and thanks to Brent for giving me top marks!

One of the perks of working in a bakery: I can just whip up a vegan chocolate birthday cake with peanut butter frosting for a friend while the sourdough is proofing.
Happy birthday, Georgina!

Last week I dried samples of both of my starters just to preserve them in case anything happens. The strains of yeast and bacteria are unique to each sourdough starter and they can even change over time as they are fed new flour or sit in a new environment. I love that this means I get to bake unique bread every day, a world away from mass-produced, ubiquitous loaves.

A photoshoot from yesterday's bake. I'll be updating some of the product photos on my website soon and I think these show of my sourdough nicely

Another experiment using my San Francisco starter. I have used less rye flour in this recipe to give a lighter crumb but it's much more difficult to slash before baking so I'm still working out a technique to give predictable results. It's just tricky to make minor adjustments when it takes a day and a half to make each loaf.

The bakery team out delivering flyers around Queen's Park. If you've had a flyer and are new to my Instagram, welcome! Please have a look on my website to see if you'd like me to bake anything for you.

I tried baking my sourdough in a cast iron pot for the first time and it came out pretty nicely

The Jono's Bakery family pack, now available with 10% off.
One sourdough loaf, carefully hand-crafted over 36 hours. One seeded white loaf with a crunchy crust, perfect for sandwiches. Six bagels, chewy crust and my favourite for breakfast. Six cookies, three of my classic chocolate chip and three decadent double chocolate.
Order now from my website - link in bio.

I've been working on my shaping technique and I have been getting into a good groove recently. Here are four loaves shaped and resting in their bannetons, ready to bake tomorrow and also a photo of loaf I made yesterday and baked today.
For those who don't know, sourdough takes a looong time to make, my standard recipe, for example, is 36 hours from start to finish. So after all that hard work and time, you want to make sure that that final stage of shaping the dough is just right.

Last week my seeded loaves caused me some real issues. The tins I use are professional grade and made of steel - no non stick coating and I don't line them - so they have to be properly seasoned. I hadn't done it quite right the first time and it left me with two loaves welded into their tins. Once they were cool, I managed to heave the loaves out but the tins were full of crumbs and bits of broken crust. I had to scrub them back to bare metal and re-season them, something I did with great care. The next loaves out of the oven slid out perfectly and were perfect - a lesson in tool care and maintenance definitely learned.
Remember, every mistake is an opportunity to learn. It's something I had to keep in mind as I scrubbed my loaf tins and my finger nails wore down.

Very happy with the oven spring on this loaf. There are so many factors that contribute to a good rise - oven temperature, humidity, scoring technique, shaping technique, fermentation time, etc - so there's always more to learn and improvements to be made

A little front door photoshoot at one of my regular customer's houses. I'll be back soon!

A new addition to the lineup, these double chocolate cookies are thick, rich and decadent. Much like my other cookies, they are a labour of love and take 24 hours to make and are worth waiting around for.
They are completely vegan and utterly delicious.

The secret to these chewy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside babies is time. These take over 24 hours to make and are very much worth the wait!
These cookies are 100% vegan and have been described by one happy customer as “the most scrumptious cookies I have tasted, and I’m not even vegan."

There's something special about bagels. Chewy on the outside, with a firm, crumb inside. They are bread, but not as we know it.
My bagels are boiled for 60 seconds before baking in a hot oven which gives them the perfect texture.
I like to slice my bagels, toast them and slather them in peanut butter for breakfast.

My seeded white loaves are a classic white loaf with the added bonus of a handful of mixed seeds for extra flavour. They are soft and fluffy on the inside with a crunchy, chewy crust.
Perfect for sandwiches or toast, or just tear into it with your bear hands - I won't judge.

Welcome to Jono's Bakery!
I am an independent business running in Queen's Park, London and I deliver to North West and West London.
I currently sell sourdough bread, seeded white loaves, bagels and cookies but keep an eye on my website to see new products arriving soon.
www.jonosbakery.co.uk

Introducing my 600g sourdough loaf. Made with a blend of white and rye flour and my own London starter, this loaf takes 32 hours to make and is worth every minute.