Like many home bakers, Cierra Zapata, the baker behind B’s Sourdough, started her baking journey in the midst of quarantine in 2020. As baking was on the rise, Cierra’s feed was flooded with pictures of sourdough, and after some initial hesitation, she decided to explore the world of sourdough baking.

After thorough research and a few failed attempts, Cierra managed to create a homemade starter that thrived, and her sourdough journey had begun. 

“After my first loaf, I became obsessed,” said Cierra. “I made countless loaves and was giving them away to friends and neighbors. I was making so many because I wanted to practice and get better.”

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From there, word of Cierra’s bread spread like wildfire when a neighbor shared their love for her bread on social media. Encouraged by the overwhelming response, Cierra applied for a cottage food permit and began selling her loaves online.

Utilizing two Dutch ovens, Cierra was setting her alarm for 4 AM in order to have her bread ready for deliveries and pick-ups in the afternoon. After doing this for months, Cierra was approached about selling her loaves at the local farmer’s market.

“As much as I wanted to join, I had to decline because I did not have the means. And that’s when my search for an oven began,” said Cierra.

It wasn’t until she was scrolling through a Facebook group for sourdough bread that she came across a comment that directed her toward Simply Bread. That night, Cierra put down a refundable deposit, and less than a year later she received her Simply Bread oven and never looked back.

“The Simply Bread team has amazing customer support and was extremely helpful in getting me dialed in with my settings. I would present an issue I was having with my bake and they gave me a solution,” said Cierra.

“The amount of dough I’m prepping and baking has dramatically increased but it is far easier than baking in my regular oven. As someone who has never used a deck oven before I can say this is dummy-proof,” Cierra said. “The capabilities this oven has makes it far superior to its competitors and I’m so happy I saw that comment on Facebook.”

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Cierra is currently in her second season of selling her bread at the Lathrop, CA farmer’s market, and takes orders on her B’s Sourdough website. The future holds endless possibilities for Cierra and the Simply Bread team can’t wait to see where she takes it next!

“My life is just easier with the Simply Bread oven,” said Cierra. “I have more time to play with my now 4-year-old daughter, I have an amazing customer base, and have made many new friends along the way!”

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