Meet Brooke Sauer | Microbaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brooke Sauer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I had my first son in April 2017, daughter in July 2019, and youngest son in February of 2021. Needless to say it has been a very busy and life changing 7 years. Becoming a mother has been the greatest blessing in my life, however with that comes a sort of identity shift. I was no longer who I was before kids,I found myself caught up in the whirlwind of raising little children and for me, I lost a sense of who I was in the process.

I have always loved bread and baking bread has always been a passion of mine. After stumbling across several social media pages earlier in the fall that talked about how “easy” it was to make a sourdough starter I was determined to figure this out. After many trials and errors and more than 1 failed sourdough starter, I finally made my first successful loaf and was blown away by how delicious it was in its simplicity of ingredients. I starting baking bread for my family and family (I even flew with my starter to Minnesota and Boston to share my bread); after much encouragement from all I decided to give it a whirl and open my own micro-bakery.

I run SauerDough Bakes from my home and thus I am still able to be present and home with my 3 kids. But at the same time, I have found something that is for me. It brings me joy to share my creations with my community. Through this, I hope to nourish bodies and also foster connections and moments of shared joy, savoring life’s simple pleasures.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I run SauerDough Bakes out of my home as a micro-bakery under the Cottage Food Laws of Colorado. Sourdough bread is inherently simple. The ingredients are flour, water, and salt. Sourdough Bread uses an ancient method of slow fermentation that does not require commercial yeast to rise. Instead, sourdough is made with a live fermented culture called a starter. In using this technique – the resulting outcome is bread that is airy, light, and flavorful. There are no preservatives, oils, or other additives in sourdough – it is 100% natural.

In addition to the taste, sourdough bread also has a nutritional advantage over store bought bread.

1.) Due to the long fermentation process, sourdough can have more pre- and pro-biotic characteristics which can help to improve gut health
2.) Although dourdough bread is still bread and has gluten, the long fermentation process breaks down the gluten proteins and enzymes in the wheat which makes it easier to digest
3.) The fermentation process used in sourdough creates a bread that naturally as a lower glycemic index resulting helping aid in keep blood sugar in range

My goal with my business is create a product that fosters community and brings people together. Throughout my time selling my bread, I have seen first hand how good food and good bread can do just that.

Many of my customers order bread for community gatherings – brunches, salad parties, and other fun dinners. The response to my bread has been overwhelming and at times humbling. I am forever grateful to each one of my customers and those who continue to come back for more.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My micro-bakery is run out of my home in Southeast aurora. There are many great things to do around here – most obvious is explore the Aurora Reservoir. During the summer you can play at the beach, swim in the water and rent paddle boards. You can also walk, run, or bike around the perimeter of the reservoir. It is beautiful and quiet. In the winter time, the reservoir is just as beautiful – people still walk, run, and bike around it and on the super cold days ice fishers fish on the frozen water.

There are many great restaurants and shopping in the area too, Southlands Mall is a 10 minute drive from where I am. The town of Parker is 20 minutes south – and it provides a small town vibe with an abundance of shops, restaurants, and parks.

We are of course close to downtown Denver as well which provides it own wide variety of things to do. SE Aurora is on the east side of the city, making the trek to the mountains a little longer but it is always worth the drive and the mountain air really cannot be beat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several groups of people that have played a role in my business. My 3 sisters played a pivotal role in giving me the encouragement and push I needed to do this. All 3 of my sisters are my rocks in my life, even though we each live in a different time zone, we still make it a priority to be there for each other and have each others back. My youngest sister helped me with the design of my logo (while 38 weeks pregnant with twins and in the early newborn days). My other two sisters helped me with the marketing campaign, helped me set up my website and other social media pages and helped me to formulate a sales strategy. One of my sisters is coming out to Colorado later in the summer to help me with some of my market days. Needless to say, these women are everything to me and I wouldn’t have had the courage to do this without their support.

In addition to my sisters, I have several close friends in my community who tried my bread and pushed me to sell it. They gave me the nudge, locally, and the confidence that I could do this and that my product was good and worthy.

Of course, my husband and my immediate family are my greatest support. Without them, I would not be in this place and I would not have this opportunity. I am forever grateful.

Website: https://www.sauerdoughbakes.com

Instagram: @sauerdough_bakes

Facebook: @sauerdoughbakes