My Story

Hi — I'm the person behind Dagelijks Brood. By day, I serve as a Vice President at a company where most of my time is spent solving problems, making decisions, and navigating the constant pace of professional life. By night, I am a graduate student studying data science.

After long days spent working in front of screens and managing complex issues, you are probably wondering how I find time, and why I bake sourdough.

Baking was never something I ever expected to enjoy and/or do. In fact, I had always assumed it simply wasn’t for me. The patience required to idly sit by and wait 10-15 minutes between batches of cookies isn't something I inherited.

Then came sourdough, which I discovered by accident. My beautiful sister-in-law was gifted a starter. Curious, at a local market I threw a starter jar into my cart and hoped for the best, believing that I would try it, and then stash the jar in the cupboard for the remainder of my life.

Fast forward to today. What began as curiosity quickly turned into something unexpectedly meaningful to me. Today I maintain three sourdough starters — Esther, Frenchie, and Mario — each with a story of its own. Esther’s lineage traces back to Egypt along the Red Sea and is believed to date back thousands of years. Frenchie comes from France and is said to be more than 500 years old. Mario originates from Italy and carries a lineage that stretches back over a thousand years.

Its fascinating to me that even though I feed them the exact same flour, in the same ratios, and keep them in the same kitchen, they behave completely differently. Each starter rises at its own pace, develops its own aroma, and gives the bread slightly different character. In a way, they feel less like ingredients and more like living companions in the baking process.

So that's the story. A serindiptious trip out to a local market with my sister-in-law got me exposed to the chemistry of bread making which I find fascinating. Now I find that the process is what keeps me baking. The quiet rhythm of mixing dough, shaping loaves, and baking bread early in the morning before my day turns into chaos has became a kind of therapeutic for me. It’s one of the few things that lets me slow down from my hectic days and create something real with my hands.

Also, and probably most importantly, the more time I spend learning this craft, the more opportunities I have had to bless people with my 'test loaves'. Along the way I have started to realize that something as simple as a fresh loaf of bread brings a small moment of joy to others, and a sense of community. That realization is what inspired Dagelijks Brood.

The name Dagelijks Brood comes from Dutch and means “daily bread.” The phrase reflects something simple but meaningful — the idea that good bread has always been part of everyday life.

The name also reflects my heritage. My family roots trace back to both Germany and the Netherlands, and I’ve always felt a deep connection to that part of the world. I love visiting the Netherlands — the bakeries, the markets, the culture of fresh bread being part of daily life.

The name is also inspired by my faith. The idea of “daily bread” reminds me that even the simplest things can be blessings — a meal shared, a table gathered around, or a warm loaf of bread passed from one person to another.

Dagelijks Brood is my small way of bringing a little of that tradition here to Traverse City. Everything is made slowly, by hand, with simple ingredients and real fermentation.

More than anything, I bake because I love blessing people. Sometimes it only takes a warm loaf of bread to brighten someone’s day — and sharing something made with care is one of the simplest ways I know to do that.

Everything starts with my sourdough starter — a living culture of wild yeast and beneficial bacteria that I feed and maintain daily. The flour I use to feed my starters is organic, and the flour I bake with is specially ordered: unbleached and unbromated, the way flour was meant to be before industrial shortcuts became common in commercial baking.

For most breads, my starter provides all the natural leavening needed. The process typically looks like this: mix, stretch and fold over several hours, shape, then a long cold retard in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, the loaves go straight from the fridge into a screaming hot dutch oven. That steam-trapped environment gives the bread its signature open crumb and crackling crust.

For certain products like bagels and pizza dough, I can make them fully sourdough — and sometimes I do. But I prefer the structure and rise that comes from adding a very small amount of active dry yeast alongside the starter. It allows the dough to develop the texture those foods are known for while still benefiting from sourdough fermentation and flavor.

Bagels are boiled before baking — a traditional step that gives them their characteristic chew and shiny exterior. Croissants are laminated by hand, which means folding cold butter into the dough in layers over the course of a full day. It's labor-intensive, which is why they require advance notice.

I take food safety seriously. My kitchen is kept clean, organized, and dedicated to baking while production is underway. All preparation surfaces, tools, and equipment are cleaned and sanitized before, during, and after every bake using food-safe products.

Hand hygiene is essential. I wash my hands thoroughly before handling dough or baked goods and again after handling anything unrelated to food.

I live in a dog-friendly household, but animals are never allowed on counters or food preparation surfaces and are kept completely away from the baking area during production.

I follow a simple standard: if I would not feel comfortable eating it myself, I will not sell it to you.

If I am sick — or even suspect I may be getting sick — I will not bake. Any affected orders will be communicated and rescheduled promptly.

Allergen transparency is important. All products are prepared in the same kitchen using shared equipment. While I take care to prevent cross-contact, the kitchen is not allergen-free. Ingredient and allergen information is listed with each product.

As required under Michigan’s Cottage Food Law, this product is made in a home kitchen that has not been inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.