Hannah Bironzo, the sourdough queen behind The Gypsy Baker, is celebrating 5 years of the online sourdough workshop business this week.

What better way to help her celebrate than a behind the scenes interview? As a big bread lover myself (I mean who doesn’t love bread – seriously?!) I’ve loved getting to know Hannah over the last few months, and loved chatting with her about how the business started (a really special story), the sourdough process, and what she has in store for the future…

How did The Gypsy Baker come about?

I’ve always loved the process of sourdough; the nurturing of the starter, watching the dough grow and transform, and the satisfying end-product. Also, having worked as a teacher for many years, I often dreamed of introducing others to the joys of sourdough baking, imagining jars of starter and bowls of dough in my bike basket, as I visited the kitchens of friends.

However, the Gypsy Baker really begins with my starter and her story… My sourdough starter was gifted to me by my dear friend Alessandra Pigni, a Humanitarian Psychologist with Medecins Sans Frontiers who frequently worked abroad. When at home in Oxford, she would often pop over with a bottle of wine and a pot of homemade hummus; I would slice my bread, and we would stay up late, sharing stories and laughing.

While Alessandra was visiting her publisher in San Francisco back in 2018 (do look up her fantastic book, The Idealist’s Survival Kit), she collected a teaspoon of starter for me from her favourite bakery. When, later that year, Alessandra sadly passed away, there was a period when I found baking difficult. With time, I realised that making bread with my friend’s starter provided a connection back to her, and a gratitude for what she had gifted me: not just the starter (named ‘Alessandra’ of course) but also for her encouragement to turn my passion into a project.

Skipping ahead to April 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, when our world felt so uncertain, many friends and neighbours began asking me for sourdough starter. My WhatsApp inbox filled up with questions: “What do I do next?”,”How do I keep the starter alive?”, “How do I make a loaf?”. The process of making bread offered us a routine when days felt soup-y and unstructured; it gifted us the opportunity to learn something new and required us to slow down and appreciate the small details. It was time to roll up my sleeves, login to Zoom, and teach. 

Where did your love of bread and baking come from?

My grandfather was a baker and ran a family bakery in my hometown. I like to think that real bread is part of me. I grew up with crusty loaves at the centre of our table and later, when I moved to France and Italy, I fell in love with the neighbourhood bakeries where I saw communities gather daily to pick up delicious, affordable loaves. When I moved back to my hometown of Oxford, 20 years ago, decent quality, inexpensive bread seemed hard to come by and so I began making my own. 

What are your workshops all about and who are they for?

My workshops are for anyone who is curious about making their own delicious sourdough bread, learn about fermentation, embrace imperfection –  every loaf turns out a little different – and get their hands a bit sticky! It is an uplifting, joyful experience and a skill for life. 

Happy 5th birthday! What are your top 3 highlights of the Gypsy Baker over the last 5 years?

• I ran a ‘Love your Loaf’ fundraiser in 2020, where members of the Gypsy Baker community baked bread for their community in exchange for donations. Together we raised over £300 for Oxfordshire Mind Mental Health Charity.  

• I took my dough to summer festivals last year, taught groups of people about sourdough, and baked my bread in a cast iron pot, over a fire, in front of an audience (pretty theatrical!). We then all ate the bread together, with jam.

• I have, so far, welcomed over 200 people to my sourdough workshops and my attendees have valued the experience (with an average feedback score of 4.82 out of 5 in my end of course survey!)

Are you doing anything to celebrate 5 years of The Gypsy Baker?

I hope to reconnect with my Gypsy Baker alumni and am planning a ‘sourdough refresher’ workshop in the autumn of this year. I will offer a cosy in-person event, for people local to me, as well as an online session for my bakers who are further afield. I plan to offer my bakers a next step, advanced sourdough bake-along with a ‘sourdough surgery Q&A’ so that I can check in with progress and answer questions. 

Also, in case anyone reading would like to join my next beginners’ sourdough workshop online, it will be held on Thursday 8 – Saturday 10 May (five sessions on Zoom: Thursday and Friday evenings, and Saturday, morning to lunch time). I charge £80 and this includes delivery of sourdough starter, my live classes, a digital handout, and access to a small WhatsApp group where I answer questions during and after the workshop. I am offering a 10% discount for Bitten readers. Simply quote ‘Bitten Bread’ when you enquire. For bookings, email me at ox4gypsybaker@gmail.com

What would you like to do over the next 5 years?

I want to keep my online cookery project alive! I have a sister online cookery school project called ‘Kitchen Stories’ where I collaborate with chefs and offer an array of live-taught, workshops. Our best seller is the Pasteis de Nata course with Sandra Ruge (Founder of Waste2Taste) which we will be running this again later in the year. I also work with Oxford-based Medical Herbalist, Katie Reid, and we enjoy teaching about seasonal herbs: how to forage, how to eat them, and their health benefits. We are planning a winter ‘fire cider’ workshop to accompany our ‘spring tonic’ herbal workshop. 

What’s your favourite thing to bake?

Currently, it has to be sourdough brioche cinnamon rolls. I enrich the dough with egg, butter and milk and the dough becomes golden, ‘sunshine’ yellow. These little cinnamon spiced, buttery buns always delight. I also love to make Italian focaccia, and I like to experiment with what’s in season. Last year I collaborated with ‘Replenish’ and created a stinging nettle sourdough recipe. It was quite magical!

What does baking do for you? How does it make you feel?

I am a strong believer that there are mental, physical and social benefits to baking sourdough – the list goes on. I welcome how calm I feel as I work with the dough. It is a mindful process. I welcome the simplicity of the ingredients – grain, water and salt – with the help of Mother Nature who transforms these simple ingredients through fermentation. I am in awe of the process, and it keeps me learning. Put simply, sourdough connects us to life. It nurtures friendship, it builds community, and it keeps us feeling connected and healthy. 

What’s one thing you’d want everyone to know about baking and sourdough?

Each loaf you make will be truly unique! It will be your work of art, your own creation and you will feel accomplished. And if your loaf ever comes out a bit flat…don’t worry…it will make excellent toast 😊 and that is still something to celebrate. 

Where are your fave spots across Oxford for food and drink?

I am an East Oxford girl. I love the Momos at Taste Tibet, the aubergine curry at Oli’s Thai, the homemade cakes and herbal teas at Magic Café and the marmite and cheese pastry swirls at Proof Social Bakehouse (an inspiring project connecting bread making to social change and justice). I really like my neck of the woods. 

You can find more information about Hannah’s business, and dates for future workshops on her website, linked below. My own review of the online sourdough workshop will be coming soon to the blog!

The Gyspy Baker
https://oxfordgypsybaker.wordpress.com/

Photo credits: Louise Perkins