Edward Frank

hey friends! Just a quick post to let you know that I'll be popping up at @oaklandyardwineshop this Saturday, May 16th, from 3pm til 5pm or so... I'll have your favorite Ed's Breads sourdough loaves: wheat-rye ($12) flaxseed-wheat ($13) togarashi black sesame ($14) I don't think I'll have bandwidth to make any sweet treats this time around - only the ancient sustenance... naturally leavened, long fermented, whole grain loaves made with flours from local millers who source grain from regional growers practicing sound agriculture techniques. That's a wholesome mouthful! Stop by and pick up a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread and say hi! Oakland Yard is located at 420 40th Street Oakland, California love always 🫀 breadward #spreadloveandbutter #northoakland #cottagebaker #localagriculture #wholegrainsourdough

Flour and water and salt and starter - the process and results are magical. Selling loaves is rewarding in a way, but handing off bread to someone who wasn't expecting it and wanting only gratitude as payment is my natural way of being. Contributing loaves to a community meeting or a teacher appreciation spread - that's where it's at. A barter for yogurt or plums...yes! There is no ethical consumption in capitalism, but hell, I'm trying my best to subvert this system that depletes our soil and sickens us and the planet from which we spring. Thanks to the farmers who practice sustainable, regenerative agriculture. Thanks to millers who are conduits between farmer and baker. I'm talking about you, @capay_mills @redsbreads_cali @bayviewpasta Thanks to all the bakers and restaurateurs and other creatives who are imagining and bringing to life alternative, community-focused, ways of thinking and being to our collective conversation. Thanks to my sons for helping me capture some of this bread footage. Thanks to my wife for all the hard work she does that I don't see that makes our blessed life a reality. Thank you for reading this far and for eating my bread. Love always, breadward #spreadloveandbutter #northoakland #cottagebaker #localgrains #keepitlocal

I had such a great time yesterday at the inaugural @westcoastbreadfest ~ learning, sampling, & connecting with fellow bakers. A huge thank you to Laila (@theearlyrisebaker ) for having the vision and making the necessary connections to bring the event to life! Thanks to @keithgiustobakerysupply and @centralmilling for hosting. Thanks @brodandtaylor + @simplybreadco + @wiremonkeyshop for sponsoring. Thanks @redwhalecoffee for coffee and @fireswampprovisions for the delish baked goods. It was rad to meet and learn from Azikiwee of Rize Up about inclusions in sourdough loaves. I crossed paths and chatted with the inventor, engineer, owner of @simplybreadco , Stijn. My oven is number 84! I've thought a lot recently about the magical alchemy that bakers work, combining elements of grain, salt, water, time, shelter, nurture, and heat to make foundational, functional food that acts as both vehicle and bridge - something to build a meal upon, while also being common ground that spans superficial differences. Yesterday I thought of we bakers and bread aficionados as the building blocks, the West Coast Bread Fest as the vessel, and Laila, the panelists and teachers as forces manipulating, guiding, and massaging it all together, encouraging attendees to connect and build community. The most important things I took from yesterday weren't necessarily the lessons learned in the demo kitchens, but in those new friendships forged and hearing the 'whys' that each baker - from novice, to cottage, to renowned brick and mortar owner - holds dear as their north star, their guiding light. To build community. To nourish neighbors. To support sustainable agricultural practices and our small farmers. Every 'why' unique and meaningful. The experience rekindled and stoked my desire to bake more really good bread, to serve my community, and to continue on this zig-zagging, loop-the-loop blessing of a life. Love always, breadward @joseybakerbread @queenofheartsdesserts @rosalindbakery @wordloaf @proofbread #wholegrainsourdough #spreadloveandbutter #westcoastbreadfest #cottagebaker

Laundry drying and a crispy crust - primary sounds in the soundtrack of my life. submission: Ed's Breads sourdough wheat-rye~ #spreadloveandbutter #northoakland #cottagebaker #wholegrainsourdough See you soon, @westcoastbreadfest love always breadward

👋 All of these doughs will be loaves bread. Ed's Breads sourdough wheat-rye. Two will be submitted for judgement at the first ever @westcoastbreadfest . Wish them luck. 🌾🫶🤞 Godspeed, you glutinous wonders! Support local agriculture. #slowfood Eff subsidized giant monocrops. Promote biodiversity and regenerative practices. glysophate reliant crops are a bane of our generation. Love always, breadward #yayarea #northoakland #spreadloveandbutter #edsbreads

Remember Pain Aux Graines? You know, at @therendezvousoakland ? Ed's Breads sourdough flaxseed-wheat topped with anise and fennel seeds~ I miss chef @pinche_cuchillos - the beautiful dishes he'd create in that magical little restaurant on MLK. Unexpectedly delightful. So many people were introduced to Ed's Breads at The Rendez-Vous - I'm forever grateful to have been included in it. Did you discover my bread at Rendez-Vous? Do you have any favorite memories from that spot? Want to get a loaf of Pain Aux Graines...for old time's sake? Holler in the comments. Love always, breadward #cottagebaker #localagriculture #northoakland #yayarea #spreadloveandbutter

Time lapse slightly slowed down - shaping Ed's Breads sourdough flaxseed-wheat loaves. Always locally sourced and milled flours, overnight fermentation, leavened wildly with Breaddie Mercury. Bread is a foundational food. A platform. A vessel. This is like your great great grandma made it. Love always, breadward #northoakland #spreadloveandbutter #cottagebaker #edsbreads #localagriculture

Messed around with scoring this morning. the sourdough wheat-ryes were gorgeous. flaxseed-wheat loaves were a bit under proved. Shout-out to all the farmers and farm workers who make this possible. 🙏🫀🌾 love always, breadward #localagriculture #cottagebaker #oakland #sourdoughbread

The daily breads #edsbreads sourdough wheat-rye and sourdough flaxseed-wheat loaves. #cottagebaker #northoakland #spreadloveandbutter #slowfood

🌱🌞🚨¡POP-UP ALERT! 🚨🌞🌱 Come find me and other local makers at 1141 Ashby Ave, Berkeley THIS Sunday, March 22nd from 11am-2pm at @urbanfoasis 's Spring Fling. get some handmade soaps from @envelopsoapco 🧼 have you a garden? heard of ollas? come learn and get your hands on one from @gardenollasagogo 🌱 bee-curious? @bee.chicks will bee there! 🐝 Good bread is good for every season! I'll have all your #edsbreads favorites: sourdough wheat-rye sourdough flaxseed-wheat sourdough togarashi black sesame Hope you can make it! love always ~ breadward #community #popup #cottagebaker #localagriculture

It's been over ten years since I combined in a bowl equal parts flour and water, creating habitat | substrate | conditions ripe to hold multitudes. Holding my firstborn baby son in my left arm, I held aloft the exposed bowl in my right hand as we danced through our backyard, offering nourishment and a place to land and live and multiply to the native airborne yeasts and bacteria that drift upon the breezes we all breathe in. In one of the most ancient human alchemical processes, I've nurtured and manipulated, fed and befriended, supported and cared for the culture that I came to name Breaddie Mercury. The animating life force of every single loaf of Ed's Breads stems from that dance in my backyard a decade ago. Each loaf of Ed's Breads is simple and good, a wholesome and thoughtful foundational food made of locally sourced flours, water, salt, and Breaddie. And, of course, love. Always love. Be well! 🫀 breadward #sourdoughstarter #hyperlocal #northoakland #edsbreads #spreadloveandbutter

Hey all~ I'm a sucker for public schools - they're foundational structures in a thriving society. My sons attend @emersonelementary.ousd Our PTA - @emersoncheetahsquad - is hosting a pretty sweet auction fundraiser right now - I'll drop the link in my profile. Funds raised directly support our educators and young people - a righteous cause. I'll teach you and up to 4 of your favorite people my techniques for making simple and delicious sourdough bread - the Ed's Breads you've grown to know and love. There are some other pretty awesome auction items....check them out... Bidding ends Sunday - go get some! love always~ breadward #publiceducation #forthekids #spreadloveandbutter #edsbreads #northoakland