About Us
If you’re lucky, your passion becomes your job or business. In founding Breadtopia, I consider myself to be an extremely lucky individual. I virtually cut my teeth on sourdough French bread in San Francisco, California, where I was born. And for so many years, I have long loved baking.
In 1994, I was fortunate to marry Denyce; we shared many of the same interests and passions. For the next decade, I was involved in several corporate endeavors and in 2004, Denyce, who is a freelance graphic designer and former operator of the Busy Bee Bakery, and I, a website developer, Internet marketer and avid baker, formed Rusch Advertising Design.
Along with taking on various freelance projects, we developed our personal projects with our major baby being our baking website—Breadtopia.com. At Breadtopia we’re dedicated to ensuring that baking perfect bread has never been easier. If we can aid in the development of a baking community—composed of new, veteran and constantly developing enthusiasts—all passionate about creating great, homemade baked goods, then we will have pursued and attained our dream.
The thing about Denyce and me is that we are a lot like the fine folks who visit Breadtopia. It’s not just the fact that we love baking, but here in Fairfield, Iowa, we’re into a range of family, community and family oriented experiences, including sports, meditation, wildlife, the arts and nature. Denyce is the mom of Galen, her son who is a professional freelance photographer, living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with his lovely, multitalented wife, Liza. We love to connect with them and Liza’s family in Maine.
With Breadtopia we’re looking forward to creating and developing a community of home-based bakers all enjoying the natural riches inherent in sharing baking recipes, stories and knowledge—an extended family of sorts.
How do we survive? We offer a lot of important information for free and baking supplies at bargain prices. So please take some time to browse through our store and to contact us if you have any suggestions, can’t find a baking item that you need or want to share a recipe of a humorous or interesting baking anecdote.
We hope you enjoy our site. Denyce and I are looking forward to getting to know you and serving you.
Eric
Breadtopia— Baking perfect bread has never been easier
I know, it's hard to believe I'm just an amateur videographer. 
Comments on About Us »
Ken @ 9:18 am
Hi Eric & Denyce,
I enjoyed your video of your home and region. I think Heidi has a great personality too!
Ken
PS I am eating too much bread now, too good
Georgi Offrell @ 5:33 pm
Dear Eric (family and kitties, deer, geese, turkey, butterflies, grossbeaks, cardinals, etc…. did I leave anyone out?)
Really enjoy your site… it's informative, artistic, and entertaining. (Much better than most forms of entertainment.)
Two questions: What are the rules about where to put the La Cloche (just got one) when it's still hot (top and bottom)?; and noticed that in your video about no-knead bread, that your flour weight amounts don't match your written recipes… what am I missing, —or —which is your preference, and why?
Well, alrighty, then.
Sincerely, and thank you… (for your much-anticipated answers)
Georgi
breadtopia @ 6:54 pm
Hi Georgi,
I think your salutation pretty much covers it.
I usually put my hot cloche on top of a cast iron griddle which sits on top of the fridge. Otherwise I leave it on the stove top or granite counter and hope Denyce doesn't touch it before it cools. So far, she hasn't!
Regarding the flour quantity discrepancy, I think it's more like what I'm missing. Only, I couldn't find the mismatch. Is it the long or short version basic no-knead video/recipe?
If the difference isn't much, then you can probably just pick one. There's a fair amount of leeway with the recipe and your preferences will likely change over time anyway.
Thanks for all the nice feedback.
Eric
ps - your B&B looks awesome!
winnie @ 9:09 am
I just got the sourdough starter. All is bubbling along nicely. I am in Scotland. Don't have the cloche or a dutch oven. If I don't have these do I have to knead the bread as usual and are the recipes the same. Looking forward educating locals in this very rural remote spot on super sourdough bread. Thanks
breadtopia @ 9:57 am
Hi Winnie,
It's nice to hear from someone in Scotland.
I've heard many instances of home bakers having good success with common glass or ceramic type (heavy) casserole dishes in lieu of cast iron Dutch ovens or clay bakers like the Cloche. I think the main thing is that the dish be heavy, so you have a high thermal mass, and be lidded so as to hold in the steam from the baking dough.
Most of the frenzy these days around baking in a dish of this sort are about using the "no-knead" method, which indeed does not involve kneading. There are a few videos and recipes you can follow to, hopefully, achieve the super sourdough bread you mention. Click on these links, http://www.breadtopia.com/sourdough-no-knead-method and http://www.breadtopia.com/no-knead-recipe-variations
Ralph Tillman @ 2:07 pm
Eric
I want to compliment you. Your website and videos are very professional and your instructions and demonstrations are easy to follow. After watching your No-Knead video I felt confident that I could bake a loaf of bread. On my first attempt, the bread turned out better than I could have imagined. The taste was incredible and much better than bread I have eaten at expensive restaurants.
Ralph Tillman
breadtopia @ 2:24 pm
Thank you very much, Ralph. Glad it's working out for you.
Nelson Musha @ 10:36 pm
What a discovery to find such a knowledgeable and passionate
sourdough lovers. I am in Bangkok, Thailand, and I
am part of a small group that is in the process of opening the Country's
very first pancake house. Of course we want to offer unique menu items
utilitizing local products as much as possible. We will offer items using
mangos, passion fruit and other items not always found on the menu.
I intend to offer sour dough pancakes and waffles. One intriguing idea is
to use rice flour instead of the traditional wheat flour. Will this work? If
you have any ideas, suggestions or just comments on this idea, I more
than welcome them.
Awaiting your expertise.
breadtopia @ 8:21 am
Hi Nelson,
Congratulations in advance on your forthcoming Thai pancake house. How exciting. I wish you tremendous success.
Rice flour is very different from wheat flour. It is basically pure starch and contains no gluten that gives wheat bread its elasticity and ability to rise well when used with a leavening such as sourdough starter.
A web search on "rice pancakes" will turn up recipes designed mainly for people with a gluten intolerance. I suppose some experimenting would determine whether you could use a wheat based sourdough leavening in a rice pancake recipe and come up with something suitable for your customers.
I hope you'll let us know if you some up with something that works.
Eric
Larry @ 7:32 pm
Hi Eric,
I came across your web site last night while Googling for baking bread. What good fortune, indeed. For years I've been reading all the bread authors and drooling over the photos of beautiful artisan bread. Despite all the info in these books, I've managed to bake some of the finest bricks and doorstops ever. Either the crusts were like armor plate or the insides looked and tasted like library paste.
As I watched your No Knead Method video with increasing fascination, I jumped out of my chair and hauled out flour and dug out my La Cloche from the closet where it was abandoned in frustration.
Well, when the loaf came out of the oven, I was literally stunned. I was finally looking at a loaf the way it is pictured in all the great bread books: golden brown crust, wide open slash marks with raised and caramelized edges. When I cut it open I finally saw what had eluded me so long, the large beautiful holes throughout the entire slice.
At last I understand firsthand what all the bread authors mean when they talk about the perfume of wheat, the sweet taste of the grain, the singing of the crackling loaf as it cools.
Needless to say, I ransacked the fridge for anything and everything that could possibly go on the slices, strawberry jam, butter, cream cheese, tomato sauce, brown gravy, cold cuts. My only regret is that I don't have a camera to send you a photo.
My heartfelt thanks to you for proving that artisan bread is not only possible but easily accomplished by an amateur home bread baking enthusiast. Your video helped me see the way to do it at last!
PS: I've just begun my first whole wheat pineapple juice starter and sent in my first order for the yeast, baskets, and whisk.
Larry
breadtopia @ 8:07 pm
Wow! Thank you, Larry, for the great story. I think I'm going to print this out and frame it. Very cool.
Thanks for the order, too.
Eric
The Singing of the Crackling Loaf… At Last! @ 2:46 pm
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Jean @ 5:05 pm
How can I use sunflower seeds in a no-knead bread?
Also, do you have a recipe for that sweet cardamon bread made by the Finnish?
Love your site!
breadtopia @ 7:39 pm
Hi Jean,
Sweet cardamon Finnish bread sounds great. I wish I did have it.
As for sunflower seeds, I guess use them however you want. No rules apply.
Mark @ 10:57 am
Eric,
I'm writing to thank you for this web site and all the great insight on making real rustic bread. I've been dabbling in bread making for the past five years with varying levels of success. I've completely reset my expectations after just the first try at your no knead recipe.
The La Cloche is the secret weapon, it completely changes the game. I was a bit concerned mine would arrive in pieces, but the extra care you took in packaging it paid off.
I've been experimenting and find that my oven runs a bit hot so I need to set it at 475 and 450 indicated to get a less well done crust. I'm going to get a rack thermometer so I can have a better understanding of true oven temp. I have a 36" oven, so I have enough room to place the La Cloche lid in the oven during the final 15 min bake of a loaf so that I can drop the next one in very quickly and keep a small production line going. I've been able to do up to 6 loaves in rapid succession with excellent results.
So far I've made the white bread (all white flour), an all wheat flour loaf (very dense), the parm/olive loaf (outstanding), a wild cherry and walnut loaf variation of your cranberry/walnut (excellent) and probably my favorite so far….a caramelized onion loaf.
Using your basic no knead recipe I sliced a large vadalia onion and caramelized it with butter on low heat in a sautée pan for 20 minutes. I let the onion cool and mixed it in with the dough, added a couple more TSPs of water for sticky consistency, and let stand for 18 hours. I was concerned that I'd added too much onion, but after it rises and is baked off its fabulous. Give it a try….
Thanks again, you'll probably be getting a small burst of business from eastern Massachusetts!
Mark
breadtopia @ 11:59 am
Thanks Mark.
I've wasted no time in adding your caramelized onion loaf gem to the No Knead Recipes page. If at some point you have a photo to go with it, please email it and I'll get it posted.
Eric