About
If you’re lucky, your passion becomes your job or business. In founding Breadtopia, I consider myself to be extremely lucky. I virtually cut my teeth on sourdough French bread in San Francisco, California, where I was born. And for many years I have 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 count ourselves successful.
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 often 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 or 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 & Denyce
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Hi Eric,
I found your site thru the thesis forums and wow what a find. I am a huge bread lover, so much that my wife gets on to me about eating so many carbs. Along with the bread, I can’t seem to get enough pasta and rice, too. I have read several of your posts and have bookmarked your site as a reference. Light 100% whole wheat bread here I come!
Dean
Dear Eric,
I love this site, its rustic authenticity and the mutual love of bread that we share. I just watched your pizza dough and sourdough bread receipe videos and enjoyed them both. I will be making the pizza dough tonight for my fiance and I (his name is Eric, too) and I will be gaining some needed ingredients and confidence to create the sourdough bread soon. I will also be signing up for emails so I can receive the occasional video, receipe and letter.
Thanks again and love the site!
Autumn
Hi Eric
it was great to talk to you the other day on the phone. About a year ago I started experimenting with sourdough for the first time. At the beginning it was quite frustrating as I had to throw heaps of bread in the bin. But after a few months I came up with a fantastic seed bread which is made out of part wholegrain and 1050 spelt flour with a combination of pumpkin seeds, sunflower , sesame and linseeds and of course my sourdough starter. And as well I have made a walnut bread and small fruit loafs based on my recipe.
We live in a part of Germany where bread is a big part of their tradition and therefore I see it as a big compliment that people really like my bread. When I first started baking I got a lot of tips from your website on how to bake bread with sourdough.So thanks a lot for putting such valuable information on the net so people like me can carry on the tradition of baking with sourdough.
Greetings from the New Zealander living in Germany.
Owen
Hi Eric/Denyce,
I am wondering if you have any advice about how long one can let sourdough loaves proof in the fridge before baking. What would you suggest as the maximum allowable amount of time? Is 24 hours in the fridge too long? Or can the unbaked loaves go longer than that without trouble? At a certain point, will the yeast–I assume–just run out of gusto and the loaves deflate? (I ask this because I find myself without the opportunity to bake today/tonight, but I have a couple of loaves that have been in the fridge 24 hours already. Yikes!)
Thanks very much,
Jane
Dear Eric and Denyce,
I have received my live starter two days ago. So far there is little bubbles and I am optimistic. I have just bought a dry starter as a backup.. Thank you for your swift and friendly service. I loved the personal signed delivery note..
Happy baking,
Heidi
It was a long trip for live starter to make to England. I hope it does well for you.
Cheers,
Eric
Your company is AWESOME!!!!! On Monday, I searched the Net for containers to hold my starter…..this is Thursday afternoon and I’m already using the jars I ordered Monday afternoon!!! You have the best products and obviously the best staff around. Thank you so much….I can hardly wait to use my new Danish whisks. I have a feeling your store may ruin my credit card!!!!!
First, I have to say that I used to burn water, couldn’t cook I leave that to my wife. However, since locating your “Great Site” I have been having a ball making no knead bread. If fact my neighbors all love me. I just finished my 8th it was olive and parma cheese, it’s great. I used King Arthur 16oz with 1/4 yeast 2/3 cup bk olives and 6oz of cheese, all I had. Water was 1 3/4 cups, 1tb salt. I let it proof 17 hours, did the fold, and another 1 1/2 hrs in your proofing basket which is really the best, 30 mins at 500 10min at 450. I’m attaching a photo. I have to say I enjoy reading all the posts on your site, I have gleamed much info, thanks for sharing with us, Jac
That’s awesome, Jac. And thanks for the very nice comments.
re: olive and parma enclosed after cutting, I should have started from the other side. I mixed the olives when wet, should I have mixed them in dry to spread them more evenly because most were further inside. Jac
Jac,
Your bread looks DELICIOUS and your presentation is FABULOUS! I can’t wait to sample your creations. Keep experimenting with different ingredients and spices and I bet you will come up with the BEST tasting bread ever. Next we want to see a video of “Jac the Breadman” in action.
Tastefully Yours,
Holly
Thansk Holly but I’ll never compete with Eric in the video department. Maybe in the near future you can advise me with the ingredients and spices, then I might make some dough $ c u soon, Jac
Just thought I’d mention that I’d love to post videos from anyone who wants to do so. I guess the best way would be to upload them to Youtube and then send me the link and I can add it here.
I’m on the lookout for easy to use software that would allow visitors here to upload their videos directly to Breadtopia but apparently it’s not all that simple.
Hi Eric, I love watching your sourdough receipe voideos, and a friend of mine gave me some sourdough, and I did produce quite a nice loaf of bread with it, but I can’t find the La Cloche Clay Bakers in thr UK, How muchnwould one cost in English money, as I don’t understand the American currency, wonder if you could translate it for me into English pounds. Thanks Dawn
Dear Eric,
Just bought the Romertopf Clay Baker 111, the oval proofing basket, and the dough whisk. I am looking forward to trying your no-knead recipe for sourdough. I have my starter in the fridge! Since I bought the oval clay pot should I shape my dough different or just use the tri-fold? I love your site and I’m feeling very excited to try the bread once my clay baker arrives. Sheila Caviness
Hi Sheila,
Good idea on going with the tri-fold. I think that will get you pretty close to the final shape you’re looking for.
Hi Sandy,
The only thing I’ve ever heard about that in relation to bread is that sourdough leavened breads supposedly have a lower glycemic index than breads baked with commercial yeast. Otherwise, I don’t really know.
Hi,
In my search for low glycemic index breads to bake, I came across one of your videos. I enjoyed it particularly because it expressed the fun of baking and the unexpectedness of the result. Thank you for Breadtopia.com.
I would like to know if you have any suggestions for low glycemic breads.
Yours,
Sandy
Dear Eric and Denyce,
I’ve been baking bread for as long as I can remember, and though I was familiar with many recipes and had my own spin on things, your site really helped my bread making along. Attached is an image of a selection of breads, some of which are based on your recipes, which my mom asked me to bake for her birthday, because she prefers me baking bread over cake or antyhing else.
Thnaks for your incredibly helpful site and instructions, and kind regards from the Netherlands,
Guido
Hi, I found your website while I was browsing for an information to make sourdough bread. And what a find – your website and the information you give are outstanding and practical. I have learned a whole lot and starting to make my own wonderful sourgdough breads. I find myself lucky and thankful for all the information you share at breadtopia.
Many thanks from Iceland.
Crust looks perfect
Eric,
Re sending the photo of my first sourdough loaf baked in my new La Cloche clay bakers. Thanks once again,
Tim Billingsley
That’s awesome, Tim. I wish the photo uploaded. Maybe you can try again?
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