Doughs Before Bros
A couple months back a friend sent me Dayna Evans’ article in Eater and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. In her piece, Evans explores the surge of “tech bro” bread hobbyists in Silicon Valley that are drawn to baking because it’s a tangible, off-screen pastime that can be tech-ified. Unlike a computer, naturally leavened bread is alive and messy. At the same time, using a spreadsheet to keep tabs on the many factors that affect the final product leads to some satisfying tinkering.
So, who is guiding this new cohort of home baker dudes as they apply their analytical know-how to engineer perfect loaves? Other dudes, of course!
Nearly all of the professional bakers enjoying celebrity and acclaim in our current bread boom are men. The issue is not that women aren’t baking bread. Like other culinary arts, women have been baking bread at home for thousands of years. There are also plenty of women who are baking professionally. The problem is that women’s voices are not being amplified.
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but what blew my mind reading Evans piece was that I hadn’t noticed how my own consumption of bread content was largely male dominated. (I guess I’ve internalized the patriarchy a little bit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .) I scanned my cookbook shelf, and sure enough: nearly all of my bread-focused books were authored by men. Just two out of the seven I own are authored by women. What?!
Aside from a few exceptions in my youth- that time I was the only girl in the rec flag football league, or my years spent in the weirdly aggro, bro-packed trumpet section of the jazz band--I’ve tended to avoid spaces that are dominated by men. As a school teacher, most of my professional life has been spent among brilliant and dedicated young women. One of my male colleagues frequently refers to himself as “ the boy teacher” (and I often refer to him as “my work wife”). So when my home baking hobby pivoted toward naturally leavened bread, it’s surprising that I didn’t fully notice how many bros were in my bread baking orbit.
And they’re not just any old bros, they’re TECH BROS!
The “tech bro” is a loaded concept in Seattle, especially as this town becomes techier and more expensive. I admit, I’m in the habit of othering these tech bros. They’re over there at the Spheres or in their austere condo, and I’m over here in my cozy pink kitchen dipping things in sprinkles. Then I read Evans’ article and it hit me: are these bros actually my people? Am I a tech bro?
My husband, who happens to be a man, posing with a loaf of my bread. More than a year ago, this man built me a bread baking spreadsheet. I have not used it.
I’m left ruminating... Is baking bread an art or a science? Am I an intuitive or technical baker? Are these binaries even relevant or useful? How has gender shaped my identity as a home cook? Has tech culture changed the division of household labor? Why have women been pushed out of prestige baking? Is that changing?
I can’t work through all of these questions right now, but I’m hoping to process some more here soon.
For now, my biggest takeaway: It’s time to lift up some of the badass women bakers out there.
Here’s a roundup of women bakers who inspire me on Instagram:
sourdough bagels I learned from Emilie Raffa’s book, Artisan Sourdough Made Simple
Who are women in food that you love?
Send me your book, restaurant, and follow recommendations!
