Our Purpose
I’ll never forget the Sunday morning when my neighbor knocked on my door, flour still dusting her frustrated tears. “Ashley,” she said, holding up what looked like a brick wrapped in parchment, “I followed that viral bread recipe exactly. EXACTLY. And this is what happened.”
That’s the moment AllFlavs was born – not in some fancy test kitchen, but right there in my Seattle doorway, looking at another home baker’s heartbreak. Because here’s what those picture-perfect Instagram recipes don’t tell you: bread isn’t just about flour and water. It’s about your altitude, your humidity, your oven’s weird hot spots, and yes – even your stress level affects the dough.
We started this blog because too many people think they’re “bad at bread” when really, they just needed someone to explain the why behind the recipe, not just the what.
Our Mission
Every single day, we’re in our kitchens (yes, plural – Ashley burns the bottoms, Sarah over-proofs everything, and Lauren thinks 5 AM is prime baking time). We test every recipe until it works for real people in real kitchens with real life getting in the way.
Because 75,000 home bakers trust us with their weekly bread, and honestly? That keeps us measuring twice and testing three times. We’re not just sharing recipes – we’re building confidence, one successful loaf at a time.
Our Vision
Picture this: your kitchen counter lined with cooling loaves that actually look like the photos. Your family asking for “Mom’s homemade bread” instead of reaching for the store-bought stuff. Your sourdough starter thriving instead of turning into expensive compost.
We’re working toward a world where homemade bread isn’t a weekend luxury – it’s just Wednesday in your actual kitchen, filling your home with that irreplaceable aroma of fresh-baked love.
Our Core Values
Real Kitchens First: If it doesn’t work in Lauren’s tiny Charleston kitchen with two kids interrupting, it doesn’t make it to the blog. Period. Every recipe survives what we call “the Tuesday night test” – tired baker, busy life, 30 minutes max hands-on time.
Honest About Failures: We’ll tell you when recipes flop (looking at you, gluten-free sourdough attempt #47) because learning from our disasters saves you from yours. Our “What Went Wrong” section exists because bread teaches us humility daily.
Science Meets Soul: Sarah’s food science background means we explain the why behind every technique, but we never lose sight of the joy and tradition that makes bread-baking magical.
Community Over Competition: When you succeed, we succeed. We share reader wins, troubleshoot problems together, and celebrate every first successful loaf like it’s our own.
Accessible Excellence: Great bread shouldn’t require a $300 stand mixer or Instagram-worthy kitchen. We test with basic equipment because most of us are working with what we have, not what we dream of having.
Meet Our Expert Team (The Humans Behind the Screen)
Ashley Reynolds – Lead Baker & Founder (Plus Sourdough Obsessive)
Seattle, Washington | ashley@allflavs.com
Ten years ago, I was the person burning frozen pizza. Today, I maintain seven sourdough starters (yes, seven – don’t judge) and can troubleshoot your bread problems from a single photo.
The transformation started when my grandmother left me her recipe box filled with handwritten bread instructions that made zero sense. “Add flour until it feels right”? What does that even mean? That frustration launched my obsession with translating traditional bread wisdom into clear, reliable instructions.
Credentials & Experience:
- Certified Artisan Baker, San Francisco Baking Institute (2018)
- 8+ years professional bread development
- Featured bread expert on King 5 Morning Show (Seattle)
- Author of 200+ tested bread recipes with 98% success rate from reader feedback
The day I helped my neighbor make her first perfect loaf – seeing her face light up when she pulled golden, crackling bread from her oven – that’s when I knew this had to be more than just my personal hobby.
Sarah Thompson – Recipe Developer & Food Science Expert (And Whole Grain Convert)
Madison, Wisconsin | sarah@allflavs.com
I used to think whole wheat bread was punishment food. Then I discovered what properly developed whole grain loaves actually taste like, and my world changed forever.
My journey into bread science started during my nutrition degree when I became fascinated by fermentation’s impact on digestibility and flavor. What began as academic curiosity became a full obsession when I realized most “healthy” bread recipes sacrifice taste for nutrition – but they don’t have to.
Credentials & Experience:
- M.S. Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019)
- Certified Bread Baking Specialist
- Former R&D baker at organic flour mill (3 years)
- Published researcher on sourdough’s health benefits (Journal of Applied Nutrition, 2021)
- Developer of our signature “overnight no-knead” method used by 40,000+ bakers
Every recipe I develop passes through my “real life test” – because if it doesn’t work for busy people who just want good bread, it’s not worth sharing.
Lauren Mitchell – Content Creator & Practical Baker (And Chaos Coordinator)
Charleston, South Carolina | lauren@allflavs.com
I’m the mom who started baking bread because my kids kept asking why store-bought tasted “weird” and I didn’t have a good answer. Three years later, I’m the one neighbors text at 6 PM asking, “Can I still save this dough?”
My superpower is making complicated techniques work for real families with real time constraints. If I can make sourdough while homeschooling two kids and working full-time, anyone can make bread work in their life.
Credentials & Experience:
- Certified Home Bread Instructor (2022)
- Former food blogger (5 years, 2M+ monthly readers)
- Creator of our “15-Minute Bread Prep” series
- Mom-tested recipe developer specializing in time-efficient techniques
- Social media strategist with 150K engaged followers across platforms
My kitchen isn’t Instagram-perfect, my measuring sometimes gets interrupted by homework crises, and my sourdough has definitely been fed goldfish crackers in emergencies. But my bread always turns out, and that’s what matters.
How We Actually Do This Work
Behind every recipe on AllFlavs, there’s a whole process most food blogs skip. We start with traditional techniques, then test them in our three very different kitchens. Ashley’s got professional equipment in Seattle’s humid climate, Sarah works with basic tools in dry Wisconsin winters, and Lauren bakes in Charleston’s swampy heat with constant interruptions.
Every recipe gets tested minimum five times – once by each of us, then by at least two reader volunteers before it goes live. We track failure points, document timing variations, and note how different environments affect results.
Our “What If” sections exist because we’ve lived through every possible bread emergency. Forgot to set the timer? We’ve been there. Cat knocked over the flour? Happened last Tuesday. Power went out during final rise? We’ve got backup solutions.
Why Trust Us? (Fair Question!)
Here’s the honest truth: we’ve failed more than we’ve succeeded, and that’s exactly why you should trust us. Every technique we teach has been disaster-tested in real kitchens by real people living real lives.
Our comment sections are filled with success stories, but also with troubleshooting conversations where we work through problems together. We’ve helped readers save thousands of loaves, troubleshoot hundreds of starter issues, and build confidence in kitchens from Alaska to Florida.
By the Numbers (Because Results Matter):
- 200+ tested recipes with documented success rates
- 75,000+ monthly readers across all experience levels
- 98% recipe success rate based on reader feedback
- 24-hour response time to troubleshooting emails
- Featured in Food & Wine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Bon Appétit
But honestly? The number that matters most is the emails we get saying “I finally made bread that made my family proud.” That’s why we’re here.
Our Community (That’s You!)
You’re not just readers – you’re fellow bakers on this beautiful, messy journey. You send us photos of your successes and your “learning experiences” (we don’t call them failures here). You ask the questions that make us better teachers. You share your own tips that end up helping thousands of other bakers.
Your feedback shapes every recipe we develop. When Jennifer from Texas told us our hamburger bun recipe was too sticky for humid climates, we tested it in Charleston’s summer and adjusted. When Mark from Denver said our sourdough timing was off at altitude, Sarah drove to the mountains and figured out the adjustments.
This isn’t a one-way conversation. We’re all learning together, one loaf at a time.
Our Promise to You
We test everything multiple times in different conditions before publishing. If we can’t get consistent results, it doesn’t go live.
We explain the science without making it boring. Understanding why techniques work makes you a better baker, not just a recipe follower.
We answer every question that comes through our contact form, usually within 24 hours. If we don’t know something, we’ll figure it out together.
We update recipes when we discover improvements or when reader feedback reveals issues. You’ll always get the most current, tested version.
We admit our mistakes publicly and fix them quickly. Bread teaches humility, and we’re always learning alongside you.
Let’s Stay Connected (We Actually Read Our Emails)
Got a question? Send it to contact@allflavs.com – we personally read and respond to every message, usually within 24 hours (sometimes sooner if we’re procrastinating on recipe testing).
Follow our daily baking adventures:
- Instagram: @allflavs (behind-the-scenes chaos and success stories)
- Pinterest: AllFlavs (all recipes organized by type and difficulty)
- YouTube: AllFlavs Channel (visual guides for tricky techniques)
We love hearing from you, sharing your successes, and troubleshooting together. This community makes everything we do worthwhile.
