baked at home in Oxfordshire ~

Real sourdough, shaped like nothing you've seen.

Country loaves, focaccia and naturally leavened panettone, plus breads that bloom into flowers, sprout into mushrooms, ripen into pumpkins and watermelons and, once, became a handbag. All slow-fermented and hand-shaped by Zoya.

See the showpieces or say hello to Zoya →
Flower-shaped sourdough held up against pink hydrangeas
a loaf that blooms
Giant mushroom-shaped bread with a spotted cap
yes, it's bread
Watermelon bread with a green crust cut open to a pink crumb
watermelon sourdough!
sourdough✶focaccia✶panettone✶challah✶flowers✶mushrooms✶pumpkins✶& the odd handbag

The breads

tap a tab to turn the page

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The showpieces

Every one of these is bread.

One-off sculpted bakes for birthdays, dinners, Christmas and Easter tables, each one shaped, cut and coloured by hand.

Ask Zoya about one
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Chocolate panettone pulled apart to show long, silky strands of crumb
the stretch test
Slice of chocolate panettone with an open, airy cocoa crumb
chocolate, all through
Glazed panettone on a gift board between two floral teacups
tea for two
Christmas special

Panettone, properly.

Naturally leavened with Zoya's own starter and slow-risen over days, until it's tall, buttery and feather-light. The candied peel is made by hand in her kitchen, and some flavours are mixed with sugar she infuses herself.

This Christmas there are five flavours, each one gift-boxed and ready to give.

Silky panettone dough wound around the mixer hooksilky dough
Sugar-coated candied orange peelpeel, candied by hand
Classic panettone cut in half to show a golden, fruit-studded crumbthe first slice
any questions? message Zoya directly ✶
Find out more on WhatsApp
Where every panettone starts

The lievito madre

Zoya's panettone begins with her lievito madre, a firm, Italian-style sourdough starter. Rolled into a tight coil and refreshed again and again, it builds the strength to lift a dough rich with butter, eggs and sugar. Cut it open and you can see that strength for yourself: a web of stretched, airy strands.

Italian for “mother yeast”
Lievito madre rolled into a tight, smooth coil
rolled into a coil
Lievito madre cut in half, showing a web of stretched, airy strands
cut open: all that strength
then into the dough, with fresh-mint sugar for the After Eight

The flavours

this year's line-up
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PHOTO TO FOLLOW

{{f.name}}

{{f.desc}}

Bake-day clips

press play: rising, torching & that first cut
More on TikTok {{ttHandle}}
{{v.title}}

Behind the bake

yes, the colours are all in the dough
Pink, green, plain and cocoa doughs resting side by side Green dough being wrapped around a plain layer for a watermelon loaf Bubbly pink dough mid-ferment Chocolate swirled through a sweet dough Unbaked focaccia topped with peppers, olives, feta and rosemary Lemon, lime and orange peel diced for candying
Zoya smiling with a pink and gold flower bread and two sourdough loaves
me & a fresh batch
The Sourdough Baker

Hi, I'm Zoya.

I bake from my kitchen in Oxfordshire. My sourdough journey began in 2021, and what started as simple curiosity soon became a genuine passion for the art and science of bread making.

Baking since 2021 Masterclass-trained pH-measured fermentation Naturally leavened panettone
Jars of sourdough starter and flour1. feed the starter
Strands of dough laid out for braiding2. shape by hand
Sourdough loaf cut open to show an open crumb3. bake & cut
read my story ↓
Naturally leavened panettone cut open to show a light, fruit-studded crumb
the Mount Everest, conquered
Two sourdough loaves and a pepper focaccia held up among roses and petunias
straight from the oven to the garden
My story

From Curiosity to Passion

My sourdough journey began in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. One day, while reading online, I came across an article about sourdough bread and its potential health benefits. Something about it immediately caught my attention.

I’ve always been passionate about delicious, wholesome food, and I love experimenting, discovering new techniques and challenging myself. What started as simple curiosity soon became something much bigger — a genuine passion for the art and science of bread making.

Year after year, I set myself new goals, constantly pushing my boundaries and striving to achieve better results.

I invested in professional masterclasses, studied traditional baking techniques and spent countless hours learning not only how to make beautiful bread, but also understanding the fascinating science behind it.

I wanted to know what was happening inside the dough — how wild yeast and bacteria work together, how fermentation develops flavour, and how acidity, temperature and time influence the final result.

My kitchen gradually became my little baking laboratory. A pH meter became one of my essential tools, helping me understand and control fermentation with greater precision.

There were challenges, failed experiments and plenty of lessons along the way. But every mistake taught me something valuable and encouraged me to keep improving.

✶ naturally leavened panettone, the Mount Everest of artisan baking ✶

Today, one of my proudest achievements is creating naturally leavened panettone — often considered the Mount Everest of artisan baking. It requires exceptional patience, precision, skill and a deep understanding of fermentation.

Alongside traditional sourdough, I discovered another passion: transforming bread into edible art. From imaginative decorative loaves to elegant, handcrafted creations, I love making bread that surprises people before they even take their first bite.

For me, baking is no longer simply about flour, water and a beautiful crust. It’s about respecting natural ingredients, understanding the process and creating something truly special.

At Zoya’s Bread, I believe that great bread should not only look extraordinary and taste wonderful, but also be made with care, knowledge and respect for wholesome ingredients.

Every loaf tells a story. This is mine.
x Zoya
Why sourdough?

Good bread takes time.

Real sourdough is flour, water and salt, plus the one ingredient you can't buy: time. Zoya's loaves rise slowly on a living starter, and that long, carefully controlled ferment changes the bread in ways a quick loaf never can.

Sourdough loaf cut open to show a glossy, open crumb
a long ferment, in one slice
01

Just flour, water & salt

The everyday loaf needs nothing more. There's no commercial yeast: Zoya's own starter does all the work.

02

A living starter

Wild yeasts and bacteria, kept alive and fed in Zoya's kitchen, raise the dough naturally and give sourdough its gentle tang.

03

Slow by design

Each dough is given hours to ferment, so the flavour has time to develop instead of being rushed.

04

Shaped by hand

Every loaf is shaped and scored by hand, so no two ever look quite the same.

05

Flavour you can taste

Slow fermentation builds a rich aroma, a gently tangy, complex flavour and that crackling crust and chewy crumb.

06

Why the time matters

All of this only happens when the dough gets enough time at the right temperature and acidity. Zoya checks her ferments with a pH meter, because quality should never be rushed.

Good to know: sourdough is made with wheat and still contains gluten, so it isn't suitable for anyone with coeliac disease.

any questions? message Zoya directly ~

Want to find out more?

Curious about a bake, want to know more about a showpiece, or just fancy talking sourdough? Zoya would love to hear from you.

Find out more on WhatsApp Watch Zoya on TikTok

or email {{email}}
baked at home in Oxfordshire ~

Real sourdough, shaped like nothing you've seen.

Country loaves, focaccia and naturally leavened panettone, plus breads that bloom into flowers, sprout into mushrooms, ripen into pumpkins and watermelons and, once, became a handbag. All slow-fermented and hand-shaped by Zoya.

Flower-shaped sourdough held up against pink hydrangeas
a loaf that blooms
Giant mushroom-shaped bread with a spotted cap
yes, it's bread
Watermelon bread with a green crust cut open to a pink crumb
watermelon sourdough!
sourdough✶focaccia✶panettone✶challah✶flowers✶mushrooms✶pumpkins✶& the odd handbag

The breads

tap a tab to turn the page

{{current.blurb}}

{{item.name}}

{{item.desc}}

{{tag}}
The showpieces

Every one of these is bread.

One-off sculpted bakes for birthdays, dinners, Christmas and Easter tables, each one shaped, cut and coloured by hand.

Ask Zoya about one
{{s.no}} {{s.name}}
Chocolate panettone pulled apart to show long, silky strands of crumb
the stretch test
Slice of chocolate panettone with an open, airy cocoa crumb
chocolate, all through
Glazed panettone on a gift board between two floral teacups
tea for two
Christmas special

Panettone, properly.

Naturally leavened with Zoya's own starter and slow-risen over days, until it's tall, buttery and feather-light. The candied peel is made by hand in her kitchen, and some flavours are mixed with sugar she infuses herself.

This Christmas there are five flavours, each one gift-boxed and ready to give.

Silky panettone dough wound around the mixer hooksilky dough
Sugar-coated candied orange peelpeel, candied by hand
Classic panettone cut in half to show a golden, fruit-studded crumbthe first slice
any questions? message Zoya directly ✶
Find out more on WhatsApp
Where every panettone starts

The lievito madre

Zoya's panettone begins with her lievito madre, a firm, Italian-style sourdough starter. Rolled into a tight coil and refreshed again and again, it builds the strength to lift a dough rich with butter, eggs and sugar. Cut it open and you can see that strength for yourself: a web of stretched, airy strands.

Italian for “mother yeast”
Lievito madre rolled into a tight, smooth coil
rolled into a coil
Lievito madre cut in half, showing a web of stretched, airy strands
cut open: all that strength
then into the dough, with fresh-mint sugar for the After Eight

The flavours

this year's line-up
PHOTO TO FOLLOW

{{f.name}}

{{f.desc}}

Bake-day clips

press play: rising, torching & that first cut
More on TikTok {{ttHandle}}
{{v.title}}

Behind the bake

yes, the colours are all in the dough
Pink, green, plain and cocoa doughs resting side by side Green dough being wrapped around a plain layer for a watermelon loaf Bubbly pink dough mid-ferment Chocolate swirled through a sweet dough Unbaked focaccia topped with peppers, olives, feta and rosemary Lemon, lime and orange peel diced for candying
Zoya smiling with a pink and gold flower bread and two sourdough loaves
me & a fresh batch
The Sourdough Baker

Hi, I'm Zoya.

I bake from my kitchen in Oxfordshire. My sourdough journey began in 2021, and what started as simple curiosity soon became a genuine passion for the art and science of bread making.

Baking since 2021 Masterclass-trained pH-measured fermentation Naturally leavened panettone
Jars of sourdough starter and flour1. feed the starter
Strands of dough laid out for braiding2. shape by hand
Sourdough loaf cut open to show an open crumb3. bake & cut
read my story ↓
Naturally leavened panettone cut open to show a light, fruit-studded crumb
the Mount Everest, conquered
Two sourdough loaves and a pepper focaccia held up among roses and petunias
straight from the oven to the garden
My story

From Curiosity to Passion

My sourdough journey began in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. One day, while reading online, I came across an article about sourdough bread and its potential health benefits. Something about it immediately caught my attention.

I’ve always been passionate about delicious, wholesome food, and I love experimenting, discovering new techniques and challenging myself. What started as simple curiosity soon became something much bigger — a genuine passion for the art and science of bread making.

Year after year, I set myself new goals, constantly pushing my boundaries and striving to achieve better results.

I invested in professional masterclasses, studied traditional baking techniques and spent countless hours learning not only how to make beautiful bread, but also understanding the fascinating science behind it.

I wanted to know what was happening inside the dough — how wild yeast and bacteria work together, how fermentation develops flavour, and how acidity, temperature and time influence the final result.

My kitchen gradually became my little baking laboratory. A pH meter became one of my essential tools, helping me understand and control fermentation with greater precision.

There were challenges, failed experiments and plenty of lessons along the way. But every mistake taught me something valuable and encouraged me to keep improving.

✶ naturally leavened panettone, the Mount Everest of artisan baking ✶

Today, one of my proudest achievements is creating naturally leavened panettone — often considered the Mount Everest of artisan baking. It requires exceptional patience, precision, skill and a deep understanding of fermentation.

Alongside traditional sourdough, I discovered another passion: transforming bread into edible art. From imaginative decorative loaves to elegant, handcrafted creations, I love making bread that surprises people before they even take their first bite.

For me, baking is no longer simply about flour, water and a beautiful crust. It’s about respecting natural ingredients, understanding the process and creating something truly special.

At Zoya’s Bread, I believe that great bread should not only look extraordinary and taste wonderful, but also be made with care, knowledge and respect for wholesome ingredients.

Every loaf tells a story. This is mine.
x Zoya
Why sourdough?

Good bread takes time.

Real sourdough is flour, water and salt, plus the one ingredient you can't buy: time. Zoya's loaves rise slowly on a living starter, and that long, carefully controlled ferment changes the bread in ways a quick loaf never can.

Sourdough loaf cut open to show a glossy, open crumb
a long ferment, in one slice
01

Just flour, water & salt

The everyday loaf needs nothing more. There's no commercial yeast: Zoya's own starter does all the work.

02

A living starter

Wild yeasts and bacteria, kept alive and fed in Zoya's kitchen, raise the dough naturally and give sourdough its gentle tang.

03

Slow by design

Each dough is given hours to ferment, so the flavour has time to develop instead of being rushed.

04

Shaped by hand

Every loaf is shaped and scored by hand, so no two ever look quite the same.

05

Flavour you can taste

Slow fermentation builds a rich aroma, a gently tangy, complex flavour and that crackling crust and chewy crumb.

06

Why the time matters

All of this only happens when the dough gets enough time at the right temperature and acidity. Zoya checks her ferments with a pH meter, because quality should never be rushed.

Good to know: sourdough is made with wheat and still contains gluten, so it isn't suitable for anyone with coeliac disease.

any questions? message Zoya directly ~

Want to find out more?

Curious about a bake, want to know more about a showpiece, or just fancy talking sourdough? Zoya would love to hear from you.

or email {{email}}