FAQ

Q: Where are you located?

Pickup at my address, Sunago Coffee Co twice a week, and working on an additional Knoxville location, so stay tuned!

Q: Do you bake gluten free baked goods?

Q: Are your baked goods free from allergens?

A: If you have severe allergies to certain foods, I would avoid placing an order with Rachel Mae Bakes. I attempt to keep everything as clean and sanitary as possible, but I do use eggs, dairy, nuts, peanut butter, avocado oil, etc. and cross contamination is a very real possibility. The risk just is not worth it in my opinion. Allergies are extremely serious, and I cannot 100% guarantee that there would be zero cross contamination risk.

Q: Are all of the photos on your website your own?

A: 100% YES!! I do not use baking stock photos or photos taken from other baking sites, unless otherwise noted on my blog. I would NEVER use someone else’s photos without permission and claim as my own work.

Q: Where do you find your recipes, and do you sell them?

A: I gather inspiration from many places! Believe it or not, my family has given me some of my very best ideas.

The majority of my recipes are ones that I have created, written out, and experimented with over several years. Trailblazing in the Organic Sourdough niche is just one of the reasons why people continue to purchase from Rachel Mae Bakes. I am committed to not only continue baking the top sellers, but also bring fresh, never-before-seen organic sourdough baked goods to my community.

I do not sell or give out my recipes at this time. I work for hours and hours, and I need to reserve my Intellectual Property for my bakery use. I am happy to answer questions and provide links, but I have chosen to keep my own personal recipes for business use.

Q: What are some of your best sellers?

A: Every customer has their favorite organic sourdough baked goods, but if I were to make a recommendation based on what people purchase the most, I would have to say the incredibly versatile, soft large plain 24 hour fermented sandwich loaves, any of the several sweet roll varieties of which there several, the Apple, Lemon Curd, and Cherry Danishes, the long-fermented organic sourdough crackers, and the long-fermented chocolate chip cookies topped with Maldon Sea Salt, and my own personal pride and joy - My Cinnamon Roll recipe tweaked over a decade and topped with the most delicious Browned Butter-Maple-Cream Cheese frosting!

How Long Does Sourdough Last?

In order not to reinvent the wheel, I am including a detailed and comprehensive link to answer that question. This will answer your questions about the life of sourdough in addtion to the best storage methods.

https://www.culinaryexploration.eu/blog/how-long-does-sourdough-last

Do you Freshly Mill your flour?

I use both organic flour milled from either King Arthur or Central Milling, and freshly milled organic wheat berries using my own personal WonderMill. ALL flour is freshly milled at one point, but after 72 hours, the flour loses a great deal of the nutrients specific to freshly milled flour.

When I begin to offer my freshly milled sourdough loaves, the entire loaf will be prepared with 100% freshly milled flour and used IMMEDIATELY after milling. While I plan to continue to use organic flour from King Arthur or Central Milling, I will clearly state when freshly milled is used. I just do not want customers to be misled into believing that I exclusively use freshly milled flour for all of my baked goods. 😊

Q: How often do you bake?

A: I bake everyday except for Sundays. When a customer places an order for organic sourdough, every step is timed so that the organic sourdough baked received are as fresh as possible. Many, many times, I have sent home loaves that are still cooling! Now, that is FRESH!❤️

While all of my organic sourdough baked goods freeze incredibly well, I do not freeze them ahead of time and sell them previously frozen to my customers unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as long-distance customers needing large orders and making pickups once a month.

Q: Where do you source your ingredients?

A: I source my ingredients from many different locations - my own personal garden, local grocery stores, restaurant supply stores, co-ops, I order my organic maple syrup from a small farm in VT close to where I grew up, and from friends who sell local eggs and organic produce. I purchase either Baja Gold Mineral Salt or Redmond Real Salt. Crystal Springs purified water is the water I have used from the very beginning.

Superior ingredients can be found in a myriad of places. Only a few items I purchase are actually produced here in TN. I use organic flour, organic wheat berries, organic sugar, organic spices, organic fair-trade chocolate, organic maple syrup, etc. and those things are either NOT produced or they are produced in very small amounts in TN. For example, maple syrup can be made in TN, but the quantity will never be that of what my home state is able to sell. Procured locally should not be conflated with produced locally.

Can I find you at Farmer’s Markets?

A: I am far too busy to add outside events to my schedule. Spending time to travel, set up everything, tear it all down, etc. would not be the best use of my time. Selling in the way that I do allows me to bake VERY fresh products for you all. I would much rather bake to order, ensuring that my customers can purchase exactly what they would like. Of course, Farmer’s Markets have their place, but at this season of my life, my time is better spent preparing baked goods and making personal connections with you all.❤️

How long have you been baking?

I have been baking in an official capacity for over 30 years. As a teenager, I was already very proficient in the kitchen. I 100% believe that experience matters. That, in addition to continuing to learn, practice, study, create, etc. has benefitted me greatly. There is raw talent, of course, but there is absolutely nothing that can take the place of “doing” and “experiencing”.