Using his Loaf! Lucho, the man behind the bread
Read how Lucho changed his entire life over his love of sourdough bread ...
For lots of people, Covid left many consequences for mental health. I was forced to stay at home for two months due to a crisis of stress and anxiety, something that I suffer from chronically.
During that period, where I was meditating every day, I decided to delve into the world of sourdough, I had already had a previous incursion, but that had been shelved due to lack of time. My sourdough starter went to the freezer and stayed there for a few years. I also liked making pizza dough, and I always wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta.
That decision brought me back to life. After tasting a bread I had made, someone told me that eating that bread brought back memories of years ago, and what I felt was indescribable.
It wasn’t long after I was making bread constantly and giving it away to people, it was a way to keep me active and out of my mind. One day someone gave me a £2 coin to pay for a loaf, I kept the coin as a lucky token, not long after that someone asked me for weekly bread and were willing to pay for it.
I decided I wanted to make a living out of it and leave my former job in the NHS.
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- Lucho Bakes Bread Baker Sourdough Lynton Exmoor
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- Lucho Bakes Bread Baker Sourdough Lynton Exmoor
It was going to be called ‘Baking a Memory’ but my brother-in-law decided to gift me with my logo, something I hadn’t asked for, and he put ‘Lucho Bakes’. I loved it straight away. It wasn’t long after that my business started to grow constantly, but since I moved to Lynton it went off the charts. My next move, as many already know, is to open a workshop where I will be able to produce more as I have an increasing number of customers and shops willing to stock my bread. I am also planning to offer courses at some point in the future. A while ago I launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for such a workshop with great success.
"Sourdough is my thing, and what I like most is bread, simple, basic, ancient. The smell of bread coming out of the oven is something that compares to nothing."
A work of love and sacrifice, I can be in the kitchen more than 16 hours sometimes, but the feedback from the customers makes it worth every minute. I bake my products in a state of the art, semi-professional handmade oven, three discs of stone make for a crispy crust, a beautiful oven spring. So, what you get is a professionally made bread using some of the best equipment for home bakeries that exists in the world.
When you find me in a market you can see a whole range of sourdough products and other bakes, including Spanish Magdalenas, Empanadas, cinnamon rolls, fruity loaves, baguettes, and focaccias.
You can also find my products in some local shops like Barbrook Filling Station in Barbrook, and A Little of What You Fancy in Lynton.
You can also order online at www.luchobakes.com or via message on social media.
Photo Credits: Matt Glover Photography
