From Laid Off To Loaves Of Love: This Island Micro-Bakery Is Rising Fast

When Alicia Maclaren lost her job, she started searching for purpose—and found it in a warm, bubbly bowl of sourdough starter. In just a few short months, what began as a quiet ritual in her kitchen has transformed into Alicia’s Bakehouse, a full-fledged micro-bakery in Shawnigan Lake with a devoted following. In this heartfelt Q&A, Alicia opens up about her first-ever loaf (spoiler: it was a hit), the chaos and calm of bulk baking, and the spirited personality of her starter, Bredna. Plus, her thoughts on courage, community, and the magic of just starting. —Noa Nichol

What was the exact moment you fell in love with sourdough—and how did it turn into a micro-bakery? 

The moment I fell in love with sourdough was in January of this year. My dear friend Julia Dawn (@lovejuliadawn) invited me into her warm, cozy kitchen and taught me how to make my very first loaf—step by step, fold by fold. She even gifted me some of her own sourdough starter, which felt like passing down a little piece of magic. I had always been curious about sourdough, especially since it was the only bread that worked with my gut but that day, something truly clicked. You could say that’s when my love for sourdough started to rise. 

From there, I began baking a couple of loaves each week for my husband and family, constantly experimenting and learning. At the time, I had been laid off for over a year, and sourdough became a quiet constant in my life, something that grounded me, calmed me, and gave me a reason to savor slow, simple moments. 

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, launching an international magazine (Creators Magazine) at 19 and co-founding an influencer agency with my husband in our early twenties. So it was only natural that this passion started taking shape into something bigger. As I explored the sourdough community on Instagram, I was inspired by women like @littlepearlbreads, @sadeesourdough, @leafandloafco, @sarahdoessourdough, and @sugarstreet.sourdough, women who built beautiful, community-driven micro bakeries and brought joy to others through their craft. 

With nothing to lose and everything to gain, I decided to go all in. And just like that, Alicia’s Bakehouse was born, on June 1st, 2025. A cozy little micro bakery built on love, passion, resilience, and the joy of sharing nutritious sourdough with my community! 

Sourdough is such a slow, mindful process. What part of baking do you find the most meditative (and the most chaotic!)? 

I find the pre-shaping and shaping process the most meditative, especially when the dough is perfectly fermented and soft like a pillow. It’s a quiet, peaceful rhythm that really grounds me. But on the flip side, it can become pure chaos if the dough starts to overproof and I’m racing against time to get 80+ loaves into the fridge. It really depends on the day, the temperature, and the pace I’ve set for myself. Testing new baking processes with my new oven can also be stressful, learning what works best for my setup has definitely been the biggest challenge so far. 

How did your first ever loaf turn out and what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since then? 

Surprisingly great, thanks to my girlfriend, who walked me through every step and gifted me her strong starter. That support made all the difference. The biggest lesson I’ve learned since then? Learning how to bake in bulk and try my best to perfect bulk fermentation. Baking one loaf is an art; baking 80 is a science. Side not: I personally don’t like to be referred to as a baker, I would much rather be known as a chemist. 

If your sourdough had a personality, how would you describe it? 

Her name is Bredna, and she’s a wild one! Unpredictable, full of life, and not afraid to show her true colors. I love her to bits, she’s got a mind of her own, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

What’s currently on your dream bake list that you haven’t tackled yet? 

I want to experiment with all things sourdough: baguettes, focaccia, cookies, Cinnamon rolls even laminated pastries one day. If I can ferment it, I want to try it! 

You only open your menu one day a week—why Mondays, and how did you land on porch pickup Wednesday? 

I wanted to build consistency for my local customers, so they always know when to expect a menu drop. I close orders Monday evening to give myself time to build my levain and prep for Tuesday dough day and Wednesday bake day. Porch pickups happen Wednesday evenings, and by then the loaves are fresh out of the oven. I also attend farmers markets on Saturdays, so I start prep for that right after, levain Wednesday night, dough Thursday, bake Friday. This schedule keeps me sane (mostly)! 

Any local ingredients you love working into your loaves—or any flavour experiments you’re secretly testing? 

I’ve been using herbs from my garden lately like rosemary and thyme and it’s added such a fresh twist to some of my loaves. I also have a mountain of zucchini right now (like, 40 huge ones), so I’m working on a chocolate zucchini sourdough loaf for the next market. Wish me luck! 

What do your friends and family say about being your original “test loaf” audience? 

They’ve been the best! Super supportive and very well fed. They couldn’t believe how quickly I picked it up, and they’re always happy to take home the “flops” that don’t make the cut for customers. Those early experiments helped me learn so much. 

How has the Shawnigan Lake community responded to Alicia’s Bakehouse? Any sweet stories from customers? 

Its honestly been incredibly heartwarming. I’ve met so many amazing neighbors through this little venture, and many have become loyal weekly customers. One woman told me her mom hadn’t had decent sourdough since moving from Newfoundland until she tried mine. Now she needs it every week! Another customer picks up three extra loaves just to gift them to friends. 

Here are a few messages that made my day: 

• “How have u become an expert so fast!? Honestly so amazed every time u post a video. Please tell me you’ve secretly been doing this for 10 years” 
• “It’s so freaking good Alicia!! I tried everything just like that, with nothing on it and it’s delicious!!” 
• “The honey oat loaf is to die for! Totally upgraded my breakfast” 
• “Amazing!!!! No surprise !! Great to meet you, Your bread, granola and bagels are delicious” 
• “I picked up a few things today and wow your sourdough is my fav ever!!! Thanks so much. Can’t wait to come back next week” 

If someone’s brand new to sourdough, what’s your go-to suggestion for how to enjoy your loaf—straight up with butter, or…? 

Keep it simple, toast a slice, spread on some good butter, sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt, and enjoy every gut-friendly, tangy bite. That’s the magic of sourdough right there. 

Any last baked-good advice?

At the end of the day, life is way too short to sit around waiting for the “right time.” If there’s a dream, idea, or version of life you can’t stop thinking about, you owe it to yourself to take action. Even if it feels messy. Even if you don’t feel fully ready—start anyway. 

Take it from me: over the past year, I have felt completely lost. I had spent months and months applying to thousands of jobs and hearing nothing back. So I decided to stop waiting and start building something I loved. I threw myself into building Alicia’s Bakehouse, a sourdough micro bakery with just learning how to make sourdough in January, and within a month of starting I now have a small business that has replaced my full-time income. I get to work from home, create gut-friendly, nourishing food, and share it with my community and the people I love. I’m building something I care deeply about and I’ve learned everything on the journey. 

You don’t need to have it all figured out to begin. Just start. You’ll learn, grow, and evolve along the way. 

Building the life you want takes courage, consistency, and a whole lot of heart. But nothing changes until you decide to go for it. So go all in. Create your own reality. You’re far more capable than you think and the life you dream of is waiting on the other side of action.