Hannah Dela Cruz

WELCOME TO MY SOURDOUGH RECIPE CLUB!
I'm the author of Sourdough Every Day, a food photographer, recipe developer and the Saveur-award-winning blogger behind the popular blog, makeitdough.com. I create recipes and content that demonstrate how sourdough can be used in unique and unexpected ways. As a self-taught baker and home cook, I empower other bakers to step out of their comfort zone and try new recipes, especially the ones they never thought they could make! By sharing my knowledge with my fellow baking enthusiasts, I have created a community bound together by our collective pursuit of the perfect bake.

MY SOURDOUGH JOURNEY 

I created my sourdough starter during a very confusing time in my life. In 2018, I left a lucrative PR position at a successful startup. After achieving what I had set out to do at the beginning of my career, my success felt hollow, I felt burnt out and I decided to start over.

I had no plan and no idea what I would do next -- so I did what felt most natural, I retreated to my kitchen. Food represented comfort and love throughout my life, and cooking and baking was my escape. My sourdough starter provided much-needed structure during this transitional period. With each day I would learn something new about my little world of wild yeasts. 

Sourdough has changed my life in both subtle and surprising ways. Since creating my starter and my blog I have developed a new relationship with my body and my outlook on the way humans produce food has been fundamentally transformed. I’ve also gained a new understanding of science and the universe of microorganisms that exists around us.

A year after creating my blog, I received the Saveur Magazine Reader’s Choice Award in the Special Interest Category, a category reserved for bloggers who have an all-consuming obsession with a single topic. A few months later, I signed a contract for my first cookbook, Sourdough Every Day, which was published in Dec. 2018.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MAKE IT DOUGH

I created my blog, Make It Dough as a baking journal that I hoped would help me make sense of all the sourdough information I was taking in. As I learned more about the process of creating naturally leavened bread, I discovered a passion for recipe development. My blog quickly transformed into a place where I could share my recipes. More importantly, it became a way for me to challenge myself to create dishes that I never thought I could make.

On Make It Dough, I challenge both myself and other bakers to take their sourdough journey beyond bread. Sourdough discard imparts so many benefits to dishes, it adds moisture, flavor and in some cases the magic of fermentation. However, sourdough starter doesn’t work in every recipe -- and that’s what I’m here for! I’m always dreaming up ways to add sourdough to everything I make in the kitchen. From your favorite white sandwich loaf to chocolate cake and even pasta, I formulate and test every recipe so we can all have sourdough versions of our most beloved foods.

WHY PATREON?

I love the work that I do and I love helping other bakers discover the potential of their sourdough starter, but I’m a one-woman show and I need your help. Doing this work takes a lot of time, effort and financial resources.

I started Make It Dough as a hobby, and I want to ensure I can continue delivering great content while still being able to provide for myself and pay for my expenses. My passion is creating and sharing sourdough recipes -- not optimizing my blog, filling my content with affiliate links and being an SEO wiz.  Your generosity will allow me to continue to explore and share the possibilities of sourdough instead of figuring out ways to maximize ad revenue on my blog. 

Your support comes with benefits as well, you’ll receive exclusive access to two Patreon-only recipes each month, vote on what recipes you want to see in the Recipe Club, behind the scenes updates on everything that is happening with Make It Dough and you'll even receive some gifts!

Most importantly, you'll get access to the Make It Dough Recipe Club community server on Discord where I'll be hanging out to answer your questions. My Instagram inbox tends to get pretty unruly and I can't always see or answer all your questions. This private, member's only server will let me get to your questions and address any difficulties you may be having with the recipes.

HOW YOUR SUPPORT HELPS MAKE IT DOUGH

Developing a recipe takes hours of research, testing, photography, editing, writing, and not to mention copious amounts of FLOUR.

Your generosity will allow me to:

• Purchase ingredients and materials for recipe development
• Pay for expenses associated with maintaining makeitdough.com, such as web hosting and file storage
• Work with local artists to create sourdough-inspired art
• Produce a free monthly newsletter
• Explore other ways I can best assist you with your sourdough journey, like producing instructional videos

THANK YOU

Sourdough has taken me on a pretty wild ride, but I couldn’t have done it without the support of this community and I cannot thank you enough for that.

I know we are in a difficult and strange time, and not everyone is in a place where they can offer patronage. If you have seen any value in the recipes or insights I have shared in the past, but cannot offer any monetary support, please share this page with anyone you think will benefit from it.

If you’ve decided to become a Patron - THANK YOU! I sincerely appreciate your support of Make It Dough and I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to explore my passions. I’m excited to see where this new chapter will take us and I can’t wait to create with you guys!