WATCH: Best sourdough in Joburg? Linden Loaves rises to the occasion

Having a first glimpse and taste of this bakery business on Lorna Maskeo’s TV show Homeground Tastes SA, we knew we had to visit Linden Loaves ourselves and do our own taste test of this beloved sourdough bread. 

Sourdough bread over the years has gained a cult-like following amongst bread lovers.

This naturally fermented bread doesn’t need yeast instead, it uses a fermented flour and water mixture that contains wild yeast and good bacteria – to rise.

This also produces the tangy flavour and slightly chewy texture you’ll find in sourdough.

Linden Loaves is a micro-bakery based in the heart of Linden, Johannesburg owned by Caro Tapson and Matt Tapson which started during the lockdown and quickly grew into a professional bakery. 

Having worked in television production and advertising the couple’s income wasn’t consistent due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Caro says Linden Loaves started when her husband Matt finished building a clay oven in August 2020 as he always had a fondness for baking sourdough. 

“When the oven was ready, we had quite a few people following the build of the oven on our Instagram,” she says.

Many followers would ask when the bread would be ready and were eager to buy some for themselves. 

WATCH: Linden Loaves reveals what it takes to make the best sourdough

When they started an Instagram account out of “fun” orders started coming in just at the right time when sourdough bread making went viral during the initial stages of lockdown.

Their business also came at the right time after a sourdough maker emigrated leaving many delis in the area looking for a new supplier. 

Caro says Linden Loaves “Kind happened by accident, it wasn’t actually the plan,” but she had to learn how to bake sourdough out of “necessity,” as the business started flourishing. 

Their bread is sold in places such as The Little Deli in Linden, Gather Grocer in Rosebank and Issy’s Coffee & Gifts.

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She explained that her husband Matt who baked the bread, full-time job was picking up again and in January 2021 she started learning as they juggled their family life, work and Linden Loaves as a team. 

Linden Loaves sourdough recipe

Just looking at sourdough it is easy to assume it takes labours of love and it does, however, the recipe is quite simple. 

Caro says their standard formula for making Linden Loaves sourdough is the Tartine formula, “Which uses flour, water and salt as the dough, then the leaven which is just the starter. [It] is also just made of water and flour– a natural colony of yeast and bacteria.”

The bread is baked the same way bread has been made for centuries. Allowing natural fermentation to take place in the dough over many hours to unlock flavours and nutrients in a loaf that just can’t be achieved otherwise. 

Linden Loaves takes their bread seriously and do consider themselves professionals after reaching over 10,000 loaves made last year. 

Baking is a science and the Linden Loaves bakers try to keep their schedule the same, at times they do notice changes in the textures of their bread which can be caused by either the flour or the temperature, trying to minimise that as much as possible. 

With any business, the owners have big dreams but are cautious as they grow but do have a target for the next few months. 

“We have seen our sales numbers gradually increase and our goal is by September 2022 to double what we were doing in January 2022,” Caro says. 

Linden Loaves have also set their minds on achieving other goals such as having its own bakery shop and with the help of their customised and designed electric oven which helps them bake all day, this business continues to rise.