Rapid Fire with The Early Rise Baker
Laila, The Early Rise Baker, is a sourdough educator, micro-bakery owner, and creator with a highly engaged community of over 500K home bakers across her social media platforms – Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Substack
Known for her approachable and authentic teaching style and beautifully shot recipe videos, she partners with brands that align with her values of quality, inclusivity, and creativity in the kitchen.
We sat down with Laila to get the know the baker behind the micro-bakery.
Favourite flour brand?
I like to stick as local as possible. The brands that I like to use aren’t really brands because it’s usually someone in their garage milling local flours. I love central milling. They have beautiful flours and a huge organic line.
Sweet or savoury bake?
To eat, I like a sweet bake because I have a sweet tooth and love sweets. However, for baking, I prefer savoury.
Person you’d love to collaborate with?
Ina or Alton Brown because they basically raised me. That’s a pipe dream.
Brand you’d love to work with?
Kerry Gold Butter. It’s the best butter. I eat it every single morning with my eggs.
One tool you can’t bake without?
A bench scrape. It’s basically an extension of my hand.
One thing every home baker should invest in?
A scale. Doesn’t matter if it’s fancy or not. Ditch those cups and start weighing out your ingredients.
One post that you’re most proud of?
The one I shared a couple of weeks ago where I made two loaves of bread under two dollars. In these times, we need cheap alternatives to make our own food and make it healthy and nutritious in a way that’s affordable and accessible for all.
Favourite baking trend right now?
The wacky and cool croissant flavours. Like making an entire breakfast sandwich in the croissant or using outrageous flavours combinations.
One word to describe your baking style?
Relaxed. I am not going to stress about it.
What’s your ultimate bread-flex?
My non-stick fingers. So I when I work with dough, I have a sense where I can flick my fingers away so it does not stick to my hands. That is something you can only develop through practice.
One word to describe your content?
Realistic and authentic. I am who I am. I’m not going to change who I am for the internet.
If you weren’t baking, what would you do?
I would want to be a singer in a band and sing to the world.