9 bakers that lead the way on TikTok and Instagram

30 Apr 2023

Taste Tomorrow

Many consumers today are excited about sourdough bread. During the pandemic, many have started baking it at home and, on social media, sourdough reached a massive peak as a sign of consumer engagement. And while the pandemic is over, sourdough’s popularity stays. 52% of today’s consumers know sourdough, and they associate it with ‘better taste’, ‘rustic’, ‘healthier’ and ‘more natural’, which opens opportunities for value creation. 

And sourdough is not the only ‘social hit’. Many bakers build a strong presence online by showcasing their baking skills and the beautiful results. And although these accounts are mainly hosted by home bakers and small bakeries, they can be very interesting for bakery chains and industrial bakeries to follow, as they have a signaling function for trends in the world of bread and patisserie. 

For every baker that wants to be on top of trends and opportunities to create extra value, we’ve collected 9 inspiring bakery accounts with thousands of followers on TikTok. 

1. Ikneadbread

Over 189K followers see how Ikneadbread gives sourdough bread every look you want it to have. Accompanied by happy songs, Ineadbread shows us how to create a swirly crust, or a crust resembling a cat, pumpkin, heart or smiley (followers can send crust-requests). Also very popular: the video’s where the only sound you hear comes from squishing the crunchy crust.  

2. Sweet Essence

No sourdough bread here, but a reflection of the cozy baking life of Michelle from Sweet Essence. With slow, romantic songs in the background, this account shows you the making of (mainly) animal themed cakes, pies and sandwiches. More than 1.2M followers relax by watching how Michelle bakes Chubby bear buns, Turtle breads, Sleepy cat bagels and Panda cream puffs. 

 

Check it out on Instagram.

3. Sourdough Librarian

The Instagram-account of sourdough expert Karl De Smedt doesn’t consist of so-called ‘foodporn’. The page of the Sourdough Librarian shows tips and tricks for fellow bakers, on top of beautifully executed loafs. He debunks myths about sourdough baking and shares his knowledge as founder of the world’s most extensive collection of sourdough starters. Together with Puratos, Karl is in charge of live starters from bakers all over the world which are kept in the world's only Sourdough Library in the village of St. Vith near Brussels.

4. Le Marais Bakery 

This French bakery in San Francisco builds its online presence by showing their (artisanal) baking process on TikTok. Le Marais Bakery makes itself irresistible by giving their 349K sneak peeks of their typical French products like croissants, cinnamon rolls and pain au chocolats in the making. With butter in the lead roll. 

5. Natasha’s baking

Sourdough pretzels, sourdough panettone, sourdough donuts and even sourdough s’mores focaccia. Natasha describes herself as ‘sourdough obsessed’ and she is applying the wild fermented dough in every possible way. On her Instagram and TikTok the Ukrainian baker shares her creations which always feature a beautiful open texture.

6. Challah Prince

Challah, the bread of Jewish origin that is typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. It’s usually braided, and that is what we see on the TikTok account of Challah Prince. The videos of this Israeli Challah artist show how to braid the bread into the most ingenious forms and shapes, like keys, brains and even airplanes. 

7.  Bengingi

The bearded Bengingi makes funny, surprising videos about flatbreads, sourdough breads, cookies, pita’s and … well, anything with flour you can think of. An attractive way to lead people to his website, where he shares recipes and promotes his catering activities, workshops and classes. 

8.  Dantheebaker

Another account that focuses on sourdough bread, but with a completely different focus than Ineadbread. Dan the baker shares many videos showing the dough, and seems to have a penchant for ‘exploding’ leaven. People seem to like that, given the over 100K followers of this account! 

7.  Bengingi

New York baker Bryan Ford inspires both baking rookies and experienced bakers with his videos in Instagram and TikTok. In his ‘basic baking’ series, he explains the process and recipes he uses, but what we’re really crazy about are the new recipes from all over the world that we discover through Bryan. Ever heard of Fugazzeta, stuffed Argentine pizza with stringy cheese and onions? Or Semita, the sweet Mexican Bread? Manoushe maybe, the Lebanese flatbread with za'atar? His 223 k Instagram followers are definitely familiar with these sourdough creations of his.

More inspiration from social platforms?

Follow hashtags as #breadtok, #buttertok and #sourdough to discover interesting accounts and upcoming trends. Or find out about 7 chocolatiers you definitely want to follow on Instagram and TikTok

Taste Tomorrow

Taste Tomorrow is the world’s largest ecosystem for consumer understanding in bakery, patisserie and chocolate. By tracking local and global consumer behaviors, attitudes and choices it provides us with valuable, in-depth insights. We are able to use these insights to track the evolution of trends and reveal new ones, helping your business to stay connected to your customers and discover new opportunities.

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