Hanna Löfgren and Grego Montalbán Sánchez from The Invy Baker microbakery, are helping to lead the way when it comes to producing incredible breads in a tiny space.
The duo also recently released their cookbook, Bring Home the Bakery – a selection of sourdough recipes for high hydration breads, laminated pastries and Swedish buns.
Baking Business caught up with Hanna and Grego to hear about the business of running a microbakery and the inspiration behind the cookbook.
Congratulations on releasing you new book, Bring Home the Bakery! How long has this milestone been in the making?
Thank you! It was a really fun journey; we began work on the book back in October 2023.
What first inspired you both to work on a cookbook? How did you decide which recipes to include?
Page Street Publishing actually approached us with the idea and once the seed was planted, we decided that it would be a wonderful way to document our journey so far. The recipes are all based on the core recipes that Grego has been using in the business, simply adapted to the home kitchen environment.
Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Grego: I was born in Granada, Spain, and my family still lives there. I have always been passionate about food and have worked in kitchens my whole life, as a chef and now as a baker. Hanna, my Australian-Swedish wife and I met in Spain where we lived for nearly 10 years together as well as a stint in Edinburgh, Scotland, before moving to Australia in 2010. Baking is my passion, and I love learning from and collaborating with other bakers, there is always more to learn!
Hanna: I met Grego more than 20 years ago while studying Spanish in Granada, Spain. Hospitality is in Grego’s blood, and I have come to learn a lot about food and the hospitality industry during our years together. I am not a baker by any stretch of the imagination, but I take care of most of the administrative tasks, bookkeeping and the social media for the business. I am also a translator (from Spanish and Swedish into English) and work in an administrative role in local government, I have many hats!
Why did you decide to start a microbakery?
After a year living in Sweden in 2019, we were inspired to fill the need for quality bread and baked goods in the regional area in which we live. We love being able to provide our community with simple, good quality sourdough bread and pastries and we have fabulous relationships with our customers and wholesalers.
I can imagine working in a microbakery has both its perks and its challenges – can you share some with us?
The perks are the flexibility of controlling our own work hours and, since the bakery space is located on the side of our house, the ability to spend more time with our kids. The challenges are that the bakery is on the side of our house and the boundaries between work and home life are often blurred. Having such big ovens at home leads to some pretty epic pizza nights with friends and family though!
What are some of the things you’re working towards in 2025?
We have an extended stay back in Spain planned for later this year, so Grego is looking forward to reconnecting with baking traditions and grain growing over there. Our kids will get the chance to experience life in southern Spain and will get to go to school there with their cousins. Travel for us is often centred around food and is the best way to find new inspiration. I am sure this will be reflected in our offerings when we get back to the bakery!
What’s your favourite thing from Bring Home the Bakery to cook? And eat?
The palmeras de chocolate are the most nostalgic thing for Grego in the book, it reminds him of home (and he has always been a bit of a chocoholic.) As for the breads, the Seeded Sourdough is the favourite in our household.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We hope the book inspires people to give sourdough baking a go. We have connected with so many people around the world via our social media and we love getting feedback from every corner of the globe as they try our recipes.
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