Quitting the rat race: How one baker’s hobby became his job

Darren Wallser, however, is a welcome exception. The St Clement resident’s one-man bakery has rapidly risen from home-grown hobby to much-loved local business in a matter of months.

First established in early June, Daz’s Dough operates entirely out of the kitchen of Darren’s family home and offers customers a range of delicious breads, among them sourdough, farmhouse and granary.

‘Prior to Daz’s Dough, I’d had an office job for almost a decade,’ says Darren, recounting the business’s origins.

‘It was a secure job with a decent wage, but it had always been my dream to be my own boss.

‘I’d always enjoyed baking bread for my wife and daughter,who are both wheat intolerant and dislike shop-bought bread.

‘Well, one day they were both going out for the day and they suggested that, rather than me going to the pub or watching the footie, I should bake some bread to take to St Brelade’s car boot sale instead.’

Thus inspired, Darren decided to bake 35 loaves of bread which, he assumed, would be roughly enough to see him through the day; in the event, however, ‘I sold all 35 loaves and was back home by 9.30 am.’

Duly encouraged, Darren decided to return the following week: ‘The organisers suggested I bake double the amount, but I thought I’d be cautious and so I just baked an extra ten. But I should have listened to them because I was back home by 9.30 again, completely sold out!’

Week three proved similarly successful, despite the poor weather and low turnout, and before long word had spread, with The Fresh Fish Company contacting Darren with a request for a weekly order of 100 loaves.

Today, Relish, La Bastille and Flavour.je are among those who place regular orders with Darren.

‘I also have several private customers, including my next-door neighbour,’ says Darren.

‘One morning I was baking in the kitchen with the front door open, when a head poked through the door and said, “lemme try one”. I gave him a loaf, he loved it and now he places a weekly order.’

Jersey born Darren had always harboured ambitions of running his own business.

However, despite the freedom his self-employment offers, Darren maintains a strict daily routine: delivering in the morning (‘where I can deliver depends on where customers live and the quantities they’re ordering’), before returning home to clean the kitchen and prep in the afternoon, then baking late into the evening and early the next day.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays, Darren also visits St Peter’s indoor market offering Islanders a chance to sample and buy his freshly-baked breads.

‘It’s a seven day a week operation,’ he says.

‘Often I’ll bake up to 60 or 70 loaves on a Friday and Saturday night. And each loaf can take a lot of preparation. For instance, a sourdough baguette involves around six nights of preparation.’

Embarking upon the business was, admits Darren, ‘very risky. But my wife just said “go for it!” We both reasoned that the worst that could happen was it didn’t take off and I’d have to find a new job. But thankfully it’s doing well.’

Having taught himself the bakery basics, Darren attended a micro-bakery course at an Artisan Bakery School in Devon last year.

‘It was very informative and I learnt a lot,’ he says.

‘Baking bread isn’t rocket science, but it does involve taking your time and paying a lot of attention to detail. All it takes is a little too much flour or water and a loaf is ruined.’

The home kitchen from which Darren operates – where I join him to prepare and bake a loaf of sourdough – is a reasonable size but, he admits, space can occasionally prove in short supply.

‘Let’s just say cooked dinners have become few and far between,’ he laughs.

‘Fortunately, my wife and daughter are both very supportive and understanding.’

The kitchen has two ovens – one of which Darren bought especially for the business – but ‘I still sometimes struggle.

‘It often gets to the stage now where, although I have the time to bake, I simply don’t have the capacity for the amount that needs baking.

‘I’m currently preparing a granary sourdough, although it’s still a work in progress,’ said Darren.

‘There’s a few other types I’m considering: chilli bread, cheese and chive, and even chocolate, which I’ve never personally tasted but the guys at The Artisan Bakery School tell me it’s delicious.

‘I’d also love to learn how to bake traditional Jersey cabbage loaf.’

‘I’m seriously considering setting up a bakery in the garage.’

Darren’s ultimate ambition, however, would be to open a stall in the Central Market: ‘It’d be the ideal location as the market is enclosed and so the smell of baking bread would be contained.

‘I’d still want to keep everything small and simple though.

‘I’m not interested in having a big team of staff.

‘That would take the fun out of it. I’m happy just making a living, I don’t need to make mega bucks.’

There are, of course, many advantages to eating freshly-baked bread, not least the superior taste: ‘The bread is so tasty that it makes for a delicious snack in itself, you don’t have to put anything on it.

‘Factory-baked bread doesn’t have the same taste, generally because it isn’t fully fermented, so when it hits the moisture in your stomach it expands and leaves you feeling bloated.’

It is, however, a popular misconception that bread is bad for you, says Darren.

‘People think it’s fattening but it really isn’t.

‘The problem is the things people put on their bread. It’s these that are bad for you, not the bread itself.’

The act of making and baking the bread also has its health benefits.

‘It’s good exercise, especially on a hot day,’ laughs Darren.

‘Normally, I will knead each mix for about ten minutes or so, although by the end of a day it might take me 20 minutes because I’m knackered! But it’s all great fun.’

For more information on Daz’s Dough, email DazDough@gmail.com or visit his Facebook page.

Alternatively, you can place an order on 07797 922809 or visit St Peter’s indoor market on Wednesday and Saturday where Darren will have a selection of fresh breads available.