Avery Ruzicka, a two-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee and the Founder and Head Baker of Manresa Bread, has built a reputation as one of the most respected names in the baking industry.
Guided by a commitment to high-quality ingredients, time-honored techniques, and a neighborhood ethos, she has grown Manresa Bread from a small operation into a full-scale baking enterprise. In 2023, she expanded the production commissary to an 18,000-square-foot space to meet growing demand while staying true to her craft.
With accolades like ICC’s Outstanding Alumni Award, recognition in Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and a 2024 nod from Sunset Magazine as one of the "Best Markets and Bakeries," Avery has proven that traditional breadmaking can thrive at scale.
But what makes her approach so successful?
From milling her own flour to daily learning, Avery has developed a set of key strategies that any bakery owner can learn from. Here’s how to run a bakery like Manresa’s Avery Ruzicka.
1. Mill Your Own Flour
After experiencing the impact that fresh-milled flour has on freshness at Farm and Sparrow bakery in Asheville, NC, Avery decided to invest time in understanding the science and artistry behind it from experts at the Bread Lab in Washington State.
Today, her bakery mills most of its own flour, except for bread flour, to achieve the highest quality and most flavorful baked goods.
Benefits of milling your own flour:
- Greater Nutritional Value: Store-bought flour undergoes processing that removes parts of the wheat kernel, reducing essential nutrients like fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
- Hydration: If you compare the same recipe utilizing purchased, organic, whole-grain, already-milled flour, it will absorb a dramatically smaller amount of water.
- Better Fermentation: A higher level of hydration promotes more active yeast fermentation. This leads to better gluten development and a more flavorful, airy crumb.
- Longer Shelf Life: Higher hydration in fresh-milled flour helps bread retain moisture, resulting in a loaf that stays fresh longer.
- Easier Digestion: The natural fermentation process in breads like sourdough helps break down gluten and other proteins, making the bread easier to digest.
“Even if I were to buy a bag of milled flour, using the exact same variety of grain and the same exact recipe, the result would be a very different loaf of bread. Our 100 percent whole grain loaf of bread would be completely different. You can taste the difference because of the freshness.”
2. Accept the Dynamic Nature of Bread-Making
Creating high-quality bread at scale requires balancing consistency with adaptability. Achieving the perfect texture and hydration in bread-making isn’t always a fixed process—it evolves depending on the stage of development and ingredient sourcing.
- Recipe Development is the Most Dynamic Stage – In the early phases of creating a new bread, there’s a lot of testing and adjustment. Over time, processes become more refined and consistent.
- Training is Crucial – As operations scale, ensuring that staff are trained correctly to maintain milling standards is essential for maintaining quality.
- Ingredient Sourcing Matters – While whole grains are generally more consistent from vendors, purchased sifted flour can vary due to protein content blending.
- Function Over Purity – Some products, like brioche, require different percentages of sifted and fresh-milled flour to achieve the right structure and texture.
“If you're going to use fresh-milled flour, but you want the loaf to have some kind of larger size, because you want to use it for a sandwich, incorporating some percentage of bread flour to help create just a little bit of structure is necessary. We really look at what we are trying to accomplish. And then what are the right components to get there?”
3. Use Calendars for Focus
For business owners, bakers, or anyone whose job requires them to juggle multiple responsibilities, staying organized is essential. Avery is a firm believer in the power of calendars to structure her work and make better decisions. By planning her days in advance, she eliminates impulsive choices and stays focused on the bigger picture.
By embracing a structured calendar, she avoids feeling scattered and ensures each task gets the attention it deserves.
Why it Works
- Removes Decision Fatigue – Planning ahead means less time spent debating what to do next.
- Reduces Anxiety – Knowing what’s coming helps minimize last-minute stress.
- Encourages Realistic Time Management – Allocating time properly prevents overloading the schedule.
- Enhances Focus – Structuring days around specific tasks ensures deeper engagement.
- Makes Work Enjoyable – Once the planning is done, the execution feels more effortless.
- Remain Flexible - Be okay with refining your scheduling approach over time.
"Today's version of Avery makes better decisions for her future than if I have to make decisions at the moment. I'm definitely also trying to do less variety of things each day and dedicate days to specific areas of the company—that's really working for me."
4. Build a Habit of Daily Learning
Having an attitude of curiosity and a willingness to learn every day is what sets great chefs and business owners apart. Avery recalls advice from a seasoned cook at Aldea who encouraged her to document her daily learnings—an approach that became a cornerstone of her growth.
One of the best practices Avery developed early in her career was keeping a learning journal. Every day, she would write down:
- Something new she learned—whether a technique, an ingredient, or a kitchen hack.
- A mistake or challenge—acknowledging what went wrong and how to improve.
- A goal for the next day—ensuring continuous progress.
This practice, similar to a gratitude journal, kept her engaged and present in her work. Whether jotting notes in a small notebook or on a subway ride home, this habit reinforced a learning mindset that carried through her career.
"In some ways, it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. You will create opportunities for yourself to continue to learn if you love to learn. And so that's just like innately built into the choices we make."
5. Don’t be Attached to Rigid Processes
In just the past two years, Avery’s team opened three new stores and relocated to a larger commissary space. Each expansion required them to rethink operations, adapt workflows, and ensure that growth didn’t compromise quality or employee satisfaction.
While Avery is deeply committed to high standards, she prioritizes flexibility in execution.
One example of this philosophy in action is her investment in new equipment designed to ease the physical strain on employees, allowing them to focus on creativity and quality.
In croissant production, for instance, cutting dough by hand requires precision but is a repetitive, less engaging task. By implementing a cutting table that automates this step, her team improved efficiency and accuracy while freeing up employees to focus on the more skilled aspects of pastry production, like shaping croissants properly.
“I tell my team that I'm not attached to anything except for the quality of what we do and the safety and contentedness of our employees. As long as people are safe and kind to one another and as long as what we're making is delicious, the way we do it, I don't care.”
6. Communicate Your Vision Clearly
At the start, Avery could manage every detail hands-on. But as her bakery expanded—with multiple locations and a growing team—she had to evolve as a leader.
Instead, she has focused on building a strong, structured team that understands the company’s ethos and direction. This shift allows her to move from being the sole knowledge holder to the idea generator, bringing concepts to the table and working collaboratively to implement them.
For example, when introducing a new menu item—like tomato soup and grilled cheese—what seems simple on the surface requires detailed planning.
- How will each store heat and serve the grilled cheese efficiently?
- How will this addition impact existing prep and service workflows?
- How can managers ensure consistency across multiple locations?
When things don’t go as planned, she also doesn’t place blame—instead, she re-examines communication and process gaps to find better solutions.
“It’s on me to be better, not just on my team members to be better. If we’re not getting the results I want, it’s not just ‘why aren’t you doing this?’ It’s ‘okay, we need to go back to the drawing board—what are we not understanding, what’s not being communicated?’”
7. Invest in Employee Retention
When employees stay long-term, they gain deeper knowledge of workflows, strengthen relationships, and drive continuous improvement. For Avery, a trusted team means problem-solving becomes a collaborative effort rather than a top-down directive.
For example, Avery does the following:
- Know Your Employees' Language - Being fluent in your employees' language—literally and figuratively—helps bridge gaps, foster trust, and create a more inclusive workplace.
- Incorporate Employee Feedback When Building Processes - Employees have firsthand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. They are key to helping you refine and improve systems over time.
- Accept That Not Everyone (Including You) Will Know Everything - Don’t feel pressured to know everything. Embrace the power of relying on your team’s expertise.
By prioritizing retention, businesses like Manresa cultivate a team that understands the company’s culture, systems, and goals—leading to smoother operations, better problem-solving, and a stronger sense of ownership.
“It takes time to learn each other's language. It takes time to get to know somebody's strengths and weaknesses too.”
Conclusion
Avery Ruzicka’s success with Manresa Bread is a testament to balancing tradition with innovation. Whether it's milling her own flour for better hydration and flavor, embracing flexibility in bread-making, or structuring her schedule for efficiency, her approach offers invaluable lessons for any aspiring bakery owner.
Beyond technique, her leadership style—prioritizing clear communication, employee retention, and adaptability—has allowed Manresa Bread to scale without losing its artisanal touch.
By applying Avery’s insights, from staying organized with calendars to fostering a culture of learning, bakery owners can create a thriving business that delivers both quality and consistency. In the end, it’s not just about making great bread—it’s about building a bakery that can sustain excellence for years to come.
Listen to the full conversation with Avery Ruzicka on The meez Podcast
