Artisan Bread Baker
Open Positions
Entry & Intermediate Level Positions
at Della Fattoria
About Us
Della Fattoria is a nationally recognized artisan bakery rooted in traditional bread making. Founded by Kathleen and Ed Weber on their Petaluma ranch, it grew from a home baking passion into an institution celebrated for naturally leavened breads, slow cold fermentations, and a lasting commitment to quality and community. Our bread tradition began with wood-fired oven techniques, a lineage that continues to shape our fermentation, dough handling, and flavor development today, even as production has evolved.
Our breads have been enjoyed by acclaimed chefs including Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, local families, and visitors alike, earning accolades including being named one of America’s “10 Best Bread Bakeries” by Bon Appétit.
We are seeking artisan bread bakers at both entry and intermediate levels to join a bakehouse committed not only to exceptional bread, but also to sustaining the people who make it. At Della Fattoria, we believe that the quality of artisan bread is inseparable from the quality of the working environment in which it is produced.
A Sustainable Craft Bakehouse
Della Fattoria’s operational philosophy is grounded in the belief that craft excellence and humane working conditions are mutually reinforcing. We reject the long-standing assumption within restaurant and bakery culture that exhaustion and overextension are necessary signs of dedication to craft.
Artisan bread production is demanding work. Naturally leavened breads require constant attention across long fermentation cycles, and our bakehouse supports wholesale, café, and retail production seven days a week. But we believe the long-term strength of a craft bakehouse depends on creating an environment where bakers can sustain meaningful careers, continue learning, and develop as craftspeople over time.
Our bakehouse is intentionally structured around:
five-day workweeks with two consecutive days off,
shared leadership and overlapping production support,
mentorship and skill development,
collaborative problem-solving,
clear production communication and documentation,
and the gradual cultivation of leadership throughout the team.
We believe that rested, supported, and respected bakers make better bread, contribute more effectively to the team, and help sustain the continuity of artisan baking traditions for future generations.
Position Summary
As a Bread Baker at Della Fattoria, you will work alongside experienced artisan bakers producing naturally leavened breads using long fermentation schedules, hand shaping, and deck-oven baking techniques. Depending on your experience level, responsibilities may range from assisting with foundational production tasks to independently managing fermentation, dough development, shaping, and oven work.
This is hands-on craft production requiring focus, dedication-to-craft, physical stamina, attention to detail, and a developing sensory understanding of dough behavior, fermentation balance, and bread quality.
Bakers at Della Fattoria are not treated as isolated production labor. We view the bakehouse as both a production environment and a place of long-term professional formation within the artisan bread community. Every baker is encouraged to deepen technical skill, judgment, communication, and leadership capacity over time.
Our current bakehouse operates with deck ovens, while our broader bread culture remains deeply connected to wood-fired traditions developed on the Weber ranch. As our wood-fired ovens return to operation in the coming year, bakers will have opportunities to learn and participate in both contemporary and traditional baking environments.
Key Responsibilities
Responsibilities vary by experience level but generally include:
Mixing, scaling, dividing, shaping, proofing, and baking artisan breads.
Working with naturally leavened doughs and long fermentation schedules.
Learning and maintaining Della Fattoria’s standards for dough handling, fermentation management, crust development, and finished bread quality.
Assisting with deck-oven loading, steaming, baking, and finishing.
Maintaining an organized, clean, safe, and communicative bakehouse environment.
Supporting wholesale and retail production schedules with consistency and care.
Participating in daily production communication, fermentation tracking, and operational handoffs.
Collaborating respectfully and effectively with fellow bakers, interns, kitchen staff, and leadership.
Participating in ongoing training and cross-functional skill development across all areas of production.
Helping preserve the collaborative culture and craftsmanship of the bakehouse.
Intermediate-level bakers may additionally:
Independently manage fermentation timing and production flow.
Monitor dough development and adjust processes based on environmental conditions.
Support and mentor interns or newer bakers.
Rotate into the “Support Baker” role, working directly alongside senior bakers to help coordinate production flow, quality control, troubleshooting, and communication during peak production periods.
Professional Growth & Development
Della Fattoria is intentionally structured as a long-term learning environment with a clear pathway for professional development within artisan bread baking:
Intern → Baker → Support Baker → Deputy Lead Baker → Lead Baker
As bakers grow in technical consistency, judgment, communication, and leadership capacity, they are given increasing opportunities for responsibility and mentorship. The rotating Support Baker structure allows developing bakers to gain direct operational experience while strengthening the resilience and collaborative knowledge of the entire team.
Our goal is not simply to fill production shifts. It is to cultivate skilled artisan bakers capable of sustaining the craft and eventually carrying those skills into leadership roles, whether at Della Fattoria or elsewhere within the artisan baking community.
Ideal Candidates
We welcome candidates at different stages of development who share a genuine interest and commitment to artisan bread baking and collaborative craft work.
You may be a strong fit if you:
Have experience in artisan bread baking or a serious desire to learn the craft professionally.
Are comfortable with physically demanding production work, including early mornings, repetitive movement, and standing for long periods.
Demonstrate reliability, consistency, and attention to detail.
Are curious about fermentation, flour, grain, and the sensory dimensions of bread.
Value mentorship, teamwork, humility, and continual learning.
Work well within a highly collaborative production environment.
Take pride in maintaining an organized, respectful, and communicative workspace.
Are interested in developing long-term professional skills within artisan baking.
Speak Spanish? Lovely … but not required.
For intermediate-level positions, we especially value:
Experience with naturally leavened doughs and artisan production systems.
Familiarity with deck-oven baking.
An emerging ability to independently read fermentation and dough development.
Interest in mentoring and collaborative leadership within a production team.
Why Join Della Fattoria
At Della Fattoria, bread is more than production, it is a living tradition shaped by time, place, mentorship, and shared craft knowledge.
Bakers here work daily with naturally leavened doughs, seasonal grains, long fermentations, and methods rooted in both historic wood-fired baking and contemporary artisan production. But equally important, we are working to build a bakehouse culture where craftsmanship can remain sustainable over the long term.
This is an environment where:
mentorship is part of daily production,
leadership is shared rather than concentrated,
learning is continuous,
quality and humanity are treated as inseparable,
and bakers are supported in building meaningful, sustainable careers within artisan bread baking.
We believe resilience is itself part of craftsmanship. The long-term health of the bakehouse depends not on heroic overwork, but on creating systems capable of sustaining both people and bread over time.
Compensation based on experience. Benefits negotiable.
Apply here.