Proof

Nine years ago today, I woke up long before my alarm. I had agreed to take over Proof just two days earlier, and somewhere between excitement, doubt, and a healthy amount of fear, sleep wasn’t really an option. At that point, I had never baked a loaf of bread in my life. I knew almost nothing about fermentation, shaping, starters, or bakeries. What I did know was that something about this little operation had captured my imagination, and despite every reason to play it safe, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it might become.
Before sunrise, I pulled up to a garage in Mesa with the door cracked open and the smell of baking bread drifting into the street. What followed felt less like a workday and more like stepping into a world that had existed long before I arrived. Dough was being mixed, folded, shaped, baked, sliced, packed, and delivered, all moving together in a rhythm I couldn’t yet understand. I spent most of the morning trying to absorb as much as possible, knowing that in just a few weeks I would somehow have to recreate all of it on my own.
What stays with me all these years later isn’t any specific recipe or technique. It’s the feeling of watching someone practice a craft so many times that every movement carried intention. I remember standing there covered in flour, completely overwhelmed, realizing how much I didn’t know and how much there was to learn. I remember hot ciabatta with honey eaten beside an oven, loading deliveries into a van, and being introduced to customers as the person taking over Proof before I felt like I had earned the title.
When I drove home that afternoon, I walked into my own garage and looked at it differently. It was still full of tools, boxes, bikes, and all the ordinary things people keep in a garage. Nothing had changed, and yet everything had. For the first time, I could see something that wasn’t there yet.
Two weeks later, that garage became a bakery.
The years that followed brought challenges, mistakes, victories, growth, and lessons I never could have anticipated that morning.

Quick hours update for our Mesa and Shea locations.

Starting Monday, June 15, both bakehouses will be open 7 AM–4 PM daily, just like the rest of our Proof locations.

At first, we thought we’d only shorten the café hours and keep the bakehouses open later, butyu know… summer in Arizona is summer in Arizona. The afternoons are getting slower, the heat is real, and it just makes more sense for this season.

We’re not sure yet if we’ll extend the hours again later, but for now, all Proof locations are open daily from 7 AM–4 PM.

Thank you for understanding, and please still come see us. We’ll be here every morning with fresh bread, pastries, coffee, and all the good things!

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the baguettes, so here’s a little update.

A while ago, we made the decision to pull them. Not because they were bad, but because they just weren’t where we wanted them to be. The texture wasn’t quite right, the consistency wasn’t there every day, and honestly, we knew we could do better.

So Dave took it personally!

If you’ve ever met Dave, you know that’s a good thing. He’s been baking for decades, and over the last few months he’s been working through version after version, tweaking the formula, baking, tasting, adjusting, and then doing it all over again.

We’ve tried several iterations already, and it’s getting really close. Like… really close.

The latest tests have us pretty excited, and for the first time in a while it feels like we can actually see the finish line.

I can’t give you an exact date yet, because we’re not bringing it back until we’re completely happy with it. But if everything keeps moving in the right direction, there’s a good chance you’ll see baguettes back at Proof sometime this summer.

If you’ve been waiting for them, leave a 🥖 in the comments. We’d love to know who’s ready for their return.

Anyone need an oven?

LBC LMO-MAX Gas Rack oven | eBay 3/4 size LBC Rack Oven. Includes water filtration system. Comes with 2x 16-slot bake racks. Can sell matching exhaust hood as well for additional cost - no motor.

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Proof 💐

We wouldn’t be who we are without moms. First and foremost, we have to give love to our mother dough, Harriet. She is part of everything we do. Sourdough and motherhood really do have many things in common with each other. (Primarily that they take time and effort and are so, so worth it.)

But Harriet isn’t the only mother that’s part of our core here. Our management team at Proof is nearly half composed of moms, and we have moms across our whole team from mixing to markets. Honestly, moms know how to get things done. They care deeply, know how to adapt, and can multitask to a seriously impressive degree. We are all fortunate to benefit from the knowledge and care they bring to us daily.

And of course, all of the moms who visit us across all of our locations! We are so grateful to each and every one of you who trust us to feed your family.

Finally, a little extra love for our beloved , the matriarch of our team here. She leads with so much love and care, and we are all better for knowing her. ♥️

If you want to give some Proof love to the moms in your life, stop by and see us at any of our storefronts! We have a limited number of our Mother’s Day specials left, plus all of your regular favorites. 🥐

After careful thought and a close look at how our days genuinely flow, we’re making a small change to better match how you use our spaces.

Starting Monday 5/11, our satellite locations—Tempe, Downtown Phoenix, and Litchfield Park—will be open from 7am to 4pm.

Our bakehouses at Shea and Mesa will continue to operate from 7am to 7pm, with full-day service as usual.

This change helps us keep things simple and consistent so each location can do what it does best. You’ll still find fresh bread, pastries, coffee, and a warm Proof welcome every morning.

Thank you for understanding and for continuing to make Proof part of your day ❤️
See ya!

Breakfast sandwiches have officially landed at Litchfield Park!

Built on our sourdough English muffin with a soufflé egg, bacon, Gruyère, and Calabrian aioli, it’s simple, filling, and made with the same naturally leavened foundation we care about in everything we bake.

It started as a favorite in Tempe, and now we’re bringing it out west.

Available daily at Litchfield Park. Come early, they move fast!❤️

This Saturday we got to spend the day at surrounded by people who care deeply about bread, fermentation, grain, pastry, and the craft behind all of it.

Jon taught one of the only classes at the event fully focused on naturally leavened croissants and sourdough pastry, with around 20 bakers in the room, from beginners to strong bakery owners. Even though laminated sourdough is impossible to fully cover in one session, it was incredibly rewarding to share knowledge, answer questions, and hopefully inspire more bakers to keep exploring naturally leavened pastry.

We got to reconnect with friends, meet new bakers, judge an incredible bake-off with around 40 beautiful loaves, and spend the weekend talking about real bread with people who genuinely love the craft.

Weekends like this remind us how much knowledge-sharing matters in this industry. A rising tide really does lift all ships. Thank you to connect all of us together!

And if seeing this makes you want to learn with us in person, we still have a few seats left in our upcoming sourdough classes at Proof (Shea location).
We’re not sure yet when the next round will happen, so if you’ve been thinking about it, this is a good time to register!

Link in bio.

Final call, bread and pastry lovers ❤️
Check link in bio!