Rise and Grind

A typical scroll through TikTok or Instagram today might include a home baker, tripod set, documenting their attempt at a craft rooted firmly in history. Sourdough, with its living starter and patient process, is one of humanity’s oldest forms of bread-making, now reintroduced through time-lapsed videos and kitchen counters bathed in natural light.

“Sourdough is having a moment,” says Jacqueline Howe. “But the moment has been years. The moment has been thousands of years.”

Howe, a Fort Lauderdale-based attorney turned baker, is the founder of The Leavened Box, a sourdough-focused baking business that has grown steadily, and intentionally, from friends-and-family loaves into a sought-after source for organic breads, crackers and gift boxes shipped nationwide. Her voice, thoughtful and precise, reflects the duality at the heart of her work: equal parts science and soul.

A self-described “recovering litigator,” Howe spent nearly three decades practicing law before sourdough took on a more central role in her life. “I’ve always needed an artistic outlet,” she says. “My husband jokes that if I’m only baking, I’m off balance. And if I’m only lawyering, I’m off balance. I need both sides of my brain working.”

That balance became essential when persistent gut health issues led her down an exhaustive path of doctors, supplements and restrictive diets. “I didn’t eat bread or pasta for almost two years,” she says. “My heart was broken. My soul was very sad.”

The turning point came when Howe discovered research pointing to traditionally fermented sourdough as uniquely digestible. “I saw this expert who said, ‘Guess what, you can eat bread,'” she recalls. “But it has to be a true sourdough. The probiotics, the prebiotics, the way it slows digestion, the way it doesn’t spike your sugar. I said, ‘OK, I’m not trusting anyone else. I’ll try it myself.'”

She ordered a 200-year-old starter from San Francisco and nurtured it into what she now affectionately calls Lilith. “It’s a living bio-organism,” Howe says, laughing. “My son calls it goo.”

What followed was a year-and-a-half-long immersion into fermentation, flour sourcing and technique. “I loved the precision,” she says. “It’s like taking the lawyer brain and putting it into baking. The science of getting the rise, the crust, the crumb. And lo and behold, it settled my belly. It settled my gut.”

“Health became the foundation of everything that followed. Howe committed fully to organic ingredients after researching conventional flour.”

Health became the foundation of everything that followed. Howe committed fully to organic ingredients after researching conventional flour. “People don’t realize what’s in bleached flour,” she says. “Even unbleached flour is still loaded with things. Everything I bake is organic. That’s why my bread isn’t inexpensive, but it’s worth it.”

What began as personal nourishment quickly expanded. Friends asked for loaves. Friends of friends offered to buy them. “It just grew organically,” she says. “Excuse the pun.”

Soon, requests came from out of state. “People asked, ‘Can you ship it?'” Howe says. “I always say yes and then figure it out.” A website followed, along with branding she designed herself. “Everything is intentional,” she says. “The colors, the language, the way I describe the bread.”

Today, The Leavened Box produces up to 500 loaves a month during peak seasons, all baked to order. Howe turns away work when volume threatens quality. “Everybody’s starter is different,” she explains. “The air, the bacteria on your hands, where you feed it. That all matters.”

Her offerings range from classic loaves to crackers, cookies and seasonal specials. One of her most popular items is also her most surprising. “The Double Chocolate Espresso,” she says, describing it as, “If a brownie and a loaf of bread had a baby.” It regularly sells out first.

Savory snacks have become another obsession. Howe developed sourdough crackers after refusing to buy processed snacks for her son. “I said, ‘I’m not doing that,'” she recalls. “So I figured out how to make my own.” The result includes flavors with organic cheddar and a cayenne-kissed version called Zestie. “The cayenne hits after you swallow,” she says. “It doesn’t overwhelm. It’s balanced.”

That word, balance, comes up often. Howe resists trend-chasing in favor of restraint. “I want to stay in my wheelhouse,” she says. “If you do too much, you don’t do any of it well.”

Corporate gifting has emerged as a significant part of the business, with curated boxes sent monthly to clients across the country. “Everyone loves this,” Howe says. “And every box comes with instructions on how to refresh the bread. I want people to feel confident with it.”

As for the future, Howe envisions growth without excess. “I’d love a small brick-and-mortar someday,” she says. “A place where we bake in the back, people pick up their bread and go.” She is also focused on expanding her cracker line into retail. “That’s my 2026 project,” she says.

Still, the heart of The Leavened Box remains personal. “This started because I wanted to feel better,” Howe says. “Now it’s about feeding people something real, something intentional, something that makes them feel good.”

And perhaps that is why her bread resonates. It carries patience, care and the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly why she is doing what she is doing.

Leavenedbox.com