Saving Bread

Interviews E03 Campbell McFarlane - Building RackMaster and Supporting a New Generation of Bakers

• Allison • Season 1 • Episode 8

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0:00 | 32:37

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What began as Campbell McFarlane’s own obsession with sourdough eventually became RackMaster- an oven designed to give home, cottage, and small-scale bakers access to thoughtfully engineered equipment without requiring a traditional bakery.

In this episode, Campbell shares how he moved from baking in Dutch ovens and a small deck oven to designing one of the most recognizable ovens in the cottage-baking world. We talk about the very real learning curve that comes with moving into open deck baking, why a great oven cannot disguise poorly fermented dough, and what bakers should expect when increasing their production.

We also explore the remarkable community that has grown around RackMaster. Campbell is known not only for making equipment, but for freely sharing his knowledge, answering questions at nearly any hour, delivering ovens to extraordinarily remote places, and helping bakers become the best they can be.

In this conversation:

  •  How Campbell first became hooked on sourdough 
  •  The experiences that inspired him to develop the RackMaster oven 
  •  Why switching from Dutch ovens to deck baking requires bakers to reassess their dough 
  •  Steam, oven loading, and learning to work with a new baking environment 
  •  The many products bakers make in RackMaster ovens beyond bread 
  •  How the ovens have helped cottage bakers increase production and build businesses 
  •  Campbell’s belief in sharing knowledge without gatekeeping 
  •  The worldwide community of bakers supporting one another 
  •  Why Campbell considers himself available approximately “18/7” 

This is a conversation about ovens, but even more than that, it is about giving bakers the tools, encouragement, and access they need to keep the craft of real bread moving forward.

Find Campbell:
Instagram: @campbell2664
Outside North America: rackmaster.co.uk
North American availability: Pleasant Hill Grain