About Us | Flour & Ember Bakehouse

Our Story

Flour & Ember Bakehouse began in the sunlit kitchen of Clara Ember's grandmother, where the ritual of mixing, kneading, and tending the oven felt like pure magic. After honing her craft in French pastry kitchens and European village bakeries, Clara returned to her Pacific Northwest roots with a dream: to build a bakery that honors timeworn techniques and feeds the soul.

At the center of our bakery glows a hand-built Alan Scott wood-fired oven. Each morning, the scent of Oregon oak smoke mingles with caramelizing crusts. We mill select heirloom grains on a granite stone each week, preserving their oils and nutrients, while our 20-year-old sourdough starter—affectionately named 'Edith'—brings life to every loaf.

We believe great bread cannot be rushed. Our dough undergoes a slow, cold fermentation, allowing natural enzymes and wild yeasts to develop complex flavor and an airy crumb. This time-honored practice also makes our breads gentler on digestion, letting you enjoy more of the wholesome goodness.

Beyond the bake, Flour & Ember is about gathering. Our café invites neighbors to linger over a pastry and a steaming cup of locally roasted coffee. We partner with nearby farms, mill organic grain, and strive to reduce waste through creative use of leftover bread. Every purchase supports a community table where everyone is welcome.

ChildhoodClara's grandmother's sunlit kitchen — where the magic began
TrainingFrench pastry kitchens & European village bakeries
HomecomingReturn to the Pacific Northwest with a dream
The OvenHand-built Alan Scott wood-fired hearth
EdithOur 20-year-old sourdough starter finds a home
TodayA community table where all are welcome

Our Mission

"To nourish our community with honest, handcrafted baked goods that honor tradition and celebrate quality ingredients."

Baking Philosophy

Every loaf tells a story of patience, craft, and respect for ingredients. Here's what sets our bakehouse apart.

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Stone-Milled Flour

We mill organic heirloom grains on a granite stone mill weekly, preserving the germ and bran for maximum flavor, nutrition, and that unmistakable nutty aroma.

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Natural Leaven

Our sourdough breads are raised with a 20-year-old wild yeast starter—never commercial yeast. This slow fermentation builds depth and makes each loaf more digestible.

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Wood-Fired Oven

Baked in a hand-built Alan Scott oven using local Oregon oak, our breads develop a blistered, caramelized crust that can't be replicated in a conventional oven.

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Long Fermentation

We cold-ferment our dough for 24–48 hours, allowing complex, tangy flavors to mature while breaking down gluten. Patience is the secret ingredient.

Our Values

The principles that guide every bake, every interaction, and every decision at Flour & Ember.

Tradition & Craftsmanship

We preserve lost arts—stone milling, natural leavening, and wood firing—to create bread with soul. Every technique we use has been passed down through generations of bakers.

Locally Sourced

From Willamette Valley grain to Oregon coast sea salt, our ingredients come from neighbors who care about the land. We know our farmers by name and visit their fields.

Community Table

We believe breaking bread together bridges divides and sparks joy. Our door is always open, and our communal table is where friendships rise like dough.

Meet the Bakers

The hands, hearts, and minds behind every loaf that leaves our hearth.

Clara Ember

Founder & Head Baker

Clara's hands have been dusted in flour since childhood. After studying patisserie in Lyon and baking in Copenhagen's famed bakeries, she returned to Portland to open Flour & Ember, where every recipe carries a piece of her journey.

Matteo Ruiz

Pastry Chef

A self-proclaimed butter whisperer, Matteo crafts viennoiserie so flaky it crumbles on the tongue. His croissants are a morning ritual for the neighborhood, and his seasonal fruit tarts capture the flavor of each passing month.

Elena Park

Artisan Bread Baker

Elena brings the precision of a fermentation scientist and the soul of an artist to our bread program. Her signature seeded multigrain and olive ciabatta have earned a loyal following that lines up before sunrise.