My Story

Hi, I'm Mare — founder of Flour and Dough Baking Mixes. Welcome to my little corner of the internet, and thank you for being here.

Where It All Began

Flour and Dough was born in 2021 at my kitchen table during maternity leave. With a new baby, a toddler, and a burning need to do something creative and purposeful, I started thinking about what I could build from home. My husband and I started bouncing ideas around, and the answer was right there in my kitchen — the bread and brownie recipes I'd been making for over 20 years.

I'd always gotten compliments on them. My keto bread and beer bread were the things people asked me to bring to every gathering. So, we thought — what if we packaged them up so other people could make them at home too?

With a big push from my neighbours, my husband, and a healthy dose of "why not?", Flour and Dough was born.

Building Something Real

What started as a passion project at the kitchen table quickly grew. I started at local markets, then wholesale orders started coming in — online shops, subscription boxes, gift stores. The business was gaining real traction, and I was doing it all from home while raising my kids.

Then Covid hit. The lockdown was, manic. Orders flooded in as people turned to home baking. I was working until 2 or 3am most nights, getting up at 6am for the kids, and somehow keeping it all together. It was exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure.

The business kept growing. And so did the range — from the original keto bread and beer bread to brownies, blondies, cake mixes, and more.

The Chapter Nobody Plans For

In March 2022, everything changed. I was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour.

What followed was one of the hardest periods of my life — and my family's. I faced three brain surgeries, and two of these craniotomies within five days of each other due to a CSF leak while I was still in hospital. The physical effects were significant: balance issues, permanent hearing loss, and even permanent loss of taste on half of my tongue— a particularly cruel blow for someone who bakes for a living and loves it! The migraines, the extreme chronic fatigue and the list just truly goes on to what has now become my new normal!

The mental health impact was just as real.  The what if they didn't get all the tumour, what if it comes back, what if I leak CSF AGAIN, what if it's hereditary, what if has so many versions that have kept me up at night and I have to do all of this again???

But here's the thing: Flour and Dough kept going. Through every surgery, every recovery, every hard day — the business kept ticking, and so did I. My team, my family, and this community of customers carried me through more than they'll ever know.

Healing looked very different for me after each surgery and every day there after, it's a journey and 3 years later it still continues! From sleeping hours at a time or just staring out the window at the hawks that would visit daily. From the brain fog, the memory loss, the pain and everything in between! I am grateful that I kept my facial nerves in-tact, that I can walk un-assisted and that I can still hear from one ear! The little things matter more to me now!

Why It All Matters

I share this not for sympathy — I'm not built that way. I share it because I think it's important to be honest about what building a small business actually looks like. It's not always pretty. It's not always Instagram-worthy. Sometimes it's working through the hardest seasons of your life and choosing to keep going anyway.

Flour and Dough is proof that you can build something meaningful even when life throws everything it has at you.

What I Make and Why

Every single mix in the Flour and Dough range is a tried and tested recipe from my own kitchen. Each one goes through my family and friends first — and only earns its place in the range when it gets their stamp of approval and this has been done decades ago - with a few tweaks right before it becomes a reality of going into the range!

From our award-winning brownie mix (pop it in the fridge overnight and it turns into fudge — trust me) to our keto bread mixes, beer bread, blondies, cookie kits, and cake mixes, everything I make is designed to be easy, delicious, and genuinely satisfying to bake.

The mission is simple: to make baking accessible and fun for everyone — especially families. Whether you're baking with your kids, teaching them kitchen skills, or just treating yourself to something indulgent, my mixes are here to make it happen without the fuss.

Thank You

To everyone who has bought a mix, shared a photo, left a review, or simply cheered me on — thank you! You are the reason this business exists and the reason I keep going.

Mare' xxx