Y'all! I have never been more terrified to bake a loaf of bread, but I did it! It’s not perfect, and I need more practice with all the techniques and timing of everything, but it actually looks like bread!! I’m so excited and also so grateful that Crust & Crumb Academy exists so I felt more equipped to even try baking sourdough (because I had just been feeding my starter for MONTHS too frozen by the idea of baking to do anything with it). That, and my wonderful mother in law cheering me on. Tips, tricks, and things I may have missed or could watch out for next time are greatly appreciated! I already know I need a larger Dutch oven (I only had a 2Q but will be upgrading to a 5Q now), cause this girl went straight up lol I’ll let you know how it is once it cools and I cut into it! And the crust was singing! I could cry! Yay to actually baking my first loaf!

@Rose Johnson baked her very first sourdough loaf! She said she had been feeding her starter for months, but felt too frozen by the idea of baking to actually try. Then she did it. “It’s not perfect, but it actually looks like bread. The crust was singing. I could cry.” That’s the win right there. Not perfection. Progress. Rose, we’re proud of you. This is exactly what Crust & Crumb Academy is about. 🍞 ~ Henry⭐🔥

I need someone to bake this and tell me how it turns out. I’ve never seen anything like this in all my born days. I need to know.

Bulk fermentation is the single most important step in sourdough baking, and it's the one most bakers get wrong. Not because they're bad bakers, but because they're relying on the clock instead of the dough. The Fermentation Compass changes that. This interactive tool tracks nine observable signals from your dough and combines them into one clear verdict: underproofed, getting close, in the zone, pushing it, or overproofed. No guesswork. No Googling. Just real answers based on what your dough is actually doing right now. Here's what it does: - Scores 9 criteria in real time: temperature, time, percent rise, dome shape, surface bubbles, side bubbles, wobble test, windowpane test, and smell - Adjusts all target ranges based on YOUR recipe (hydration, leaven percentage, flour type) so the readings are calibrated to the dough you're actually making - Displays a composite Fermentation Compass that averages every signal into a single visual readout - Color-coded status badges on each criterion so you can see at a glance which signs point to under, ready, or over - Built-in "Why this matters" teaching notes on every criterion, written to help you understand the science behind the signal - Bake Timeline that logs each check with a timestamp and 9 colored dots, giving you a full visual record of your dough's journey from mix to shape - Saves your readings automatically so you can refresh the page mid-bake without losing anything The goal isn't to make you dependent on a tool. It's to train your eye, your hands, and your nose so that eventually you don't need one.

This week's bake-along is Babka, and before we even get to the recipe, we need to settle something. Chocolate or Cinnamon? Drop your answer below. No wrong answers. Just strong ones. (And yes, there will be a savory option for the rebels in the room.) Pick your path now so you're ready by Friday. Path A: Sourdough Chocolate Babka Path B: Holiday Chocolate Babka (yeasted) Path C: Roasted Garlic and Gruyère All are in the Recipe Pantry. But don't rely solely on me. Do your homework. See what's out there that might interest you beyond what I'm supplying. Let's have a conversation Bring what you find interesting and we'll talk about it. The full bake-along drops tomorrow. Get your loaf pans ready. Henry ⭐🔥