We just hit a milestone, and Kalamau from Honolulu gets the honors. She joined today with a simple goal: learn how to bake her own bread. That's exactly what this place is built for. Kalamau, you picked the right community. Whether you've never touched a bag of flour or you're just looking for a better path to a great loaf, we've got you covered. Start with the courses, jump into the Saturday bake-alongs, ask every question that comes to mind. Nobody here bites (we just bake). 400 members. Every single one of you makes this community what it is. Let's show Kalamau what Crust & Crumb is all about. Welcome home. 🍞 Drop a 🤙 below to welcome our newest baker from Hawaii!

I was in Winston-Salem for Ryan’s track meet and while I was there I swung by Camino Bakery, owned by Cary Clifford. Here’s what got me: Cary started baking out of her home kitchen. Then a coffee shop basement. Then in 2011 she opened her first real location on Fourth Street, and today Camino has multiple spots across Winston-Salem, known for handcrafted breads, croissants, pastries, and seriously good coffee. That’s the journey right there. I shot a quick walkthrough video so you can see what they’re doing. The bread, the space, the vibe. It’s the kind of place that feels like a neighborhood, which is exactly what we’re building here in the Academy, just in a different way. If you’ve ever thought about taking your baking beyond your kitchen, watch this and let it sit with you. More on that conversation coming soon.

I've had a few of you ask me lately about product recommendations, so I wanted to put everything in one place where it's easy to find. Because I work with so many home bakers, companies reach out from time to time asking me to try their products. My policy is simple: if I don't believe in it, it doesn't make the list. I've developed relationships with a handful of companies like Brød & Taylor, SourHouse, Wire Monkey, ModKitchn, Holland Bowl Mill, and Challenger Breadware, among others. There are also products in this guide from companies I don't have a direct relationship with yet, but I've vetted everything in here. That's the only reason it made the cut. There's a lot of stuff out there that didn't. Around the holidays I put together a shopper's guide and was able to negotiate some discounts with my partners for our community. Those discounts are still available. Here's the guide: Home Baker's Gift & Gear Guide Browse it when you need something specific or just go window shopping. No gimmicks, no filler, just quality tools that can make a real difference in your baking. Full disclosure: I am an affiliate partner with several of these companies and may earn a small commission if you purchase something. That commission comes directly from the company, not from any markup on the product. I'm not in the business of selling gear. I built this guide because I thought it would be useful, and based on the questions I keep getting, it seems like it is. If you have questions about any of the products or want to know more about something specific, just ask. Happy to help. I'll figure out a way to stick this in the classroom at the top of the page so you can come back to it easily.

We just hit 300 in the Academy. On Valentine’s Day, no less. I’m in the middle of the bake-along right now so I’ll have more to say about this later, but I wanted to take a second to acknowledge it. This community is something special. More coming. Back to baking.