We’ve got so many new faces in here and honestly, I feel like we talk in the comments all the time but I don’t really know who you are. And that’s on me for not doing this sooner. So let’s fix that today. New members, longtime members, everyone. Drop a reply below and tell us: 🏡 Where you’re from 🍞 What kind of bread you’re baking right now (or trying to learn) 🎯 One thing you’re working on getting better at I’ll go first: I’m Henry, based in Columbia, South Carolina. I’m in the middle of an Easter bread series right now and I’m constantly chasing better oven spring on enriched doughs. It never gets old. There are members in here from all over the country, some internationally too, and you’ve been talking to each other in threads without really knowing the person on the other side of the comment. Let’s change that. This isn’t just for the new folks. If you’ve been here since day one, I want to hear from you too. We grow as a community when we actually know each other, not just each other’s loaves. Drop your intro below. I’m reading every single one.

It was late. I should’ve just done a discard and gone to bed. Instead I fell for it, and here we are. 500g flour. 375g water. 100g of a well-fed, healthy starter. Mixed until there were no dry spots, covered it, and put it straight in the refrigerator. No salt. That comes this morning. Watch the video. That extensibility you’re seeing? That’s the yeast doing its work overnight. The dough isn’t elastic right now, it’s extensible. There’s a difference. Elastic snaps back. Extensible just… stretches and yields. That’s exactly what you want at this stage. Salt goes in with wet hands. I dimple it in, then use the Rubaud method for about 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and the salt is fully incorporated. With an overnight ferment like this, the salt integration is quick. The dough cooperates. It’s already strong, already developed, and you can feel it come together fast. That smoothness tells me everything I need to know about what’s coming next. Coil folds are going to be clean. Gluten development is going to be easy. This loaf wants to be baked.

▎ Tomorrow we're dropping a full breakdown on when, how, and what to add to your loaves — cheese, seeds, herbs, olives, chocolate, all of it. Three timing windows. One method for getting seeds to stick perfectly every time. ▎ But tonight I want to hear from you — what's the best thing you've ever put inside a loaf of bread? Weird answers encouraged. 👇 ▎ Recipe link: bit.ly/4beibLQ

After putting in the window yesterday and seeing it rise, I did my normal feeding last night and used an oat flour blend to see if that would help and I am ready to bake!!! I can't thank @Henry Hunter @Colleen Vergara @Cindy Hall and everyone else for all the encouragement. this process has been a trying one and I am super excited!!