In my state of Minnesota (& extreme weather) today we are under a heat advisory. Crazy hot & humid. Two weeks ago, it was starting to warm up. It was still upper 70s so it was what I thought was perfect to mix dough. So I thought. I was prepping for the first farmers market of the season, where I was planning to bring 70 loaves of bread. I had upgraded my fridge so it could hold more dough, and got new containers. However, within 45 minutes, my dough was overflowing out of the containers, I quickly split the dough and put into additional containers. I knew that my dough hadn't fermented completely, it was just aggressively rising. Those containers started to overflow as well! So I split that dough and put them into even more containers. Then put them in fridge to cool down. That helped, but they were still overflowing. I broke all of my rules...and had a mess to show for it. There was one point that when I opened the fridge, the dough had stuck to the door. oof. All the new elements created a layer of unpredictability. Summer kitchens move faster. Doughs rise quicker. Starters wake up before you’ve had coffee. That doesn’t mean you have to quit baking until September. It just means you need a different rhythm. This week inside BBW, we’re talking about how to bake with the heat instead of fighting it: shorter countertop time, more fridge time, and dough schedules that actually work in the heat. If you haven't ever baked in the heat, try it for fun (when there is no pressure) bake one loaf this week using cooler water and at least one cold proof. Notice how long it takes to rise, how the dough feels, and what changes in your crumb. Any summer bake is data. You’re not “messing it up” — you’re learning how your dough behaves when it’s warm. This last week for farmers market, I used cold water, started after the sun started to set and split my dough more evenly through the containers. But it cooled off quite a bit and took FOREVER to rise, but we got there and I didn't have a mess to clean up.

Trends come and go. “Never eat carbs again.” “Only eat this one special grain.” Meanwhile, in places where people quietly live a long time, they just… keep eating simple breads made from whole grains and long-fermented doughs, alongside plants and beans. This week, we’re talking less about “quick fixes” and more about the slow, steady habits that add up over years. If you’re here, you’re not chasing a 10‑day challenge. You’re building skills you can still use 10 years from now. Where do you see bread fitting into the kind of life you want long-term?

Okay, honest question. What got you into sourdough in the first place? Was it a loaf you tasted somewhere and couldn't stop thinking about? A friend who made it look easy? A pandemic rabbit hole you never climbed out of? 😄 What keeps you coming back?

Good morning, BBW community! If you just found your way in here — welcome. 🙌 I'm so glad you're here. This is a community of real home bakers following one simple method. No noise, no conflicting advice, no pressure to be perfect. Before anything else, I'd love to know: Where are you in your sourdough journey right now? Drop one of these in the comments: - 🌱 Haven't started yet — just curious - 🫙 I have a starter but haven't baked yet - 🍞 I've baked before but something went wrong - 🙌 I'm baking regularly and want to go deeper And if you haven't started the free course yet — it's inside the Classroom tab. That's your first step. Everything else builds from there.

Show us what came out of your oven this week. First loaf, tenth loaf, flat loaf, beautiful loaf — ALL of it counts here. Every bake is data. Every loaf is progress. Drop your photo below. Tell us one thing you'd do differently next time (or one thing you nailed).