I get this question all the time. “Did I kill my starter? ”“What did I do wrong? ”“What is that liquid on top?” That layer is hooch. It shows up when your starter gets hungry. The yeast and bacteria have eaten through their food, and what’s left behind separates out on top. So no, you didn’t kill it. That’s your starter telling you it’s time to feed. You’ve got two options. Stir it back in and you’ll get a stronger, more acidic flavor. Or pour it off if it’s been sitting a while and smells sharp. Either way works. Then feed it. Flour. Water. Give it what it needs. And then the part most people skip. Wait. Let it come back. Let it do what it’s built to do. Your starter is hard to kill. It wants to live in spite of you. And when it comes back, now you’re baking again. That’s the cycle. ~Henry ⭐🔥

Ciabatta breakfast sandwich for dinner.

If sticky, slack, high-hydration dough has ever made you second-guess yourself at the bench, this one is for you. In this new post, I break down: - Why wet dough feels wrong even when it's right - The 7 reasons beginners get spooked by high hydration - Simple handling shifts (coil folds, bench rest, wet hands) that change everything - How to read the dough instead of fighting it High hydration isn't harder, it's just different. Once it clicks, you'll never go back to stiff, tight doughs again. 👉 Read it here: https://bakinggreatbread.blog/2026/04/22/high-hydration-bread-wet-dough-beginners/ Drop your wet-dough wins (or horror stories) in the comments. Let's talk about it. — Henry ⭐🔥

@Matt Burns over at ProveWorth wrote a full piece on the Academy today. The headline: "Crust & Crumb Academy Is How You Should Learn Bread Baking." Here's what got me. He didn't just write about the community. He named members by name. @Priscilla Fuesting. @Tracy Havlik. @Michele Nilson. @Lindsey Christian Your words. Your stories. Your progress. That's what he used to make his case. He got the fermentolyse method right. He got the Recipe Pantry, the Glossary, the Yeast Converter. He got the "read your dough, not just the clock" philosophy. And he closed with the thing that matters most to me: this place exists to help you get better, not to sell you a dream. That 5.0 ProveWorth rating with 55 verified reviews? That's not me. That's you. Every one of you who showed up, shared a bake, asked a real question, or answered one. Read it when you get a minute: https://proveworth.com/blog/best-bread-baking-community And if your name shows up in there, stand up and take a bow. You earned it. Henry ⭐🔥

I’ve been seeing a lot of videos on TikTok especially about plastic bowl scrapers getting frayed on the ends and leeching plastic into the food. Of they’re selling what they say is a better scraper. So it made me think about is what they say true about the plastic bits getting into the food. May I ask, what type of scraper(s) do you have and use most often? What is your opinion on the plastic leeching into the food?