I made the baguette (poolish) recipe 2 days ago and yesterday made the French bread. My French bread was so soft and sticky, and I'm not sure why. That's not my question.. I love in TN and you can cut the air with a knife right now. But, my French Loaves are so soft and delicious. What makes the difference in the hard chewiness of the baguette versus the French bread? Is it just the water? Because it a bit sloppy and I wasn't sure if it would rise in the oven, but I like how soft they turned out. So my guess is the high water content? Family is taking them to church as sandwiches tonight. I just really want to understand the science. I'd love some day to not have to look up recipes but to know generally what I'm doing. Thanks!

If you do one thing to prep for this weekend's croissants, make it this. Get good butter. Here's why it matters more than usual. Croissants live or die on the butter staying in distinct layers inside the dough. Higher-fat butter, the European style at 82 to 84% fat, bends when it's cold instead of cracking. That's exactly what you want when you're rolling it through the dough. Standard American butter sits around 80% fat with a little more water in it, so it cracks and leaks more easily. You can still bake with it, you just have to work cooler and gentler. What to look for on the label: 🧈 "European style" or a fat percentage of 82% or higher 🧈 Unsalted, so you control the salt (𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥) 🧈 Brands like Plugrá, Kerrygold, or any store brand that lists the fat content Grab it now so it's chilling and ready when we start folding Saturday morning. Henry ⭐🔥

I want to make some French bread for lunch tomorrow. I don't have poolish started. How do I get this bread baked so it can be eaten in a little over 24 hours from now, Sunday morning? If I start the poolish now, and mix the loaf tonight, can it sit in my fridge overnight?

This week the kitchen smells like pretzels. We’re making soft pretzels from scratch, and I mean the real thing. Chewy crust, soft pillowy inside, deep golden brown. Better than any mall pretzel you’ve ever had. Here’s the thing about a pretzel. What makes it a pretzel isn’t the shape. It’s the bath. Before these go in the oven, they take a quick dip in boiling water with baking soda stirred in. That alkaline bath is what gives you the dark color, the shine, and that chewy pull when you bite in. Skip it and you’ve just got bread shaped like a pretzel. That same bath is the magic behind our pretzel loaf, so if you’ve baked that one with us, you already know the secret. Three ways in this week. Pick the one that fits you: 🥨 Classic Soft Pretzels. Yeasted, start to finish in about two hours. Best entry point. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-soft-pretzels 🥨 Sourdough Soft Pretzels. Naturally leavened, deeper flavor, and you can stretch it overnight. Twists, bites, or buns. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-soft-pretzels 🥨 Kids Can Bake Pretzels. No mixer, built-in science lessons, made for little hands at the counter. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/kids-can-bake-soft-pretzels Saturday we bake together. Working thread opens at 8:00 AM ET. Mix with us, post your photos, ask your questions in real time. No lye. No special equipment. Just baking soda, a pot of water, and your hands. Pull up a stool. Let’s twist. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

I have questions about bannetons. I have a silicone one that folds flat. But I'm wondering if that's a problem and not allowing air to circulate. Even in a towel or liner. I see these wood pulp ones made in Germany on Amazon but the price is... Yikes. Is a natural basket better? I'd rather save my money for the challenger bread pan some day.