This is one of the most common places bakers get tripped up. Knowing when your dough has actually risen by 50%. Most people are waiting too long. This will fix that. Watch this 👇

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.

I baked this morning Swedish Crispbread. Thanks to @Steve Koschella for sharing this recipe.

If you baked focaccia with us last Saturday, you already understand this concept even if you don't realize it yet. With the focaccia, we poured olive oil brine over the top before baking. It pooled in the dimples, seeped into the dough, and created that golden, crispy, flavorful crust. The oven transformed a simple liquid into something completely different. Saturday's cinnamon rolls use the same principle. Right before they go in the oven, you pour warm heavy cream around the rolls. Not over them. Around them. It sounds strange. It looks like you're ruining them. But here's what actually happens. The cream sinks down between and underneath the rolls. As the oven heats up, the cream combines with the brown sugar and butter that's already oozing out of the filling. That mixture caramelizes on the bottom of the pan, creating an almost sticky-bun layer underneath your cinnamon rolls. Two completely different breads. Same concept. Focaccia: olive oil brine creates a crispy, golden, flavorful crust. Cinnamon rolls: heavy cream creates a caramelized, gooey, sticky bottom. That's the kind of connection that makes you a better baker. When you understand the why behind a technique, you can apply it to anything. You stop following recipes and start thinking. On Saturday, you'll pour 180g (3/4 cup) of warm cream around the rolls right before they go in. The oven does the rest. Questions about the cream pour? Drop them below.

After last week's focaccia blew up (521 comments, 19 bakers, 100% completion), we're shifting gears. This Saturday we're baking Henry's Big Gooey Cinnamon Rolls. These aren't regular cinnamon rolls. Three things make them different. First, tangzhong. It's a Japanese technique where you cook a small amount of flour and milk into a paste before adding it to the dough. That paste traps moisture so the rolls stay soft for days, not hours. If you were here for the focaccia, you already understand the concept of adding something wet to dough and letting it transform during baking. Same energy, different bread. Second, the cream pour. Right before these go in the oven, you pour heavy cream over the top. It seeps down between the rolls, caramelizes on the bottom, and creates this gooey, almost sticky-bun layer underneath. Remember the olive oil brine on the focaccia? Same idea. We pour something over dough, and the oven does the rest. Third, the filling. Brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and a secret weapon: cornstarch. It keeps the filling thick and gooey instead of running out during baking. Rolled tight. Cut clean. Twelve big rolls per pan. The kind you pull apart and they stretch with gooey strings of filling. And here's the part I'm really excited about. This recipe has two versions. Yeasted version: Uses instant yeast. Mix it today, refrigerate overnight, bake tomorrow morning. Straightforward and accessible. If you've never made enriched dough before, start here. Sourdough version: Your active starter replaces the yeast entirely. Longer fermentation, deeper flavor, that subtle tang that pairs perfectly with cream cheese frosting. If you've got a healthy starter, this is the one to try. Same recipe page. Same filling. Same cream pour. Same frosting. You just flip the toggle at the top and the ingredients and timing adjust automatically. No matter which version you choose, you're in. Everyone bakes together Saturday. Yeasted version: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/henrys-big-gooey-cinnamon-rolls?variant=yeasted