Simple challenge for everyone this week: Bake ANY bread - doesn't matter which one - and post a photo of the crumb (that's the inside when you slice it open). 📌 Post it in "Show Off Your Bakes" with: • One photo of the crumb • What bread you made • One thing you're proud of OR one thing you'd change next time That's it. No pressure. No perfection required. **Why crumb shots matter:** The crumb tells the story. It shows hydration, fermentation, gluten development, and shaping. We learn more from looking at crumbs than crusts. **Everyone who posts earns:** ✅ Points toward your next level ✅ Feedback from the community ✅ A chance to be featured in this week's 💎 Baking Gems Let's see what you're working with. Post by Sunday night. ~Henry

If you’ve ever wondered how bakeries get deep flavor without waiting days, this is one of the answers. A preferment is dough or batter that’s fermented ahead of time, then added to the final mix. Same ingredients. Same flour. Just time doing the heavy lifting. Biga. Poolish. Pâte fermentée. Different forms, same idea. Preferments build flavor, improve structure, and make dough more forgiving without needing a separate starter or complicated schedule. This is old-school baking logic. Nothing fancy. Just smart fermentation. Learn the terms. Learn the why. That’s how you bake with intention, not guesswork. More inside Crust & Crumb Academy.

Mardi Gras is coming, and I just dropped a recipe I've been working on for a while. This isn't your grocery store king cake. This is the real deal — pillowy, buttery, stays soft for days, with a brown butter praline filling that'll make you wonder why you ever settled for the box stuff. Both versions are live now: 🔗 https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/king-cake?variant=yeasted Here's what makes this one different: ✦ TANGZHONG (Water Roux) That Japanese milk bread technique? We're using it here. Pre-cooking some of the flour creates a paste that traps moisture, keeping your king cake soft and tender for days, not hours. ✦ BROWN BUTTER EVERYTHING The filling. The icing. Both get brown butter treatment. That nutty depth transforms this from ordinary to extraordinary. ✦ THE DONG PHUONG SECRET If you know New Orleans bakeries, you know Dong Phuong makes the king cake everyone fights over. Their secret? Brushing the hot cake with heavy cream the moment it comes out of the oven. Locks in moisture like nothing else. I stole it. Now you can too. ✦ TWO VERSIONS Same great result, your choice of leavening: - Yeasted version: Overnight cold proof, ready Day 2 - Sourdough version: Same timeline, deeper flavor —————————————————— 📄 ABOUT THAT PDF... For those who want to work from a printed recipe, hit the "Print Version" button on the recipe page. You'll get a beautifully formatted PDF with: - Clean, readable layout - All measurements (metric AND volume) - Step-by-step instructions without the scrolling - Equipment list - Troubleshooting notes - No ads, no popups, no distractions Just you, the recipe, and your kitchen. Print it. Tape it to your cabinet. Get flour on it. That's what it's for. —————————————————— 🎨 THE COLORS MATTER Purple = Justice Gold = Power Green = Faith These aren't random. They've been the official Mardi Gras colors since 1872. Sanding sugar works best — more sparkle, better texture. In a pinch, you can tint regular granulated sugar with food coloring, but sanding sugar is worth finding.

I’ll post the recipe for this if you guys want to see it.

I'm Henry, and I'm glad you're here. This is the premium home for serious bakers who want to go deeper. Here's what you'll find inside: - Structured courses from fundamentals to advanced techniques - A growing library of recipes and resources - Direct access to me for questions and guidance - Monthly challenges to push your skills - A community of bakers who support each other No gatekeeping. No judgment. Perfection is not required. Drop a comment and tell me: What's the one bread skill you most want to improve this year? Let's get to work.