You know I like to bake a day or two ahead of you for the bake-along so I can be nimble when questions come in. I’m not elbow deep in dough while you’re asking, which means I can actually help. Baking just ahead of you also helps me remember the little things worth pointing out before you get there Friday and Saturday. Look closely and you can see the orange zest. This is a lovely dough, very much like a brioche. Three eggs and 116g of butter are in here, and that’s actually the teaching point right there. You want to develop your gluten before you start adding the butter. And when you do add it, go one tablespoon at a time. Wait until it’s fully absorbed before you add the next one. If you don’t, that dough is just going to spin around in the bowl and nothing gets done. It’ll probably do some of that anyway. Trust the process. Go low and slow, and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful dough just like this. Have you made up your mind on which one you’re baking yet? Let me know below. Here’s the recipe: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/holiday-chocolate-babka?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share

As we grow (and we are growing fast), I can’t personally patrol every corner of the community the way I used to. The front door is well-defended, but every now and then somebody can slip in by pretending to be a baker when they’re really here to sell, scam, or distract. 💡 I do NOT want you so cautious that you stop interacting, helping, and cheering each other on. That’s the heart of this place 💡 I DO want to raise your awareness so we can keep this the cleanest, safest bread community on Skool 👀 Here are some telltale signs to watch for: • They start DM’ing you about things that have nothing to do with bread or baking(grants, investments, crypto, “business opportunities,” side income, loans, “funding,” etc.) • They push you to move the conversation off Skool quickly (WhatsApp, Telegram, private email, random links)instead of talking in the comments where everyone can see • Their messages feel scripted or generic like they could send the exact same thing to 100 people at once • They ask for money, banking info, or sensitive personal details in DMs even if they use words like “grant,” “scholarship,” “investment,” or “support” • They join and almost immediately start pitching services, courses, “done-for-you” offers or anything that smells like a sales funnel instead of getting to know people and talking bread • Their profile looks off no real photo, almost no activity, or a location or story that doesn’t line up with what they’re saying 🛑 If you see ANY of this, here’s what I need you to do: 1️⃣ Do NOT click sketchy links, send money, or share personal or financial info 2️⃣ Take a screenshot if you can 3️⃣ DM me directly, right away, and tell me who it is, what they said, and whether it was a post or a DM 4️⃣ If it’s a post that looks out of place off-topic, sales-y, weird DM me the link or a screenshot and I’ll investigate ⚡ If it turns out to be nothing, no harm done ⚡ If it’s a problem, I want to take action fast remove the post, warn or remove the person, and, if needed, report them to Skool

One of our members, Abigail had a question about cinnamon rolls, which put me in mind of the ones I made over the holidays. You’re welcome. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/henrys-blueberry-cinnamon-rolls

It's a fermentation chamber. And once you understand what's actually happening inside that bowl of dough overnight, you'll never skip this step again. I just dropped a new lesson this week that breaks down the cold retard from the ground up. Not just what it is. The actual science behind why it makes your bread better in three ways at once: deeper flavor, relaxed gluten that shapes without fighting you, and firm butter that creates clean layers in enriched doughs like the babka we're baking this Saturday. This lesson is directly tied to what we're doing this weekend. If you're mixing your babka dough Friday night and shaping Saturday morning, you're going to feel exactly what this lesson is talking about the moment you touch that cold dough. Watch the video, then come back here and tell me what you noticed when you rolled it out Saturday morning. The recipe links are in the Recipe Pantry. Drop a comment below and let me know which path you're taking this weekend. Path A: Sourdough Chocolate Babka Path B: Holiday Chocolate Babka Path C: Savory Henry ⭐🔥

Enriched dough is something different. When you add fat, eggs, sugar, or dairy to a dough, you've crossed into enriched territory. And everything changes when you do that. The fat coats the gluten strands and slows their development, which is why enriched doughs need more mixing time and often more patience. The eggs add structure and richness and give you that golden crumb you see in brioche and babka. The sugar feeds the yeast but also competes with it, which is why enriched doughs ferment slower than lean ones. The milk adds flavor and tenderness that water simply can't. Here's why this matters for you this week: we're baking babka this Saturday. Babka is an enriched dough. Understanding what's happening inside that dough is what separates a baker who follows a recipe from a baker who understands what they're doing. This week we're going to learn the whole picture. The windowpane test. The cold retard. The filling. The shaping. The bake. By Sunday you'll have a loaf worth sharing and a set of skills you can use on brioche, cinnamon rolls, challah, and milk bread for the rest of your life. Pick your path now so you're ready by Friday. Path A: Sourdough Chocolate Babka Path B: Holiday Chocolate Babka (yeasted) Path C: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/roasted-garlic-gruyere-babka All are in the Recipe Pantry. But don't rely solely on me. Do your homework. See what's out there that might interest you beyond what I'm supplying. Let's have a conversation Bring what you find interesting and we'll talk about it. See you Saturday. Henry ⭐🔥