Last week you made Japanese Milk Bread. The week before that, cinnamon rolls. Both of those bakes taught you something specific: how to handle enriched dough. How butter, eggs, and milk change everything about how dough feels, how it ferments, and how it bakes. This week, we’re putting all of that to work. We’re making Star Bread. If you’ve never seen one, picture this: a soft, buttery, filled bread shaped into a beautiful twisted star pattern that looks like it came out of a professional bakery. It’s the kind of bread people set in the center of a table and just stare at before they tear into it. Here’s the thing. It looks complicated. It’s not. If you made milk bread last week, you already have the hands for this. The dough is familiar. The technique is new, but I’ll walk you through every fold, every cut, every twist. Here’s how the week breaks down: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/henrys-savory-star-bread?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share Tuesday - We talk about laminating fillings into enriched dough. What works, what doesn’t, and why your filling choice matters more than you think. Wednesday - The geometry of star bread. I’ll break down the shaping method so it makes sense before you ever touch dough. Circles, stacking, cutting, twisting. We’ll cover it all. Thursday - Filling options and flavor combinations. Sweet, savory, and a few you haven’t thought of yet. Friday - Prep day. Get your dough made, your filling ready, and your workspace set. We go live Saturday morning. Saturday - Bake-along. You know the drill. I’m here all day. Yeasted and sourdough versions will both be available on the Recipe Pantry. A few weeks ago, some of you had never made enriched dough. Now you’ve done cinnamon rolls and milk bread. Star bread is the next step, and it’s the one that’s going to make people ask “you made that?” when they see it on your counter.

Saturday Bake-Along: Let’s Get After It 🍞 The Full Story of Our Ligurian-Style Focaccia Bake-Along February 14, 2026 | Crust & Crumb Academy Six days ago, I posted a challenge: Ligurian-Style Focaccia with a saltwater brine. A technique most of you had never tried. Dough wetter than you’re used to. A brine poured over dimpled dough that sounds wrong until you taste how right it is. Within hours, the responses started rolling in. "I'm in, Henry." That was Linda Glantz. Then Tracy Havlik: "I'm most definitely in for this bake!" Colleen Vergara saw the word "brine" and responded with a single emoji: 🤯. Donna Angelo echoed it and added, "And I'm in." One by one, thirteen of you committed before you’d even measured your flour. And then you showed up. All of you. 521 comments across two threads. 19 bakers posting photos and progress. 7 days of questions, preparation, and real-time baking. 100% completion rate. Every single person who started this bake finished with focaccia on their counter. Let me tell you how it went down. The Week Before: Building the Foundation The questions started immediately, and they were good ones. Not "can I skip steps" questions. Real, thoughtful questions from bakers who wanted to understand the why. Leigh Skowronski asked about choosing quality olive oil. Michele Nilson shared that she buys from a specialty shop where the oil is never older than six months, imported from Italy. Tracy wanted to know: metal pan or ceramic? I broke it down. Ceramic heats up slower and doesn't give you that initial contact heat on the bottom. Instead of the oil frying the bottom into a crispy crust, the dough is steaming against the surface. That’s why it sticks. Metal or cast iron. That’s what you want. Sandy Chong asked about adding garlic. Colleen jumped in: "I put minced garlic on top when I dimple." The group debated whether raw garlic would burn. Consensus: press it into the dimples with oil protection and you’re golden. Sandy also raised an important health question about the brine and blood pressure. I did the math for everyone. Per slice, you’re looking at roughly a quarter to a third of a gram of salt from the brine alone. About the same as store-bought sandwich bread. You can always skip the Maldon on top if you’re salt-sensitive.

Ligurian focaccia is famous for its dimples and brine, but a few small errors can ruin the texture. The most common mistake is fear of water. If your dough feels too stiff, it won't produce those large, airy bubbles we want. This is a high hydration dough, so keep your hands wet when handling it to prevent sticking rather than adding more flour. Another issue is the bake temperature. If your oven is too cool, the bread dries out before it browns, leaving you with a tough, cracker-like crust. We want a hot oven to spring the dough quickly. If you find your bottom crust is pale while the top is dark, move your rack to the lowest position or use a preheated baking stone. Lastly, don't skimp on the brine. That mixture of salt and water creates the characteristic soft pools on top. If you skip it, the salt just sits on the surface and the crust becomes too hard. If you want to brush up on your dough handling before Saturday, check out the Mastering Yeasted Breads course in the classroom: https://www.skool.com/crust-crumb-academy-7621/classroom/4ed6ba4e?md=53620ef385ab4badae4936597d5714eb 🍞

Erik from Sourhouse is hosting a live Q&A with Jonathan Stevens, six-time James Beard Award–nominated baker and author of The Hungry Ghost Bread Book. If you bake sourdough, this is one of those “don’t miss it” sessions. Tuesday, February 107pm ET Bring your questions. Jonathan has more than 20 years of sourdough experience to share. Recording will be sent to everyone who registers. Register here: https://share.google/puPhbH6CqDs9Q7df3

How could I NOT bake with a starter that looks this good? I personally can’t resist the urge. 🤣🤣🤣So I’m in the kitchen again. Something delicious will be produced shortly. Can you resist baking when you see the bubbles in your starters?