A different kind of post today. I'll be back to baguettes tomorrow. Some of you have followed Ryan's track and field journey through posts here over the years. He just won his third Conference Carolinas Championship in the javelin, set the conference meet record, and was named FMU Team MVP for the third year in a row. In three weeks he competes at the NCAA Division II National Championships at Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas. Two weeks after that, he receives his master's degree. The NCAA is covering his trip. I'm covering mine. I'd like to be in the stands. A handful of folks have asked how they can help. Here's what I've put in place. Cleared in writing by FMU compliance. None of it goes to Ryan. Every dollar is for parent travel. If you want to follow Ryan's story, his page is here: https://faith-field-flow.lovable.app If you want to chip in for the trip: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-cheer-ryan-at-ncaa-nationals Sharing helps as much as giving. Thank you for being part of this. Back to baguettes tomorrow. — Henry ⭐🔥

I just dropped a new video walking through the three baguette paths. Yeasted. Poolish. Sourdough. Same shape. Three completely different stories. If you've been wondering which one to bake this weekend, watch this first. It'll save you from picking wrong. Here's the short version of what's in it. The baguette isn't really one bread. It's three breads sharing a shape. And the skills stack on top of each other. Yeasted teaches you the shape and the score. Poolish teaches you what time and pre-fermentation do to dough. Sourdough teaches you to read the wild yeast. You don't have to walk it in that order. But the climb's a whole lot easier when you take it one step at a time. Three things stay the same no matter which one you pick: 1. The shape. A 14 to 16-inch roll, tapered at the ends. 2. The score. Three or four overlapping cuts at a 30 to 45-degree angle. 3. The steam. The crust sets in the first 10 minutes. Without steam, your loaf can't expand. What changes is your relationship with time. That's really the choice you're making when you pick a recipe. Not a different bread. A different level of time and dough management. Pick yours for this weekend's bake-along: 🥖 No starter? Start here. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/french-bread-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Want bakery-level flavor without managing a starter? https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-poolish-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Active starter ready to go? https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share

I needed a confidence booster with my sourdough baking. I do what I know works best for me and that is focaccia, even though it is a high hydration dough. It is very resistant and forgiving. For some unknown reason, it always works to my favor to which I am blessed. I made a savoury one today to be gifted to my neighbor as she just lost her mom. I wanted to do something special for her and she loves my focaccia. She loves it simple and I honor her request. Otherwise, I would have jazzed it up and be creative again. I added rosemary, garlic and cherry tomatoes as this is her favorite. I was fascinated to find these colorful cherry tomatoes and supposedly organic. I wish it looked just as pretty before it was baked. After baking it, it loses it's attractiveness. This is my opinion only as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This weekend we're going to baguettes. And there's a reason we're getting to them now. Look at what we've done the past two weeks. We learned the couche on ciabatta. We built a poolish for that same ciabatta and watched what an overnight pre-ferment does to flavor and extensibility. Both of those skills carry straight over to baguettes. We're not learning new things this weekend. We're putting the same tools to work in a new shape. That's the method. Each bake builds on the last one. Nothing wasted. Three recipes in the Recipe Pantry. Pick the one that matches where you are. 🥖 New to baguettes? Start here. Classic French Bread Baguette — four ingredients, overnight cold ferment, 72% hydration. Two loaves, cleanest entry point in the pantry. No pre-ferment, no starter. Just dough, time, and shape. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/french-bread-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Liked the poolish ciabatta? Run it back. Classic Poolish Baguette — same poolish you just built, in a new shape. 12 to 16 hour pre-ferment, 75% hydration, three baguettes. If you nailed the ciabatta, you already know how this dough is going to feel. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-poolish-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Sourdough bakers, this one's yours. Sourdough Baguettes — overnight levain, 75% hydration, three baguettes at 265g. Same shaping rhythm we practiced on the ciabatta couche. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share

We've got a lot of new faces in here lately, and I want to make sure everyone knows about one of the best things we do together every week. The Saturday Bake-Along. Every Saturday, we bake together. Not in the same kitchen, but in real time, sharing the process as it happens. You post your dough, your shaping, your score, your crumb. We cheer, we troubleshoot, we celebrate. It's the heartbeat of this community. But here's what makes this different from just showing up on Saturday and winging it. We bring you along all week. Monday through Friday, I'm in here with tips, techniques, vocabulary, and prep content specifically designed to get you ready. If there's a featured recipe or focus, I post it early so you have time to feed your starter, gather your ingredients, and understand what you're making before you ever touch the dough. By the time Saturday arrives, you're not guessing. You know the process. You've seen it broken down. You've had your questions answered. You show up prepared. Friday, feed your starter, get your ingredients together, and if you're doing a cold retard, mix your dough the night before. Saturday, we bake. Post your progress throughout the day. Dough shots, shaping, oven spring, crumb reveals. All of it. I'm in here watching and responding in real time. No pressure to be perfect. Never has been. Just show up, follow along, and bake something. We'll meet you where you are. This community doesn't let you walk in unprepared. That's kind of the whole point. See you Saturday. 🍞