Ask and you shall receive. I created a cheat sheet you can print and stick on your refrigerator, tuck into your baking notebook, or keep wherever you bake. It covers all five washes, what each one does, when to use it, and the quick decision guide so you never have to guess again. It's in the classroom under Baker's Fundamentals. Go grab it. Same dough. Different wash. Completely different crust. Now you'll always know which one to reach for.

I'm working a piece that will give you guys some latitude on what to include in your Starbread this weekend. The opportunities here are truly endless. Stay tuned

We just hit a milestone, and Kalamau from Honolulu gets the honors. She joined today with a simple goal: learn how to bake her own bread. That's exactly what this place is built for. Kalamau, you picked the right community. Whether you've never touched a bag of flour or you're just looking for a better path to a great loaf, we've got you covered. Start with the courses, jump into the Saturday bake-alongs, ask every question that comes to mind. Nobody here bites (we just bake). 400 members. Every single one of you makes this community what it is. Let's show Kalamau what Crust & Crumb is all about. Welcome home. 🍞 Drop a 🤙 below to welcome our newest baker from Hawaii!

I was in Winston-Salem for Ryan’s track meet and while I was there I swung by Camino Bakery, owned by Cary Clifford. Here’s what got me: Cary started baking out of her home kitchen. Then a coffee shop basement. Then in 2011 she opened her first real location on Fourth Street, and today Camino has multiple spots across Winston-Salem, known for handcrafted breads, croissants, pastries, and seriously good coffee. That’s the journey right there. I shot a quick walkthrough video so you can see what they’re doing. The bread, the space, the vibe. It’s the kind of place that feels like a neighborhood, which is exactly what we’re building here in the Academy, just in a different way. If you’ve ever thought about taking your baking beyond your kitchen, watch this and let it sit with you. More on that conversation coming soon.

I've got something new dropping inside the Academy, and I think you're going to love it. Meet Rachel Parker — your new favorite storyteller, and the host of our brand new podcast series: Breaking Bread with Rachel Parker. So what IS this? Breaking Bread is a short-form storytelling podcast — each episode is just 5 to 8 minutes long — built for bakers who want to go deeper than recipes and techniques. Rachel is going to take you on a journey through the hidden history, myths, superstitions, and legends that live inside every loaf of bread you've ever baked. Think of it as sitting around a fire with someone who knows all the good stories — except the stories are all about bread. What kind of stories are we talking about? Things like: 🍞 Why placing a baguette upside-down on your table was once considered a death omen — and what the executioner had to do with it ✝️ The quiet blessing that European bakers traced over every loaf before cutting it — and why it went way beyond religion 🪙 The Christmas bread with a coin baked inside — and what happened to the family who found it ⚔️ The role bread played in revolutions, famines, and wars 🌙 Bread spirits, haunted loaves, miracle ovens, and kitchen magic from cultures all over the world Every episode is a single story — tight, vivid, and told with warmth and a little whimsy. Perfect for a commute, a rest between folds, or whenever you want to feel connected to the long, beautiful history of bakers before us. Why bread stories? Because bread isn't just food. It never was. It's been currency, prayer, punishment, protection, and community. It's been placed in tombs, baked for gods, marked for the condemned, and broken over tables to seal a peace. Every culture on earth has a bread story. And most of us who bake — really bake — already feel that. There's something alive in this craft. Rachel is here to put words to that feeling. Where do I find it? New episodes will drop right here in the Academy, and also on our YouTube channel. Each episode will come with a discussion prompt because honestly, some of these stories are going to make you want to talk — and this is the place to do it.