This is the step most people rush. And it's the one that determines whether your Japanese Milk Bread looks like it came out of a bakery or like something went sideways. So before we bake together this weekend, I want to make sure everyone is set up and confident. I put together a short video covering everything you need to know. Watch it before Saturday. Here's what we cover: The Sharpie method for precision dividing, the three-piece shaping technique, how to degas properly, seam placement, and why snug rolls in the pan matter more than most people realize. We also cover pan options because I've been getting a lot of questions about this. Standard 9x5 Loaf Pan: Use the recipe as written. Three rolls, proof until one inch above the rim. This gives you the classic domed top with three humps. In Japan they call this Yama style, which means mountain. Pullman Pan with Lid On: Fill it 65 percent full before proofing. Proof until the dough just touches the lid. Bake with the lid on and remove it for the last five to ten minutes if you want some color. This gives you the perfectly square Kaku style loaf, ideal for sandwiches and toast. Pullman Pan with Lid Off: Same setup, lid stays off the whole time. You get straight sides with a domed top. The best of both styles. The universal rule for any pan: Fill it 60 to 65 percent full before proofing and let the dough do the rest. Scaling quick reference: 8x4 pan → scale to 0.85x, about 535g of dough 9x5 pan → use recipe as written, about 630g of dough 13x4 Pullman → scale to 1.5x, about 945g of dough Each piece should weigh right around 190g at the default scaling. Weigh your bowl ahead of time, write the weight on the bottom with a Sharpie, and you'll know your exact dough weight every single time. The full recipe is right here: 👉 https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/japanese-milk-bread?variant=yeasted Watch the video, get your ingredients together, and I'll see you Saturday. Drop your pan question in the comments below if you've got one and let's get everyone sorted before the weekend.

Hey everyone, I'm going to be honest with you. I've been out of town for a day and a half and I'm playing catch-up this morning. But we're rolling. This is your overview for the week. We're making Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan) on Saturday, and if you baked cinnamon rolls with us last weekend, you already know the most important technique in this recipe. More content is coming out this afternoon and we'll follow our normal schedule the rest of the week. I'm working through your messages now, so if you've reached out, I see you and I'm getting to it. In the meantime, the full overview lesson is dropping in the Classroom shortly with the history, the science, and exactly what we're covering each day leading up to Saturday's bake. 📖 Full recipe (yeasted and sourdough versions): https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/japanese-milk-bread?variant=yeasted More this afternoon. Let's have a great week. 🙌

A lot of you came from Facebook. I run Baking Great Bread at Home over there, 40,000+ members, and I love that community. But I want to be honest about something. On Facebook, you often get one of two things: criticism without substance or compliments without critique. Someone posts a loaf and the comments are either "Beautiful!" when there's clearly something going on, or unhelpful jabs that don't teach you anything. People mean well. They're trying to be kind. But kindness without honesty doesn't make you a better baker. This is a different place. Crust & Crumb Academy is exactly that: an academy. This is where you come to hone your skills and get better. That means when you ask for feedback, you're going to get it. Real feedback. Specific feedback. The kind that actually helps you improve. I'll always be kind. I'll always be encouraging. But you're not going to get empty platitudes from me. If I see something in your crumb, your shaping, your scoring, I'm going to tell you what it is and how to fix it. That's what coaches do. And I want you to do the same for each other. When someone posts a bake and asks for critique, give them something useful. Tell them what you see. Ask questions. Share what's worked for you. That's how we all get better. This is a teaching environment. We're not here to collect compliments. We're here to make better bakers. Perfection is not required. But growth is the goal. Let's get to work. ~Henry