I have been baking and doing sourdough for 35 years...selling for a little over 20 years. I have always based my business on having the freshest bakes possible...so everything I sell is never more than about 24 hours old. However, due to some health issues, it is getting harder and less sustainable to bake from 3am friday to 3am saturday for farmers markets. Is there any instance under the sun where it is OK to bake half on thursday and half on friday to sell on Saturday? Like, what things are ok to bake Thursday, still be fresh Saturday and be OK for customers to keep out and freeze by monday or tuesday? For markets I take my sourdough artisan loaves, sandwich loaves, scones, focaccia, cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, dinner rolls, pull apart bread, challah, banana bread, muffins, bagels and English Muffins. For orders I bake the night before or the morning of pickup so that is never an issue. If you read all this, thank you! (Pic just because 😆)

If your kitchen is running above 80 degrees right now, everything changes. Your starter is more active. Your dough is fermenting faster. Your bulk fermentation window shrinks. And your proofing schedule from last winter is completely wrong. Here's how to adjust. Feed your starter less frequently or reduce the feeding ratio during peak heat. A starter that normally needs feeding every 12 hours might need it every 6 or 7. Watch the rise, not the clock. Cut your bulk fermentation time by 20 to 30 percent. If you normally do 5 hours at 72 degrees, plan for 3.5 to 4 hours at 85 degrees. You're watching for the same signs (30% rise, bubbles, slightly domed top), just on a faster schedule. For final proof, if your kitchen is over 80 degrees, use the fridge. Cold retard overnight is your friend right now. The dough will tell you when it's ready in the morning. Look for that slight jiggle in the basket. The bread doesn't care about the season. It only cares about temperature and time. You control both. What's your kitchen running today?

I completed the homework in #1.2 of "Who You Serve". This customer profile exercise was enlightening because I learned who I wanted my customers to be. I found I love the artisan style of baking, and my customers are the ones who care about clean ingredients and simplicity. Here is my customer in one sentence: "I create handcrafted artisan breads and goods for people who value real food and thoughtful ingredients." What do you think? Too simple, not enough, or too broad? I would value some honest feedback:) Thank you. @Henry Hunter

henry your direct sale site is amazing. without compare it is the most professional baker's site i've ever seen. around here (chattaroy/spokane) most folks bake seasonally for food fairs or go the f.b. mkt. place route. average price $6-$14. money isn't the issue for me though. decades ago while visiting the seattle farmer's mkt, my son remarked that he'd be happy owning a tiny bread booth and making bread his whole life. i admired the simple honesty of that. well he turned out to be a doctor of bio engineering instead, but still maintains a sour dough starter he developed in the boston u lab. my initial ambition in c&c was to perfect s.d. baking skills my son and i could share during his visits. he say's he's proud of me for joining your club. that matters. however while following that pursuit i seem to have aquired the baking bug that runs in the family. let's see where that leads. recently my local master baker (marshall) transferred, leaving a huge gap in the burgeoning artisan bread market here. combining my vintage restaurant experience, equipment and newly developed skills might make commercial baking worth a try. if i never sell a loaf, my goat bock loves my baking as does the food bank i regularly donate to.

although i'm way behind most of you in baking skills and require a lot of catching up, nevertheless i always try to dress for the position i want, not the one i'm currently in. so thanx henry for allowing me entry.