Right after that runaway poolish, I caught my breath, scraped the counter, and pulled the camera back out. Made a short video walking through how to actually read a poolish when it’s ready. The bubbles, the dome, the dip in the middle, the smell, the texture. All the cues your dough is giving you that most new bakers miss. There’s a fun moment in there too. I show what happens when you put a dry finger in versus a wet hand. One sticks like glue, the other comes out clean. Wet hands, every time. That’s the move that saves your sanity when you’re working with sticky dough. Posting it here in a few minutes. Watch for it. Henry ⭐🔥

I fell asleep at my desk Friday night. Woke up at 6:55 with keyboard creases on my face and the working thread already moving without me. That’s the story of Week 17. Not the bread. The bakers who decided to show up scared and bake anyway. 🥖 1,869 comments in the working thread 🥖 ~10,300 interactions across the week 🥖 63 new bakers 🥖 954 members and counting First-timers got cheered into next week. Robert Caldas baked the loaf he didn’t think he was ready for. Stacey said it best: “Never let the ‘F’ word ‘Fear’ stop you.” The full recap, every name, every story, lives here: 👉 https://lemon-diner-3mj4.here.now/ To everyone who climbed a step this week — next Saturday we climb the next one. ~ Henry ⭐🔥

Today we're baking baguettes. If you've been waiting for the right week to try them, this is it. Here's how the working thread runs: drop in throughout the day, share where you are in the process, post photos, ask questions as they come up. I'll be in and out answering. The whole point is that nobody bakes alone today. A few things to keep in mind before you start: Hydration matters. Baguette dough is wetter than a sandwich loaf and that's on purpose. Don't fight it with extra flour. Trust the folds. Shape with intention. The pre-shape sets up the final shape. Rushing the pre-shape is the number one reason baguettes come out lumpy or uneven. Score with confidence. One quick motion, blade angled almost flat to the dough. Hesitation gives you a torn loaf instead of a clean ear. Steam is non-negotiable. Whatever method you use, get steam in that oven for the first 10 minutes. No steam, no crust, no shine. If you need the recipe, here it is: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/ Drop your starting time below so we can see who's mixing when. Photos welcome at every stage. Floury counters, ugly pre-shapes, perfect oven spring, all of it. Let's bake. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

Tomorrow we bake. Put on your air pods, your headphones Or just turn it up in the background while you putter around. This is worth listening to. 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. If you're going sourdough, your levain should be on your counter or going on it later today. If you're going poolish, mix yours this afternoon between 4 and 8 pm. If you're going yeasted, mix your dough tonight before bed and put it in the fridge. Mine's already working. Should be yours too. If you've got questions before tomorrow, drop them here. Anything. Shaping, scoring, steam, hydration, starter, timing. No question is too small. Easier to answer it now than to fix dough at 6 am tomorrow. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵: 🥖 The video that walks through all three baguettes: https://youtu.be/KjcdKbwxZJc 🥖 The shaping technique: [insert link to Thursday's shaping post] 🥖 The three recipes: Yeasted: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/french-bread-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share Poolish: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-poolish-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share Sourdough: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗟𝗘𝗧'𝗦 𝗚𝗢! — Henry ⭐🔥

I have a question. I was doing essentially the same recipe as Henry's Foolproof Sourdough Loaf (using 380g of water instead of 375g but all the other ingredients are the same. Fermentolyse for 30 minutes then folds at 30 min, 60min, 90 min and 120 minutes. Then I was leaving the dough in bulk fermentation until about 75%, then shape in the banneton and cold retard until the next day as Henry is suggesting. Is this a wrong or inappropriate way to do it ?