His name is @David Smith . We crossed the line today, bakers. One thousand members. And the seat we'd been holding for that milestone moment now belongs to David, out of Bothell, Washington. David found us through a friend, joined quietly, and is already showing up. He loves fishing, cooking, and learning Greek. The kind of person who appreciates a process that takes time and rewards attention. That tracks with bread, doesn't it. David, welcome. You picked a good crew. Jump into the feed when you're ready and introduce yourself. Tell us what you're hoping to bake, what you've already tried, or what's been giving you trouble. Whatever you bring, this room will meet you where you are. To the rest of you: this milestone belongs to all of us. Every conversation, every Saturday bake-along, every loaf you posted whether it worked or didn't. Every time you answered another baker's question before I got there. That's what one thousand looks like. Shannon at 800. Amanda at 900. David at 1,000. And we're just getting started. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

Most bakers make the same mistake when they try tangzhong for the first time. They cook the paste right, then add it to the dough on top of all the water their recipe already calls for. The result is a sticky mess they can barely shape. The water in your tangzhong counts toward your total hydration. Don't add it. Subtract it. A 1000g recipe at 70% hydration uses 700g water total. Pull 5% of your flour for tangzhong, that's 50g flour and 250g water for the paste. Your main dough then uses 950g flour and 450g water. Same hydration, just redistributed. I put together a full visual guide that walks through the ratio, the right paste consistency, and why 5% is the sweet spot for sandwich loaves. 🔗 https://vowful-lichen-9kw3.here.now/ If you've been fighting tangzhong dough, tell me where it went sideways in the comments. Odds are it was the math, not your technique. ~ Henry ⭐🔥

This is where you take control of your timing. ⏱️ Retard just means slowing fermentation down on purpose, usually by putting your dough in the fridge. ❄️ Cold doesn’t stop fermentation. It slows it. That gives you more time… and a lot more flexibility. 🌾 It also builds flavor. Slow fermentation deepens everything. 🔪 And practically speaking, it firms up your dough so scoring gets easier and cleaner. If you’ve ever felt rushed trying to bake on a schedule that doesn’t fit your life, this is how you fix that. Shape your dough. Put it in the fridge. Bake when you’re ready. That’s retard.

@Amanda Fannin just walked in the door as our 900th member. She started baking sourdough after getting a copy of my book, Sourdough for the Rest of Us. That right there… that’s the full circle. Amanda, welcome. You picked the right place to start. This isn’t about hype. It’s about learning, doing, and getting better one bake at a time. You’re at the beginning of something that can take you as far as you want to go. And we’ll be right here with you every step of the way. To everyone else… look around. 900 bakers who decided to stop guessing and start improving. That’s what this is. Bakers don’t come here to get likes, they come here to get better. ~ Henry ⭐🔥

This is where most people quit. Not because sourdough is hard… but because the starter feels unpredictable. Moody. Slow. Confusing. This will fix that. Watch this 👇 If you’ve ever said “I tried sourdough and it didn’t work…” Start here. ~ Henry ⭐🔥