I get a sweet tooth about this time of night and all I had was a couple of pairs. So, I made a quick Galette. It’s not much to look at right now, but give it 20 minutes. OK, it’s been 20 minutes

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.

This is the bread that started everything for me. I baked this loaf every week for farmers markets, sometimes plain, sometimes loaded with herbs, cheese, or olives. It's the recipe that taught me how one dough can become a dozen different loaves. If you're just getting started or you want a reliable base to build on, this is it. Recipe: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/henrys-market-day-white?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share

OK so if you’ve seen The Jerk with Steve Martin, you know exactly what I looked like yesterday. 😂 I’m scrolling through Skool, minding my own business, and I notice something next to my name. A star. I’m like… what is that? Had to look it up like Steve Martin flipping through that phone book. Here’s what that star means. And it’s a lot. So sit down. 🪑 ⭐ Top 1% of ALL communities on Skool. Out of 191,000 communities on this platform. That’s the star. That’s what it means. Let that sink in for a second. 🍞 #1 bread baking community on Skool. Nobody else on this platform is doing what we’re doing. Not even close. 🏆 And according to ProveWorth, which independently rates and certifies online communities… Crust & Crumb Academy is the #1 rated community on the ENTIRE platform. Not the #1 bread community. Not the #1 food community. The #1 rated community. Period. We are somebody now! 😂🏃‍♂️ But hold on. Let me be real with you. This is NOT MY STAR. There is nothing I could be doing in this community that would earn this if it weren’t for you. I could be in here posting the greatest content ever written about bread and if nobody showed up, nobody engaged, nobody helped each other, nobody posted their bakes, their wins, their “what went wrong” moments… there’s no star. There’s no 5-star rating. There’s nothing. 380+ bakers in just over two months. That’s what did this. YOU did this. 🙌 Every bake-along comment. Every photo, even the ones you almost didn’t post. Every time you jumped in to help someone before I could get there. Every single loaf that was a little better than the last one. That’s the stuff stars are made of. ✨ I wear this star proudly. But I wear it on YOUR behalf. And I promise to keep it shiny. 🌟 Now the word is leaking out, so I wanted you to hear it from me first. This community, what we’ve built together in two months, is something special. Coaching, not cheerleading. Progress, not perfection. Real bakers helping real bakers get better. Rare air. And we’re breathing it together. 💪🍞

My latest blog breaks down what pre-ferments are and the 5 methods every baker should know — from levain to poolish, biga, sponge, and pâte fermentée. Check it out and level up your baking! 🍞👇 https://bakinggreatbread.blog/2026/02/27/what-are-pre-ferments-guide/