Hi guys! I just wanna share my yeast water loaf journey. I started the yeast water made with organic blueberries on 2/16/26 Kindly took care of my stater with patience. The fruit started float to the top on Day 4 with a bubbly , color changed to pink , and the smell like a sparkle blueberry drink. Then, Day 8 , I decided to mix the dough at 6 am . I was pretty nervous because I was not sure if my yeast water was ready. I made it with out added a dry yeast. After following the instructions, when I waited for the first bulk fermentation. I checked the dough pretty often. Of course, I was curious if it’s gonna work. Yeah.. I saw the bubbly on the dough. I kept checking the poke test after 5 pm. ( it was pretty sticky) Then 6 p.m. I pre shaped the dough, after 20 minutes, I shaped it , and directly rest in the fridge over night. The nervous part was the time to bake. Of course, after I learned from the last time I baked the classic loaf (I forgot to turn the heat down) . I kept checking the oven temperatures. Yes! I think I nailed it! Thank you Henry for the techniques you post on the recipe. I want to tell everyone that if you kindly pay attention every steps, read all the details from the recipe. It worths it. #Your First Yeast Water Loaf

@Henry Hunter my first attempt to make the sourdough classic bread gone crazy 🤣🤦‍♀️ I forgot to turn the heat down to 450F when I took the lid off. Look at that burned loaf! Omg! I will show the crumb when it completely cooled down. Updated! With the crumb pretty gummy. The recipe calls for 500 F Lid on = 20 minutes Lid off 450 F= 25-30 minutes , but I forgot to turn the oven down to 450 F when I took the lid off, so I had to take my bread out of the oven in 15 minutes Because it getting burned. Anyway, the internal temperature hit to 205F

Yeast water updated! The smell so blueberries. The water changed the color, and the little bubbles in there!

@Henry Hunter I am about to start my yeast water, but I struggle with picking fruits. - Apple - Blueberries - Strawberries - Mango - Banana Which one do you recommend ?

Saturday Bake-Along: Let’s Get After It 🍞 The Full Story of Our Ligurian-Style Focaccia Bake-Along February 14, 2026 | Crust & Crumb Academy Six days ago, I posted a challenge: Ligurian-Style Focaccia with a saltwater brine. A technique most of you had never tried. Dough wetter than you’re used to. A brine poured over dimpled dough that sounds wrong until you taste how right it is. Within hours, the responses started rolling in. "I'm in, Henry." That was Linda Glantz. Then Tracy Havlik: "I'm most definitely in for this bake!" Colleen Vergara saw the word "brine" and responded with a single emoji: 🤯. Donna Angelo echoed it and added, "And I'm in." One by one, thirteen of you committed before you’d even measured your flour. And then you showed up. All of you. 521 comments across two threads. 19 bakers posting photos and progress. 7 days of questions, preparation, and real-time baking. 100% completion rate. Every single person who started this bake finished with focaccia on their counter. Let me tell you how it went down. The Week Before: Building the Foundation The questions started immediately, and they were good ones. Not "can I skip steps" questions. Real, thoughtful questions from bakers who wanted to understand the why. Leigh Skowronski asked about choosing quality olive oil. Michele Nilson shared that she buys from a specialty shop where the oil is never older than six months, imported from Italy. Tracy wanted to know: metal pan or ceramic? I broke it down. Ceramic heats up slower and doesn't give you that initial contact heat on the bottom. Instead of the oil frying the bottom into a crispy crust, the dough is steaming against the surface. That’s why it sticks. Metal or cast iron. That’s what you want. Sandy Chong asked about adding garlic. Colleen jumped in: "I put minced garlic on top when I dimple." The group debated whether raw garlic would burn. Consensus: press it into the dimples with oil protection and you’re golden. Sandy also raised an important health question about the brine and blood pressure. I did the math for everyone. Per slice, you’re looking at roughly a quarter to a third of a gram of salt from the brine alone. About the same as store-bought sandwich bread. You can always skip the Maldon on top if you’re salt-sensitive.