Hey friends, I want to take a moment to talk about safety in this community and how we talk to each other here. My goal is simple: keep Crust & Crumb Academy a safe place to learn, share, and grow without anyone feeling pressured, cornered, or pulled into something they didn't sign up for. Lately I've seen some behavior that raises red flags for me, and I want you to know what I'm looking at so you can recognize it too. 🔒 Our Clear Rule All coaching, support, and conversation should stay inside this community or on the official channels I clearly label and link. No member should be asking you to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, or any other private messaging app "because they're not active here." If someone you don't really know tries to do that, especially early in the conversation, treat it as a warning sign. 🚩 Specific Patterns to Watch For Here are some patterns I'm seeing that I consider suspicious and not okay here: A member starting out warm and friendly, responding to your baking story or post, and then dropping a line like: 🔹 "am not usually active on skool easier to chat on telegram @[long string of random characters] and i will be expecting your message" 🔹 Or: "this massive wow i will love us to continue this conversation am not usually active on skool easier to chat on telegram @[long string of random characters] and i will be expecting your message." Notice the broken grammar, the urgency ("I will be expecting your message"), and the immediate push to a private app. That's the pattern. Then there are the probing questions. The kind designed to keep the conversation going and personal: 🔹 "What part stood out to you more first, the look of the food or the branding?" 🔹 "What's been the best part of your day so far?" 🔹 "What do you usually like putting them on the most?" 🔹 "What part made it feel perfect to you?" These questions, on their own, are normal. People in this community ask warm, curious questions all the time. The red flag is when they're paired with repeated attempts to move you to a private app or a DM.

Good morning, bakers. Today's the day. Two tracks, same destination: Yeasted with Poolish — if you started your poolish last night, you're on the dinner-ready timeline. Sourdough — longer build, deeper flavor. Worth the wait. Both recipes finish with the alkaline bath, that mahogany crust, and the snap that makes a pretzel loaf a pretzel loaf. Drop in the thread: - Where you are in the process - Photos as you go (poolish, dough, shaped, boiled, baked, sliced) - Questions, anytime. No question is too small. - Wins. Fails. Everything in between. Quick reminders: - Bread sling or parchment makes the boil-to-oven transfer way easier - Everything topping goes on right after the boil while the surface is wet, not after the bake - 4.7L water, 120g baking soda, rolling boil before you dunk - Watch the crust color, you want deep mahogany, not just brown Adjust to fit your kitchen: If the alkaline bath feels like a lot, or your pot's not big enough, or you're juggling one Dutch oven and trying to make it all work, split the dough into two smaller loaves. Smaller loaves are easier to handle in the bath, easier to bake, and just as tasty. Bake time will come down a bit, so watch the color and the internal temp. Adjust to the situation you're in. The recipe works for you, not the other way around. Both recipes are in the Recipe Pantry. Full video walk-through is on YouTube if you need a refresher. Let's bake. Perfection is not required. Progress is. ~ Henry ⭐🔥

Family. I’m out this afternoon celebrating Ryan’s graduation from FMU. Master’s degree. Proud day. Get your poolish going and feed those starters tonight. Tomorrow is Pretzel Bread Day and you don’t want to be playing catch-up. I’ll be back late tonight from the ceremony. See you in the kitchen. ~Henry ⭐️🔥

Ciabatta breakfast sandwich for dinner.