4th of July weekend edition Croissants tomorrow, and I won’t sugarcoat it. A big chunk of the country is sitting under a heat advisory right now, so this bake starts on hard mode before we even touch butter. Lamination is a cold-weather craft, and your kitchen is working against you. That’s fine. We plan around it. ❄️ Here’s the rule for tomorrow: Cold butter. Cold dough. Cold hands. Heat is the enemy of every layer you’re trying to build. A few things that will save your bake: 🧊 Clear a shelf in the fridge tonight Don’t wait until your dough is warming on the counter to go shuffling jars around. Make the space now so when it’s time to chill, you just slide it in and walk away. 🧈 Learn the bend test Your butter block should bend, not break. Pull it from the fridge a few minutes early and press it. If it cracks and shatters, it’s too cold and will tear right through your dough. If it’s greasy and soft, it’s too warm and will squeeze out the sides. You want it pliable and cool, like cold modeling clay. ⚠️ Watch for the warning signs If the butter starts to grease out, if it tears through the dough, if the layers smear instead of staying distinct, or if the dough goes slack and sticky, stop. That’s your dough telling you it’s too warm. Wrap it, chill everything 20 minutes, and come back. You are laminating, not fighting. 🥶 The fridge is your friend. The freezer is not. I know the instinct in this heat is to slam everything in the freezer to catch up fast. Don’t. The freezer chills the outside hard while the center stays soft, so you get uneven dough that behaves worse, not better. The refrigerator cools it evenly all the way through. Slower is the whole point. ⏱️ Plan your rests Build extra chill breaks into your day tomorrow. In this weather you’ll need more of them, and that’s not a failure. That’s smart baking. Keep your folds square, keep your rolling even, and don’t chase perfection on your first batch. We’re all learning this one together. 📸 Drop your questions below and I’ll answer through the morning.

I made the baguette (poolish) recipe 2 days ago and yesterday made the French bread. My French bread was so soft and sticky, and I'm not sure why. That's not my question.. I love in TN and you can cut the air with a knife right now. But, my French Loaves are so soft and delicious. What makes the difference in the hard chewiness of the baguette versus the French bread? Is it just the water? Because it a bit sloppy and I wasn't sure if it would rise in the oven, but I like how soft they turned out. So my guess is the high water content? Family is taking them to church as sandwiches tonight. I just really want to understand the science. I'd love some day to not have to look up recipes but to know generally what I'm doing. Thanks!

Does anyone else make their own yogurt, and use the whey in their bread? I just started making Greek yogurt again, and I always used it the whey in my yeast breads. I will be trying it in my SD, but has anyone used it in their starter? I would think it would be a good thing, like it is in the bread, but I don’t want to risk killing Myrtle. So has anyone used whey , instead of water in their starter?

With every changing season we need to pivot with it to ensure the best care for our starters. In the summer months it’s not the humidity that affects our starters, it’s the temperature! Yes, the humidity affects the hydration of our dough by increasing it but that’s not true for the starter. For those of us keeping our starters on the counter, paying closer attention to the ambient temperature can mean the difference between a yeast forward starter or a lactobacillus bacteria forward one which will affect the taste and performance of your starter. If your starter is negatively affected by warmer temperatures that are causing peaks to happen faster and in turn ending up hungry ( thin & watery) before your normal feed time then your breads will tell the story. When this happens you’re creating more lactobacillus bacteria, more acidity, losing wild yeast and threatening the overall health of your starter. Every great loaf begins with the health of your starter. If the temperatures are fluctuating or are now warmer than before then your peak times are varying and can be unpredictable. So my advice to protect the health of your starter, regulate peak times and control the temperature of and around your starter, invest in either a proofing box that has a temperature range as low as 70*f or a sourdough home or a cozy starter jar warmer. OR if you have a space somewhere, anywhere in your home where the temperature constantly stays between 72-80*f, keep it there at all times 0.7cu ft Foldable Dough Proofing Box Heater 100W, Sourdough Starter Warmer with PID Temperature Control & NTC Sensor, 34–122°F Range &1 Min –96 Hrs Timer, Fermentation Box for Sourdough, Yogurt, Natto https://a.co/d/084AHflb Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home https://a.co/d/04ZrzCw0 Cozy Bread® Starter Jar Warmer - Round Warming Mat & Insulation Cylinder | Perfect for Fermenting Sourdough Starter | USA Brand https://a.co/d/0j3TPH0j

I'm taking my first foray into making focaccia, hoping to add this as our first bread to sell at market. I'm using Henry's Market Day Focaccia recipe, and it calls for an overnight cold proof. I have quite a busy morning tomorrow, so I'd like to bake it tonight if possible. Is there a way I can bake it tonight and skip the cold proof this time? I'll be able to cold proof in the future, but want to give this a try first.