Today we're baking baguettes. If you've been waiting for the right week to try them, this is it. Here's how the working thread runs: drop in throughout the day, share where you are in the process, post photos, ask questions as they come up. I'll be in and out answering. The whole point is that nobody bakes alone today. A few things to keep in mind before you start: Hydration matters. Baguette dough is wetter than a sandwich loaf and that's on purpose. Don't fight it with extra flour. Trust the folds. Shape with intention. The pre-shape sets up the final shape. Rushing the pre-shape is the number one reason baguettes come out lumpy or uneven. Score with confidence. One quick motion, blade angled almost flat to the dough. Hesitation gives you a torn loaf instead of a clean ear. Steam is non-negotiable. Whatever method you use, get steam in that oven for the first 10 minutes. No steam, no crust, no shine. If you need the recipe, here it is: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/ Drop your starting time below so we can see who's mixing when. Photos welcome at every stage. Floury counters, ugly pre-shapes, perfect oven spring, all of it. Let's bake. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

I know this week is supposed to be baguettes, but I’ve been dreaming of a Savory Garlic and Gruyère Sourdough Babka for weeks. (And I realized I didn’t make enough levain for the baguette recipe 🤪)

I needed a confidence booster with my sourdough baking. I do what I know works best for me and that is focaccia, even though it is a high hydration dough. It is very resistant and forgiving. For some unknown reason, it always works to my favor to which I am blessed. I made a savoury one today to be gifted to my neighbor as she just lost her mom. I wanted to do something special for her and she loves my focaccia. She loves it simple and I honor her request. Otherwise, I would have jazzed it up and be creative again. I added rosemary, garlic and cherry tomatoes as this is her favorite. I was fascinated to find these colorful cherry tomatoes and supposedly organic. I wish it looked just as pretty before it was baked. After baking it, it loses it's attractiveness. This is my opinion only as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

This weekend we're going to baguettes. And there's a reason we're getting to them now. Look at what we've done the past two weeks. We learned the couche on ciabatta. We built a poolish for that same ciabatta and watched what an overnight pre-ferment does to flavor and extensibility. Both of those skills carry straight over to baguettes. We're not learning new things this weekend. We're putting the same tools to work in a new shape. That's the method. Each bake builds on the last one. Nothing wasted. Three recipes in the Recipe Pantry. Pick the one that matches where you are. 🥖 New to baguettes? Start here. Classic French Bread Baguette — four ingredients, overnight cold ferment, 72% hydration. Two loaves, cleanest entry point in the pantry. No pre-ferment, no starter. Just dough, time, and shape. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/french-bread-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Liked the poolish ciabatta? Run it back. Classic Poolish Baguette — same poolish you just built, in a new shape. 12 to 16 hour pre-ferment, 75% hydration, three baguettes. If you nailed the ciabatta, you already know how this dough is going to feel. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-poolish-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Sourdough bakers, this one's yours. Sourdough Baguettes — overnight levain, 75% hydration, three baguettes at 265g. Same shaping rhythm we practiced on the ciabatta couche. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share

If you're new here, the Saturday Bake-Along might look a little chaotic at first. That's because it is. But it's organized chaos, and once you understand how it works, you'll see why it's the heartbeat of this community. Every Saturday morning, we all bake the same recipe together. In real time. One thread. Hundreds of comments. Questions, troubleshooting, wins, disasters, and everything in between. This isn't a show-and-tell. It's a working thread. You post your dough at every stage. You ask questions when you're stuck. You help someone else when you spot something they missed. We coach each other through it. By Sunday afternoon, you'll have baked something you didn't think you could pull off, and you'll have learned more in one weekend than most people learn in a month of solo baking. Watch the video. Then jump in next Saturday. You don't need to be good. You just need to show up. ~ Henry ⭐🔥