Hoping sometime tomorrow, I’ll be able to jump in and start the baguettes. A friend of mine dropped me off a case of homegrown tomatoes because I mentioned to her I wanted to make some homemade salsa. That’s the first thing. But baguettes are something I’ve struggled with and shaping. So hoping I can do this. On the second note in three days, Henry has reached 48% of his goal to be able to go see Ryan and Kansas. It’s amazing that and only three days it got to 48% and I’m sure he is overwhelmed. Any amount is appreciated small amounts add up to big amounts. And you can also donate anonymous. So again, let’s help Henry get to Kansas.Thanks

A week ago I shared a personal post here about Ryan's road to NCAA Nationals. I want to take a moment today, while a lot of you are in the house, to thank every single one of you who reached out, donated, shared, or sent a quiet "rooting for him." It meant more than I can put into a short post. This community continues to surprise me in the best way. A few new chapters since that first post. This past Monday at FMU's 56th Annual Athletic Gala, Ryan was named Men's Outdoor Track and Field Most Valuable Player for the third year in a row (2024, 2025, 2026). Out of 17 sports and dozens of MVP awards across the department, only four athletes earned a repeat MVP this year. Ryan was one of them. Quiet kid, loud résumé. Last weekend at the Conference Carolinas Championships, he won his third conference title in the javelin. He holds six school records at FMU and currently sits among the top javelin throwers in NCAA Division II. In three weeks he competes at the NCAA Division II National Championships at Welch Stadium in Emporia, Kansas. Two weeks after that, he receives his master's degree. The NCAA is covering Ryan's trip. I'm covering mine. I'd like to be in the stands. For those who've asked how to follow along or help: - Ryan's story page (with recognition for the businesses who've stepped up): https://faith-field-flow.lovable.app - The GoFundMe is still active for parent travel: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-cheer-ryan-at-ncaa-nationals Sharing helps as much as giving. And honestly, just knowing you're cheering with us means a lot. Back to baguettes. — Henry ⭐🔥

🥖 Dough Master 🏆 Score: 850 🎯 Accuracy: 70% 🔥 Best Streak: 6 ⭐ Level: Home Baker #DoughMaster #BreadKnowledge #CrustAndCrumb

Y’all! I’m not complaining, just offering encouragement to anyone struggling today or tomorrow or even the day after. I posted my experience with trying to make a sourdough discard loaf earlier this week that resulted in tasty focaccia. I decided to try again this morning since I had some starter to use up. This dough was beautiful, and I was so impressed with the windowpane. I thought, let me get a picture/video of it. I propped my phone on a Weck jar (like I always do), but it wasn’t in the cards for that dough to become bread. Yep! My phone tumbled off the jar, right onto my dough!! Have you ever seen what happens to a phone when it face plants into sourdough? I’m so thankful I had a screen protector on it so I could just peel the mess off once I got it separated from the dough. That dough ended up in the trash, but I didn’t give up! I just finished my last set of folds on my 3rd attempt at a loaf of sourdough bread this week. I got an even better windowpane with this dough, so I WIN! Don’t give up, no matter what!

There are three ways to make a baguette at home. Yeasted, poolish, and sourdough. They all end up looking like the same loaf, but the journeys are completely different. In this video I walk you through all three. Who each one is for, when it makes sense to pick which path, and the three things that matter more than the recipe itself. If you've ever stood in your kitchen wondering which baguette you should actually start with, this is the breakdown you've been looking for. Pick yours for this weekend's bake-along: 🥖 No starter? Start here. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/french-bread-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Want bakery flavor without managing a starter? https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-poolish-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Active starter ready to go? https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share We've been climbing this staircase for three weeks. Couche on the ciabatta. Poolish on the ciabatta. Now scoring and the roll-out shape on the baguettes. Nothing wasted. Watch the video. Pick your path. Drop questions before you bake. Easier to fix dough than crust. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Come bake with us. — Henry ⭐🔥