Good morning, bakers. Today’s Ciabatta Bake is happening, and I just posted the recipe above. If you’re baking along and run into questions, weird dough behavior, timing issues, or just want a second set of eyes, leave it right here in this thread. Recipe: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/quick-ciabatta?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share This will be our working chat for the day so everyone can see the questions and the fixes in real time. I’ll be checking in all day. If it makes sense later, I may pop open a short live, but for now this is home base. Let’s bake.

Tomorrow's the day. If you're joining the ciabatta bake, here's what you need to know: Start whenever you're ready. I'll be here all day to walk you through it, answer questions, and help troubleshoot. No set start time. Just jump in when your morning allows. Before tomorrow: - Read through the recipe so there are no surprises - If you're using Krusty, click "Bake with Me" and hit the microphone. Have a conversation with him. Ask questions. Let him help you prep. Here is the recipe: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/quick-ciabatta?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share About that special equipment... Tomorrow's bake calls for a couche, and most home bakers don't have one. Don't panic. A pillowcase works great. So does a heavy linen towel. What you need is something sturdy that you can shake flour off easily. When I teach this bread, I use a pillowcase myself. Here's why it matters: normally when I say "lightly floured surface," I'm being cautious because extra flour throws off your recipe. With ciabatta, that rule doesn't apply. All that flour stays on the outside of the bread, and you absolutely need it. Flour liberally. Don't be shy. You'll also need two bench scrapers (or dough scrapers). You're going to use them to lift and move the dough. The less you handle ciabatta with your hands, the better. Those bubbles you worked so hard to develop during fermentation? You want to keep them. I'll post a quick video showing how to set up and use your couche (or pillowcase) so you're ready. See you tomorrow. Let's bake. Saint Germain Bakery Premium Professional Bakers Extra Large Couche 35"x26" from France - Heavy Duty Proofing Cloth 100% Natural Flax Linen: https://amzn.to/4pLpBvE

Week3 January Challenge

I’m still amazed that I finally made my own sourdough starter, and tonight I baked the second loaf from Dough Licious. Between the blisters, the belly and ear are sweet, but look at that crumb!

I knew joining Crust & Crumb Academy would improve my bread baking, over time. I knew I would eventually pick up new techniques that would take my bread from good to great. I knew my understanding of the bread making process would grow to the point that I would know what changes I needed to make to produce loaves I could be proud of and create consistently. What I didn’t know is that I would see amazing results in just 8 days! So far: 1) I understand better when to use my starter for the results I want, 2) I’ve seen the difference between putting all of the ingredients in a bowl and mixing them, autolyse and fermentolyse and the benefits of each, 3) have the ability to control the Final Dough Temperature of my dough and 4) how to go from pale loaves to beautiful, brown and blistered crusts. I could go on and on, but these are the highlights and biggest game changers. After numerous failed attempts, I successfully started my first sourdough starter, Dough Licious. Not only is it growing beautifully, but I’ve already baked my first loaf of bread with it. It isn’t just any loaf of bread either; it’s 80% hydration, which has been a struggle in the past. This loaf is the second video. To go from pale bakes to deep brown loaves, I upped my baking temp for the first 25 minutes of the bake and preheated my oven longer. These minor edits to the baking process gave me these drastic improvements. @Henry Hunter, I truly can’t thank you enough for starting this community, inviting me to join, providing the resources for us and being with us each step of the way!