Good morning, bakers! The doors are open. Today's bake: Cranberry Walnut Loaf, and you get to choose your lane. 🥖 Yeasted version: https://recipepantry.app/recipes/cranberry-walnut-sourdough?variant=yeasted 🍞 Sourdough version: https://recipepantry.app/recipes/cranberry-walnut-sourdough New around here? Here's how the bake-along works. Bake at your own pace, all day long. Post pictures of your bread and your baking process right here in this thread. Questions, concerns, substitution issues, bring them all. I do my best to get back to every one of you, and when I can't, the knowledgeable folks in this community always jump in and help out. That's what makes this place what it is. We've spent the week talking substitutions, so here's the short version. Make this recipe yours. Add your inclusions after the first fold, once you've built some gluten. Some of you like to wait and do it during a lamination at the end, right before shaping. Both work. If the dough tears when you add them, it just needs more folds first. The recipe exists to make you successful, not to box you in. My bake: I swapped the Cranberries for Craisins (soaked 30 minutes before they went in) and added some baker's chocolate, because why not. Drop your first photo when your dough is mixed. Let's see that bread. 👇 Henry⭐🔥

4 bakers just won a 5 lb bag of grain from Grand Teton Ancient Grains: • @Angela Sides-McKay (MI): 5 lb bag, Soft White Wheat • @Noah Trent (WA): 5 lb bag, Khorasan • @Jana Hassett (Michigan): 5 lb bag, Soft White Wheat • @Linda Glantz (New York): 5 lb bag, Soft White Wheat Congratulations. Winners, check your email for a private claim link. Tell us where to ship and which grain you want. Next drawing is Friday, October 23. Finish one lesson and you're in. Every verified point is one more entry, and you can only win one 5 lb bag, so new names keep coming up. Haven't started? The lessons are short and free: https://challenge.bakinggreatbread.com/#lessons Already registered? Find your entry and see your progress: https://challenge.bakinggreatbread.com/#me

Quick change of plan. The calendar had us making Halloween breads this week, the Mummy Wrapped Breadsticks and the Witch’s Broom Pretzels. Those two are still waiting in the Pantry, and they’re a great one for you and the kids or grandkids to do together whenever you want a fun bake. But I’ve been looking at where this community is right now, and I think we’re ready to take on something bigger. This week we’re baking cranberry walnut bread, and I believe it’s the loaf that carries this holiday season. You pick your route. Sourdough or yeasted, same loaf. 🥖 Sourdough: https://recipepantry.app/recipes/cranberry-walnut-sourdough Build your levain Thursday night, mix Friday morning, shape that afternoon, and let it cold proof in the fridge overnight. Bake Saturday morning. 🥖 Yeasted: https://recipepantry.app/recipes/cranberry-walnut-sourdough?variant=yeasted No starter needed. Mix Friday evening, shape before bed, fridge overnight, bake Saturday morning. Before the weekend, grab dried cranberries, walnuts, and bread flour, and make sure your Dutch oven is ready. Toast the walnuts and soak the cranberries while your dough rests. Wet fruit makes wet dough, so pat those cranberries dry. Now the part I want you to hear. Panettone is coming November 14, and you can’t start that one the week before. ⏳ Start your starter now. Feed it on a steady schedule so it’s strong, active, and smells mild by bake day. A weak starter is where most panettone attempts go wrong. 📦 Order your paper molds. If you haven’t yet, do it this week so shipping delays don’t catch you. 📦 Order your cooling skewers. Panettone cools upside down, so you need them. Everything for the season, including the panettone prep list, is here: https://skoo.ly/holiday-bake Post your crumb shot in the comments after the bake. I or someone in the community will take a look and help you read it.