Welcome to the new bakers who just walked through the door. 🍞

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We've had a wave of new members join Crust & Crumb Academy over the last few weeks, and I want to make sure every one of you knows three things right out of the gate.

1. You're in the right place.

It doesn't matter if you've never baked a loaf in your life or if you've been at this for years. This community was built for people who want to get better. Not perfect. Better. We don't have crumb police here. Nobody is going to judge your first attempt or your fiftieth. Post the ugly bakes. Post the beautiful ones. Ask the questions you think are too basic. They're not.

2. Here's how to get started.

Head to the Classroom tab. That's where you'll find structured lessons covering everything from sourdough fundamentals to shaping, scoring, fermentation, and beyond. Work through them at your own pace Then click the check mark in the upper right hand corner to indicate you've completed it. That will earn you points that could be valuable down the road.

Jump into the Community feed. Introduce yourself. Tell us what you're baking, what you're struggling with, or what brought you here. This is where the real learning happens, bakers helping bakers in real time.

Mark your calendar for Saturday. Every week we run a bake-along where the whole community takes on one recipe together. I post the recipe and plan early in the week so you have time to ask questions and prepare. Last Saturday, 19 bakers tackled Ligurian-Style Focaccia with a saltwater brine. 521 comments. Every single person who started, finished. You don't have to be ready. You just have to show up.

3. Grab your free resources.

Download your free copy of "Sourdough for the Rest of Us"

It's a great starting point whether you're brand new to sourdough or just want a solid reference to keep nearby. Even if sourdough isn't your thing yet, it covers fundamentals that apply to everything you'll bake.

Check out the Recipe Pantry — recipes, timers, tools, and an AI baking assistant named Krusty who can answer your questions on the fly.

If you're into sourdough starters, take a look at SourHouse (https://bit.ly/Sourhouse, code HBK23). It's the starter management tool I use and recommend. Game changer for keeping your starter healthy without the guesswork.

A little bit about what you just joined.

Crust & Crumb Academy is the number one rated community on the entire Skool platform according to ProveWorth, an independent service that audits and certifies communities based on verified member reviews. Perfect five-star rating. 312 members. One admin. No big budget or marketing team behind this. Just bakers who show up, ask questions, share what they learn, and lift each other up.

That ranking wasn't built by me. It was built by the people who were here before you. And now you're part of it too.

As you settle in and experience what this community is about, if you find real value here, we'd be grateful if you'd take a minute to leave us a rating on ProveWorth. It helps other bakers find us and it keeps our community visible on the platform.

No pressure. No timeline. Just whenever it feels right.

One last thing.

My name is Henry Hunter. I'm the founder of Baking Great Bread at Home, author of a few bread baking books, and a guy who sold 80-90 loaves a weekend at farmers markets before turning all of that experience into teaching. I'm here every day. I read every post. I answer questions personally. This isn't a community where the founder disappears. I built this because I believe bread education is broken and most people deserve better than what's out there.

So welcome. Get comfortable. Introduce yourself below so we can say hello.

And get ready for Saturday. 🍞

Perfection is not required. Progress is.

Henry Hunter, Founder

Crust & Crumb Academy

@Melissa Rumley,