A quick word about protecting this community. We've hit some milestones recently that I'm genuinely proud of — #1 bread community on Skool, #1 rated community overall on ProveWorth, and now top 20 in the hobbyist category out of thousands of communities on the platform. That kind of visibility attracts great people. It also attracts people who are here for the wrong reasons. Every single day, I decline 4 to 5 membership requests from spammers before they ever get in the door. But they're getting more sophisticated, and occasionally one slips through. Here's how they operate on platforms like Skool: They look real at first. Spam accounts are increasingly convincing — profile photos, a few generic comments that sound like normal engagement ("Love this!" or "Great content!"), and a believable name. They're designed to blend in before they strike. Their move is the DM. Once inside a community, spammers don't post publicly right away. They slide into your direct messages offering courses, crypto investments, business opportunities, weight loss products, or "collaboration" — things that have nothing to do with bread and nothing to do with why you're here. They target active members. If you're showing up, posting, commenting — you're more visible and more likely to receive one of these messages. It's not personal. It's automated predatory behavior. What to do if it happens to you: If you receive a DM from anyone — member or otherwise — that has nothing to do with baking, bread, or this community, send me a DM immediately. Screenshot it if you can. I will investigate it. If it turns out to be nothing, no harm done. But if it's a problem, I'll remove them before they reach anyone else. You do not need to confront them. You do not need to respond. Just flag it and let me handle it. This community is worth protecting. We've built something real here. Real feedback, real coaching, real bakers at every level showing up every week and getting better. That doesn't happen by accident and I'm not going to let bad actors disrupt it.

Last week you made Japanese Milk Bread. The week before that, cinnamon rolls. Both of those bakes taught you something specific: how to handle enriched dough. How butter, eggs, and milk change everything about how dough feels, how it ferments, and how it bakes. This week, we’re putting all of that to work. We’re making Star Bread. If you’ve never seen one, picture this: a soft, buttery, filled bread shaped into a beautiful twisted star pattern that looks like it came out of a professional bakery. It’s the kind of bread people set in the center of a table and just stare at before they tear into it. Here’s the thing. It looks complicated. It’s not. If you made milk bread last week, you already have the hands for this. The dough is familiar. The technique is new, but I’ll walk you through every fold, every cut, every twist. Here’s how the week breaks down: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/henrys-savory-star-bread?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share Tuesday - We talk about laminating fillings into enriched dough. What works, what doesn’t, and why your filling choice matters more than you think. Wednesday - The geometry of star bread. I’ll break down the shaping method so it makes sense before you ever touch dough. Circles, stacking, cutting, twisting. We’ll cover it all. Thursday - Filling options and flavor combinations. Sweet, savory, and a few you haven’t thought of yet. Friday - Prep day. Get your dough made, your filling ready, and your workspace set. We go live Saturday morning. Saturday - Bake-along. You know the drill. I’m here all day. Yeasted and sourdough versions will both be available on the Recipe Pantry. A few weeks ago, some of you had never made enriched dough. Now you’ve done cinnamon rolls and milk bread. Star bread is the next step, and it’s the one that’s going to make people ask “you made that?” when they see it on your counter.

We just hit a milestone, and Kalamau from Honolulu gets the honors. She joined today with a simple goal: learn how to bake her own bread. That's exactly what this place is built for. Kalamau, you picked the right community. Whether you've never touched a bag of flour or you're just looking for a better path to a great loaf, we've got you covered. Start with the courses, jump into the Saturday bake-alongs, ask every question that comes to mind. Nobody here bites (we just bake). 400 members. Every single one of you makes this community what it is. Let's show Kalamau what Crust & Crumb is all about. Welcome home. 🍞 Drop a 🤙 below to welcome our newest baker from Hawaii!

I've got something new dropping inside the Academy, and I think you're going to love it. Meet Rachel Parker — your new favorite storyteller, and the host of our brand new podcast series: Breaking Bread with Rachel Parker. So what IS this? Breaking Bread is a short-form storytelling podcast — each episode is just 5 to 8 minutes long — built for bakers who want to go deeper than recipes and techniques. Rachel is going to take you on a journey through the hidden history, myths, superstitions, and legends that live inside every loaf of bread you've ever baked. Think of it as sitting around a fire with someone who knows all the good stories — except the stories are all about bread. What kind of stories are we talking about? Things like: 🍞 Why placing a baguette upside-down on your table was once considered a death omen — and what the executioner had to do with it ✝️ The quiet blessing that European bakers traced over every loaf before cutting it — and why it went way beyond religion 🪙 The Christmas bread with a coin baked inside — and what happened to the family who found it ⚔️ The role bread played in revolutions, famines, and wars 🌙 Bread spirits, haunted loaves, miracle ovens, and kitchen magic from cultures all over the world Every episode is a single story — tight, vivid, and told with warmth and a little whimsy. Perfect for a commute, a rest between folds, or whenever you want to feel connected to the long, beautiful history of bakers before us. Why bread stories? Because bread isn't just food. It never was. It's been currency, prayer, punishment, protection, and community. It's been placed in tombs, baked for gods, marked for the condemned, and broken over tables to seal a peace. Every culture on earth has a bread story. And most of us who bake — really bake — already feel that. There's something alive in this craft. Rachel is here to put words to that feeling. Where do I find it? New episodes will drop right here in the Academy, and also on our YouTube channel. Each episode will come with a discussion prompt because honestly, some of these stories are going to make you want to talk — and this is the place to do it.

The kitchen just got a lot busier. 🍞 Please help me welcome our newest members: @Frank Johnson , @Jesse and Veronika Olson , @Elizabeth Roth , @Reid Hunter , @Kathy Donald , @Oliver Wing , @Maria Mitchell-Wilson , @Beckie Bradhurst , @Jill Hart , @Alica T. Marie , @Melissa Campbell , @Nolan Hunter , @Alisha Smith , @Karen Miller , @Pam Cote , @Michele Nilson , @Suzette Howe , @Dru Vana , @Josh Malcom , @Greg Shackelford , @Deborah Coleman , @Sara Gaffney , @Amy Cross , @Karen Sossin , @Monica Njoo , @N N , @Margaret Pippen , @Quyen Phan , @Kathryn Sabean , @Josephine Junior , @Kara Gerstel , @Diego Enrique , @Sharon Stubbs , @Cameron Wadrop , @Oliya Hunt , @Juli Ethington , @Sandy Chong , @Lindsey Christian , @Corliss Groover , @Marcia Bracken , and @Kathy Marrai .