This is the advanced version. Same dough, same shaping technique, but now you're working with two colors. Here's the entire process in one image: the natural pigment, the 50/50 split, matching the consistency between the two doughs, the alternating stack, the clockwork cut, the double outward twist, and baking to 190F (88C) internal. The beetroot version is what you see here, and it's stunning. But beetroot isn't your only option. You can use the same two-tone technique with different colors depending on the flavor profile you're going for: Cocoa powder — deep chocolate brown. Add 15-20g to half the dough. Pairs beautifully with a Nutella or cinnamon sugar filling. This is the same approach we used with the Zebra Bread. Matcha powder — earthy green. About 10-12g. Goes well with a white chocolate or cream cheese filling. The color holds up well during baking. Turmeric — warm golden yellow. Just 5-8g, a little goes a long way. Subtle flavor, dramatic color. Works with savory fillings like everything bagel or garlic parmesan. Activated charcoal — jet black. 3-5g. Purely visual, no flavor impact. The contrast with natural white dough is dramatic. Butterfly pea flower powder — deep blue to purple. About 10g. The most unique color option. Goes well with sweet fillings like blueberry or lemon. Pumpkin puree — warm orange. About 60-75g, same approach as the beetroot. Seasonal, and it pairs naturally with cinnamon sugar or apple fillings. The rules are the same no matter what color you use. Divide by weight on a scale, not by eye. Add a little extra flour to the colored dough to match the texture of the white dough, because the purees and powders change the hydration. And brush your egg wash only on the white sections so the color stays vibrant. The full Two-Tone Star Bread Mastery tutorial is in the classroom. Go watch it, check it off, and add those points to your leaderboard score. Saturday we bake. Bring whichever version speaks to you. 👉 Recipe: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/beetroot-star-bread?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share

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.

A lot of you came from Facebook. I run Baking Great Bread at Home over there, 40,000+ members, and I love that community. But I want to be honest about something. On Facebook, you often get one of two things: criticism without substance or compliments without critique. Someone posts a loaf and the comments are either "Beautiful!" when there's clearly something going on, or unhelpful jabs that don't teach you anything. People mean well. They're trying to be kind. But kindness without honesty doesn't make you a better baker. This is a different place. Crust & Crumb Academy is exactly that: an academy. This is where you come to hone your skills and get better. That means when you ask for feedback, you're going to get it. Real feedback. Specific feedback. The kind that actually helps you improve. I'll always be kind. I'll always be encouraging. But you're not going to get empty platitudes from me. If I see something in your crumb, your shaping, your scoring, I'm going to tell you what it is and how to fix it. That's what coaches do. And I want you to do the same for each other. When someone posts a bake and asks for critique, give them something useful. Tell them what you see. Ask questions. Share what's worked for you. That's how we all get better. This is a teaching environment. We're not here to collect compliments. We're here to make better bakers. Perfection is not required. But growth is the goal. Let's get to work. ~Henry