His name is @David Smith . We crossed the line today, bakers. One thousand members. And the seat we'd been holding for that milestone moment now belongs to David, out of Bothell, Washington. David found us through a friend, joined quietly, and is already showing up. He loves fishing, cooking, and learning Greek. The kind of person who appreciates a process that takes time and rewards attention. That tracks with bread, doesn't it. David, welcome. You picked a good crew. Jump into the feed when you're ready and introduce yourself. Tell us what you're hoping to bake, what you've already tried, or what's been giving you trouble. Whatever you bring, this room will meet you where you are. To the rest of you: this milestone belongs to all of us. Every conversation, every Saturday bake-along, every loaf you posted whether it worked or didn't. Every time you answered another baker's question before I got there. That's what one thousand looks like. Shannon at 800. Amanda at 900. David at 1,000. And we're just getting started. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

We’re staying on the road we’ve been building together. Baguettes. Pretzel bread. The Foolproof Sourdough Loaf. And this Saturday, we’re going somewhere beautiful. ✨ Poppy seed bread. ✨ Two versions. ✨ One bake-along. 📌 Why two versions? Some of you are deep into sourdough and ready to push hydration. Some of you are still building your starter, or just want to bake bread this weekend without a multi-day commitment. This Saturday, both of you get to bake the same loaf alongside everyone else. 🥖 The Sourdough Version T55 French flour and a touch of wholemeal at 80% hydration. The poppy seeds get folded in during the first coil, which laminates them through the crumb instead of mixing them away. The result is what you see in the photo: ✨ Open ✨ Airy ✨ Flecked with seed ✨ That nutty crunch you only get when the seeds keep their integrity This one teaches you: 🌾 How to handle higher hydration 🌾 How to time bulk fermentation in a warmer kitchen 🌾 Why we use 3.5 sets of coils instead of 4 (Hint: 80% hydration with wholemeal doesn’t want a fourth set. It tightens the crumb.) 📖 Full sourdough recipe in the Recipe Pantry: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/poppy-seed-sourdough-loaf 🍞 The Yeasted Version Same flavor. Same beautiful crumb. Simpler timeline. ✅ Same-day bake ✅ No starter required We’ll use the same poppy seed lamination technique with a commercial yeast dough, so you still get that gorgeous seeded crumb without the multi-day fermentation. If you’ve been wanting to bake along but felt like sourdough was a barrier, this is your week. 📌 I’ll have the yeasted version uploaded to the Recipe Pantry by end of day today. Watch for the post. 🛒 What you need to know now: 🌾 Pick up poppy seeds this weekMost grocery stores carry them in the spice aisle. 🌾 If you can find T55 flour, grab it.If not, a strong all-purpose around 11–12% protein works beautifully.(King Arthur AP is the closest match.)

Every week, someone in here posts a photo of their dough and asks the same question: “Is this right? It seems really wet.” The answer is almost always yes. The fear is universal. And the instinct to fix it by adding flour is what kills the bake. 🥖 This video is for everyone who learned to bake on sandwich bread and dinner rolls, then hit a wall when they tried ciabatta, focaccia, or rustic sourdough. The dough was never wrong. The expectation was. In this video, I walk through: 💧 The hydration spectrum and why the rules change at 75% and up 🔥 Why higher hydration is actually more forgiving on bake day, not less 🙌 The “wet hands, not floured hands” rule 🌀 Coil folds vs. stretch and folds and why it matters for your crumb 🛠️ The three tools that make wet dough manageable This is the foundation for everything we’re baking Saturday and beyond. 🎥 Watch it here:[drop YouTube link] Then meet me back here. Saturday, we’re baking a poppy seed sourdough at 80% hydration. Two paths available: sourdough or yeasted. Pick the one that fits your week. 👇 What’s the highest hydration you’ve taken on so far? Drop it in the comments. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥