I fell asleep at my desk Friday night. Woke up at 6:55 with keyboard creases on my face and the working thread already moving without me. That’s the story of Week 17. Not the bread. The bakers who decided to show up scared and bake anyway. 🥖 1,869 comments in the working thread 🥖 ~10,300 interactions across the week 🥖 63 new bakers 🥖 954 members and counting First-timers got cheered into next week. Robert Caldas baked the loaf he didn’t think he was ready for. Stacey said it best: “Never let the ‘F’ word ‘Fear’ stop you.” The full recap, every name, every story, lives here: 👉 https://lemon-diner-3mj4.here.now/ To everyone who climbed a step this week — next Saturday we climb the next one. ~ Henry ⭐🔥

Today we're baking baguettes. If you've been waiting for the right week to try them, this is it. Here's how the working thread runs: drop in throughout the day, share where you are in the process, post photos, ask questions as they come up. I'll be in and out answering. The whole point is that nobody bakes alone today. A few things to keep in mind before you start: Hydration matters. Baguette dough is wetter than a sandwich loaf and that's on purpose. Don't fight it with extra flour. Trust the folds. Shape with intention. The pre-shape sets up the final shape. Rushing the pre-shape is the number one reason baguettes come out lumpy or uneven. Score with confidence. One quick motion, blade angled almost flat to the dough. Hesitation gives you a torn loaf instead of a clean ear. Steam is non-negotiable. Whatever method you use, get steam in that oven for the first 10 minutes. No steam, no crust, no shine. If you need the recipe, here it is: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/ Drop your starting time below so we can see who's mixing when. Photos welcome at every stage. Floury counters, ugly pre-shapes, perfect oven spring, all of it. Let's bake. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥

There are three ways to make a baguette at home. Yeasted, poolish, and sourdough. They all end up looking like the same loaf, but the journeys are completely different. In this video I walk you through all three. Who each one is for, when it makes sense to pick which path, and the three things that matter more than the recipe itself. If you've ever stood in your kitchen wondering which baguette you should actually start with, this is the breakdown you've been looking for. Pick yours for this weekend's bake-along: 🥖 No starter? Start here. https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/french-bread-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Want bakery flavor without managing a starter? https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/classic-poolish-baguette?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share 🥖 Active starter ready to go? https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/sourdough-baguettes?utm_source=skool&utm_medium=community&utm_campaign=recipe-share We've been climbing this staircase for three weeks. Couche on the ciabatta. Poolish on the ciabatta. Now scoring and the roll-out shape on the baguettes. Nothing wasted. Watch the video. Pick your path. Drop questions before you bake. Easier to fix dough than crust. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Come bake with us. — Henry ⭐🔥