Weeks 1–2 · The starter
Building it, feeding it, reading it.
The programs, in detail
Four programs of 4 to 12 weeks, taught on your flour, your kitchen and your oven.
Program 01 · From flour to bread
Starter & first loaf
Most starters are not dead, they are cold or hungry. We set a feeding rhythm you can keep, learn the signs of a starter at its peak, and walk through a first loaf end to end — mixing, bulk, shaping, baking — with a photo review at each stage.
Weeks 3–4 · First mix
Hydration, salt and what the dough should feel like.
Weeks 5–6 · Bulk and shape
Knowing when bulk is done, and shaping without tearing.
Weeks 7–8 · Bake
Dutch oven, steam and a loaf you're proud of.
Weeks 1–3 · Fermentation
The signs that bulk is actually finished.
Weeks 4–6 · Shaping
Tension without degassing everything.
Weeks 7–8 · Scoring
Angle, depth and one clean ear.
Weeks 9–10 · Hydration
Pushing higher, deliberately.
Program 02 · Open, even, not gummy
Crumb & shaping
A dense loaf, a gummy center and a flat pancake each have specific causes, and a photo of the crumb usually names them. We work on judging fermentation by the dough rather than the clock, shaping with real tension, and scoring that opens rather than tears.
Program 03 · Bread around a job
Schedules that fit
The fridge is the tool that makes home baking practical. We build schedules around your working week — mix in the evening, retard overnight, bake before work — and cover how temperature changes every timing in the recipe, summer and winter.
Weeks 1–2 · Temperature
Dough temp, room temp, and adjusting timings.
Weeks 3–4 · Retarding
Overnight in the fridge, and what it does to flavor.
Weeks 5–6 · Your week
A schedule that survives a real job.
Weeks 1–2 · Heat and steam
Getting a crust from a domestic oven.
Weeks 3–4 · Whole grains
Hydration and handling when the flour changes.
Weeks 5–6 · Enriched
Butter, eggs and sugar, and how they slow things down.
Weeks 7–8 · Your repertoire
Three breads you can bake without thinking.
Program 04 · The last twenty minutes
Oven, crust & variations
Home ovens fight you on steam and on heat recovery. We work with what you own — Dutch oven, stone, pan of water — then branch into whole grain blends, enriched doughs and pan breads once the basic loaf is dependable.
Want to know what your crumb is telling you?
Twenty minutes, free, on one photo of your loaf and what to change.