Join 14,481+ bakers of all experience levels. In this newsletter, you will find recipes, guides, tips and tricks on how you can make bakery-quality bread and master those tricky doughs at home. I'm Matthew, a full-time baking professor and I'm excited to share all that I've learned in my 20 years as a professional chef.
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A big life update + sourdough zucchini bread
Published 16 days ago • 6 min read
Hey Reader!
This week I was on The Social, doing a segment on leftover bread and promoting my book Bread Etc.
It was a lot of fun and honestly, a bit surreal seeing it all come together. We kept it simple and practical, just ways to actually use the bread you have instead of letting it go to waste. I’ll link the segment if you want to check it out.
Also, if you’re in Toronto this weekend, I’ll be at the Bakery Showcase on Sunday, May 3 and Monday, May 4th.
I’ll be there with California Raisins doing a couple demos, filling Pop-Tarts and making a sourdough with walnut and raisin. Should be a fun one, so if you’re around, come say hi.
In this week's newsletter, you will find:
A Big Life Update
Sourdough Zucchini Bread ☀️
Baking Through France (A Few Spots Left) 🇫🇷
Fresh Madeleines at the Table
This week in the micro bakery 🕺
A Big Life Update
If you’re reading this Friday morning, grab a coffee… this is a real update.
As I’m writing this Thursday night, today was officially my last day as a full-time instructor at Centennial College. I haven’t been in the classroom since June as I’ve been on leave, but now it’s official. It’s a strange feeling to close that chapter.
I started teaching at a point where I was pretty burnt out from being a chef. I had just opened the Four Seasons Toronto, then went into private cheffing for a very high-level client. It was intense, long hours, a lot of pressure… and at the same time, I had my first daughter, Juniper, on the way. I remember thinking, I don’t know if I can keep doing this.
Teaching gave me something I really needed at that time. It brought stability, time with my family, and a chance to focus on baking in a deeper way. I got to be home more, be present for both my daughters, and still stay connected to the craft. And I genuinely loved it. The students, the team, the opportunity to build and be part of something… it meant a lot.
Over the years, it also opened doors I never expected. I travelled to the UK to study at the School of Artisan Food, went to Vegas for the Pizza Expo and IBIE, represented Canada in Vietnam for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and attended the Kneading Conference in Maine. I also went to Slow Food Terra Madre in 2024, which was honestly incredible, and had the chance to take courses in San Francisco and France with some amazing bakers, all as part of professional development through the college.
Looking back, it was a pretty incredible run.
At the same time, things are changing. The program and the college are facing some real challenges, and it felt like the right moment to make a move. Another opportunity came up on the private chef side, and it was one I couldn’t pass up. It’s a better fit for where I’m at right now, both professionally and personally.
I’ll keep things general here, but I’m working with really great people, and it’s been an excellent role so far. That part matters a lot. And to be honest, I still love cooking and being a chef. I just don’t want to be in that restaurant grind anymore.
I always thought teaching would be forever. It’s one of those jobs that feels safe and steady, the kind you hold onto. But right now, I’m in a really good place.
I still get to bake, teach, and share everything I love. The difference is how I do it. I’ll be running my own workshops again starting this fall, hosting smaller groups of people who genuinely want to be there and love baking as much as I do. I’ll keep building the blog, developing recipes, and working on new courses for you.
More freedom, more focus, and honestly, more alignment with what I want to be doing.
I’m really grateful for that. 🙏
Sourdough Zucchini Bread ☀️
I just posted this one on the blog this week, and it’s going to be a staple going into summer.
Every year, we end up with more zucchini than we know what to do with. Between the garden, the market, or a CSA box, it adds up fast. This has become one of the easiest ways to use it up.
It started as a way to use extra sourdough discard, but it turned into something we make all the time. The zucchini keeps it really soft, the apple (you can also sub chocolate for apple) adds a bit of natural sweetness, and the whole wheat gives some additional fibre without making it heavy.
It’s lightly spiced, not too sweet, and works just as well for breakfast as it does for a quick snack.
A few quick reasons you’ll like this one:
• Great use for discard • Stays soft for days • Not overly sweet • Easy to adapt to what you have
If you’ve got zucchini sitting in your fridge right now, this is a good place to start.
I don’t talk about this one enough, but I’m hosting a baking and food trip through France this June… and there are still a few spots left.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Not just a trip, but a full experience built around baking, food, and getting behind the scenes in places you normally don’t get access to.
We start in Paris with a bakery tour, then head into the Loire Valley, where we’ll be baking at a working mill, learning from Alexandre Laumain, MOF World Champion baker, visiting producers and wineries, and just spending time around really good food.
Alexandre Laumain in the Baking Studio
We also just added a lunch at Le Doyenné, which is a huge one for me. It’s one of those places that’s doing things the right way. Thoughtful, seasonal, ingredient-driven cooking at a really high level.
Small group, hands-on baking, great meals, wine, and a week fully immersed in it.
This week at work, I had a small dinner and finished it with madeleines at the table.
I love baking these to order. You can make the batter the night before, keep it in the fridge, and then just bake them off fresh right before serving. It is one of those small touches that feels simple, but makes a big impact.
We served them warm in a folded linen, almost like a little basket. Such a nice detail, thanks to Paul for that one. It is exactly how we used to serve them when I worked for Daniel Boulud, and it just makes the whole experience feel a bit more special.
They are light, buttery, slightly crisp on the edges, and best eaten right out of the oven. If you have never made them before, this is a great place to start. You do need a madeleine pan, but once you have it, this is one of those recipes you will keep coming back to.
This week was one of those bakes where everything just lined up.
I ran a country sourdough bake, and it felt right from the start. The dough was where it needed to be, fermentation was on point, shaping felt easy, and the loaves came out exactly how I wanted. Good volume, nice colour, clean cuts… just one of those days.
It’s funny because nothing really changed. Same formula, same process. But that’s kind of the point.
Those bakes usually come from repetition. You start to understand the dough, when to move, when to wait, when to adjust. That consistency is what makes everything feel easier.
And when it all clicks, it’s a good reminder you’re on the right track.
If you want a look at how I set things up and run a bake in the micro bakery, this video gives a good sense of my workflow and the Simply Bread Oven in action.
Join 14,481+ bakers of all experience levels. In this newsletter, you will find recipes, guides, tips and tricks on how you can make bakery-quality bread and master those tricky doughs at home. I'm Matthew, a full-time baking professor and I'm excited to share all that I've learned in my 20 years as a professional chef.
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