Hey Reader!

This past week was one for the books. I had the absolute privilege of hosting Alexandre Laumain in my studio, all the way from France. His bread, his teaching, his generosity, the way he worked with my kids… it was honestly incredible to witness. The workshops have been a huge success, and I could not be more grateful for the experience.

It reminded me how much I love teaching in person. There is just something special about being in the room together. The energy, the questions, the little moments that happen around the bench. I will be rolling out a handful of in-person classes next year, so if you want first access you can click here and get on the list.

And if you missed your chance to bake with Alexandre here in Canada, I have some good news. I will be taking a group to France next year to train with him at the source. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I would love to have you with us.

This weeks newsletter is all about you, the readers and bakers who keep this whole thing going. Without people actually baking the recipes, sharing photos, tagging me, asking questions… none of this would exist. I started sharing my love for baking about ten years ago on Instagram, just for fun, and somehow here we are. It is wild.

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Black Friday Is Coming 🎉 (and you can get first dibs)

It’s almost time for my biggest baking sale of the year, and this year it’s bigger than ever.

Every November, I open early access to my best baking resources, and last year, hundreds of bakers joined the list (and grabbed some serious deals before anyone else). This time, we’ve got new releases, new bundles, and even a few surprises I’ve never offered before.

Here’s a peek at what’s coming:
🥖 Simplifying Sourdough – everything you need to bake confident, consistent sourdough at home.
🥐 Simplifying Baguettes – learn the simple techniques behind bakery-quality baguettes with step-by-step guidance.
🌾 Simplifying Rye Bread – one of my favourite courses, deep and flavourful.
🍕 Simplifying Sourdough Pizza – restaurant-quality pizza, any oven.
👽 Simplifying Panettone – just in time for the holidays.
📊 50 Best Recipes Excel Workbook – newly upgraded, expanded, and better than ever.

This is the sale of the year. No other discounts. No repeats. One weekend only.
You’ll get the details first, and trust me, this one’s worth it.

👉 Click here to get early access to the Black Friday sale.

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Reader Bake: Fudgy Sourdough Brownies 🍫🔥

I forgot how ridiculously good these brownies are… until Linda Miller showed up with a batch this week.

She baked my Fudgy Sourdough Brownies, froze them, thawed them, and honestly, I would have bet money they were fresh out of the oven. Soft on the outside, gooey in the middle, double chocolate… the whole thing was dangerous in the best way.

The fact that they freeze perfectly just convinced me I need to start doubling this recipe every time. One tray is never enough in my house anyway.

It is a good reminder that sourdough baking does not always have to be bread… sometimes it is brownies that disappear in 12 seconds flat.

If you want a super easy, super decadent way to use sourdough discard, here’s the full recipe:

👉 How to Make Fudgy Sourdough Brownies

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Reader Bake: Marble Rye from Bread, Etc. 🥖📚

Okay… this one made my whole week.

CJ baked the Marble Rye from my cookbook Bread, Etc., and absolutely crushed it. She even took this incredible photo of the loaf beside the book, and I swear, it looks like the cover came to life. That recipe is one of my personal favourites (and definitely one of the most requested), so seeing someone nail it like that… unreal.

I have to say, one of the very best parts of releasing this book has been watching all of you bake your way through it. Every DM, every photo, every loaf on a cooling rack somewhere out there, it honestly means more than you know.

If you want to bake the Marble Rye or try any of the 100+ recipes, you can find the book here:

And please keep tagging me in your bakes… I really, really love seeing them. It makes this whole project feel alive.

👉 Bread, Etc. — The Ultimate Guide to Baking Bread at Home

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Community Bake - 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough🌾

I absolutely love when readers tag me in their bakes, it’s hands down one of the best parts of what I do. This week, Jeanine shared her batch of my 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough, and wow… it looked so good.

This loaf has become one of my personal staples at home, hearty, full of flavour, and a perfect balance between soft crumb and rich, caramelized crust. It’s the kind of bread that works for everything: toast in the morning, sandwiches at lunch, or just sliced warm with butter (which, let’s be honest, is how I usually eat it).

If you want to give it a try, you can find the full post and step-by-step recipe here:

And please keep tagging me in your bakes, I genuinely love seeing what you’re creating in your kitchens. It makes this whole community feel like one big, flour-covered table.

👉 How to Make My 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough

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This week in the micro bakery 🕺 It has been a wild ten days in the studio with Alexandre in town. We baked nonstop, he taught nonstop, and my kids somehow convinced him to teach them, too. The man is a machine. After all that, I finally had my first real day off since August. No private chef work, no classes, nothing. I actually sat still for a minute and it felt unreal. One fun surprise from the workshops was how many people commented on the coffee. Everyone loved it. I served beans from Patera Caffe, a small Toronto company that roasts beautiful coffee with a real focus on sustainability and fair trade sourcing. They care about where the beans come from, how farmers are supported, and how the coffee is treated from start to finish. After the workshops, I reached out to them just to say thanks, and they offered a kind gesture for my audience. If you want to try their coffee, you can use WELCOME10 for ten percent off your first order. I am not affiliated or paid; it is simply something they wanted to offer because they heard how much we all enjoyed it! Some of we made this week: Traditional French baguettes Rustic crown bread (Respectus Panis) Reverse-method seeded loaf Stoneground T80 country bread Buckwheat bread with tiger paste Bacon and chili bread Sweet potato focaccia Brioche to share Pogne d’Alsace Petit Duc cakes Chocolate Brioche

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Oh, one last thing before you go. I am sitting at 98,726 subscribers on YouTube, which means I am only 1,274 away from the silver play button. If you want to help me cross that finish line, I would truly love to have you subscribe and join me on the channel.

See you next week.

MJD

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