Back-to-School, Back-to-Baking 🍁
It’s hard to believe, but summer is already winding down. We are looking at back-to-school stuff for our kids, the evenings are getting cooler, and for me, that always signals one thing: it’s time to get back into a baking rhythm.
If you’ve been meaning to step up your bread, pizza, or pastry game, now’s the perfect time to do it. My 50 Best Recipes Workbook is the exact resource I use in my baking studio to keep my formulas consistent, scale batches effortlessly, and track changes so every bake gets better.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been baking for years, this Excel tool is your shortcut to professional-level results at home.
- Scale recipes without the math — bake one loaf or twenty with perfect accuracy
- Dial in hydration and inclusions like the pros
- Stay consistent with tracking tools and DDT calculators
- Get inspired with 50 tried-and-true recipes from my own collection
📌 Note: This is an updated version of my 30 Best Recipes Workbook. If you’ve already purchased that one, you’ll get this updated version when it’s ready. No need to do anything!
This is the same resource I use every single day in my own kitchen — and it’s now available for you too.
Micro Bakery Spotlight: The Oven That Changed My Baking 🥖
If you’ve ever dreamed of turning your passion for bread into a side hustle or you just want to bake like a pro at home, the right oven is the single biggest upgrade you can make.
For me, that oven is the Simply Bread Oven. I’ve baked thousands of loaves in it from crusty sourdough boules to delicate panettone—and it’s been a total game-changer for my workshops, micro-bakery bakes, and even pizza nights.
Why it’s perfect for a micro bakery (or a serious home baker):
- Bakery-quality results thanks to precise heat and built-in steam injection.
- High capacity—bake 10+ loaves at once without compromising quality.
- Versatility—bread, cookies, pizza, bagels, brioche… it does it all.
- Compact for a deck oven, but still built to last.
💡 Tip for new micro bakers: The more you can bake in one go, the faster you improve and the easier it is to make a profit. This oven lets you do just that—without the cost and space of a huge commercial setup.
🎥 See it in action: Watch my video on 10 Must-Have Tools for Your Micro Bakery
🔥 Labour Day Sale - Save $250 USD
From now until Labour Day, get $250 off the price of your oven with code SIMPLYDUFFY25.
Bagels, Salmon & Cream Cheese = Happiness 🥯
This week at work, I baked some seriously good bagels to serve with smoked salmon and cream cheese. They were finishing in the oven as guests gathered in the kitchen, and pulling them out still hot and glossy definitely turned some heads.
The best part? They’re incredibly simple to make, and the exact recipe (plus my pro tips for shaping, boiling, and baking) is right in my upcoming book, Bread Etc.
📖 Bread Etc. is packed with 100+ recipes—from sourdough to pizza dough, challah to pretzels—and it’s designed to help you bake with more confidence, whether you’re brand new to bread or already running your own micro bakery.
✨ Pre-orders make a huge difference—they help get the book onto bestseller lists, create buzz with stores and media, and show retailers that people are excited to bake from it.
So if you love bagels, baguettes, or just the smell of fresh bread in your kitchen… this book’s for you.
📅 Bread Etc. is out September 16th, but you can pre-order now right here:
Sourdough Obsessed… Just Like Taylor 🎤
I’ve been baking some simple, satisfying breads at the cottage lately, smooth, rustic, and full of beginner joy. It really brings me back to those first loaves when everything started to click.
Then, Taylor Swift hops on the New Heights podcast and admits she’s neck-deep in a sourdough obsession that has “taken over my life,” talking bread “60% of the time.” She even jokes she’s “on sourdough blogs... girl, I’m on your blog.” Naturally, the bread puns rolled in—my favourite? “It’s a loaf story, baby—just say yeast.”
So if TS is deep into her sourdough era, maybe it’s our cue to lean in too.
Let’s embrace our inner bakers, granny hobbies and all. After all, if Taylor can talk about bread 60% of the time… we’re just getting started.
If you've been wanting to get your sourdough groove on… I've got you:
Asparagus, Brie & Prosciutto Puff Pastry Wraps 🥐
This week at work, I had a really important breakfast. I need a few ideas, so I grabbed my copy of Michel Roux’s puff pastry recipe and got to work. The result? These Asparagus, Brie & Prosciutto Puff Pastry Wraps are crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy in the middle, and downright addictive.
I know it’s not peak asparagus season, but these were so good I couldn’t resist sharing. You can easily swap in other veggies think blanched green beans, tenderstem broccoli, zucchini batons, or roasted red pepper strips.
Here’s how to make them:
- Make the rough puff pastry (recipe below).
- Roll it out to about 3–4 mm thick.
- Cut into squares (about 10 cm / 4 inches).
- Brush the edges with egg wash.
- Place a few spears of blanched asparagus in the centre, top with a chunk of brie, and wrap with a slice of prosciutto.
- Pinch the corners of the pastry up and together over the asparagus tips (so you get that little “gift wrap” look).
- Egg wash the pastry and bake at 200°C / 400°F until golden and puffed, about 20–25 minutes.
Michel Roux’s Rough Puff Pastry
(Makes about 500 g)
- 250 g strong plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 250 g unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 150 ml cold water
- Mix: Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt, then toss in the butter pieces. Lightly rub the butter into the flour, keeping chunks visible.
- Add water: Make a well, pour in the cold water, and mix gently until a rough dough forms.
- Roll & fold: Shape into a rectangle, roll out to 20 × 50 cm. Fold the top third down, bottom third up (like a letter). Turn 90°, repeat rolling and folding 4–5 times, chilling 20 minutes between every 2 turns.
- Chill: Wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using.
This Week in the Micro Bakery At the Cottage 🏕️ - Doughnuts 🍩
As a private chef, I get to bake whatever I want — so this week I went all in on doughnuts.
I used my yeast doughnut formula, but made them mini with a small ring cutter, then dipped them in chocolate glaze for perfect little bites.
Yeast Doughnuts (makes ~12 regular, more if making minis)
Ingredients
- 362 g bread flour
- 189 g pastry flour
- 152 g water
- 126 g eggs
- 3 g salt
- 76 g sugar
- 23 g yeast
- 3 g vanilla extract
- 58 g butter
- 58 g buttermilk
- 30 g milk powder
Process
- Add all ingredients to the mixing bowl.
- Mix for 2 minutes on first speed, then 4–5 minutes on second speed.
- Bulk ferment for 45 minutes at room temperature until doubled in size.
- Roll the dough onto a floured surface, rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Cut into rounds with a small ring cutter (or 3" for full-size), proof to 75% (~45 min).
- Fry at 350°F (175°C) for about 1 minute per side until golden.
Chocolate Glaze
- 280 g icing sugar
- 32 g cocoa powder
- 2 g salt
- 5 g vanilla extract
- 50 g boiling hot water
Method:
- Combine all ingredients into a smooth paste.
- Dip doughnuts while still warm.
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Happy Baking,
MJD
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P.S. Want to learn more from me? Check out my online video resources 👇
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