What's up Reader!

Father’s Day is finally here — woot woot! 🎉
The girls have been talking about it for weeks, and my wife keeps asking what I want to do. Honestly? I just want to hang around the house, declutter a bit, bake something tasty, hang with the kids, and cook a big côte de bœuf — my favourite steak and a little tradition of mine.

(And if you need steak inspiration this weekend, do yourself a favour and watch this Daniel Boulud steak au poivre video. He’s the best chef I’ve ever worked for and my longtime mentor — this video shows exactly why. 🥩🔥)

Thanks for being here, and happy Father’s Day weekend — whether you’re celebrating yourself, someone you love, or just making killer bread. ❤️

In this week's newsletter, you will find:

1. Father’s Day Baking Sale – On Now! 👨‍🍳
2. Baguette Resource Incoming 🥖
3. Multigrain Sourdough – My Father’s Day Pick 🥣
4. 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough 🍞
5. Sourdough English Muffins (And the Best Shortcut Dinner Ever) 🍕
6. A Dream Collab Just in Time for Father’s Day 🧡
7. Fudgy Sourdough Brownies (for Father’s Day… or any day)🍫

Father’s Day Baking Sale – On Now! 👨‍🍳

I’m a dad, and I absolutely love Father’s Day. It’s one of those little reminders to slow down and soak up the good stuff — time with your kids, a good meal, maybe a little flour on the counter and dough on your hands.

So this weekend, I’m running a special Father’s Day Sale — a chance to grab some of my most popular baking resources at a steep discount. Whether you’re shopping for the dad in your life, planning some quality time in the kitchen, or just want to level up your bread and pizza game… this is a great time to jump in.

Here’s what’s included:

🍞 Simplifying Sourdough – 25% Off​
Learn to bake rustic, beautiful sourdough bread with confidence.

🌾 Simplifying Rye Bread – 25% Off​
Explore the bold, earthy flavours of rye with formulas and techniques that really work.

🍕 Simplifying Sourdough Pizza – 25% Off​
Make wood-fired–style pizza at home — light, crispy, chewy, and packed with flavour.

🎁 Father’s Day Bundle – 50% Off​
All of the above + my panettone resource and ultimate recipe workbook bundled together for the best value.

The sale ends Sunday at 11:59 pm EST, and it’s just for my community — no public links, no flashy promo.

I hope you get to bake something great this weekend (maybe even with your kids). And if you’re gifting this to a dad in your life — what a great one. Learn to bake bread, master pizza night, and create something delicious together.

Baguette Resource Incoming 🥖

Lately, I’ve been deep in baguette land — baking hundreds (yes, literally hundreds) of loaves over the past few weeks while I start pulling together a brand new baguette resource I’ve got in the works for later this month.

It’s going to be a full-on Baguette Deep Dive, packed with everything from classic techniques to sourdough and whole grain — and if time allows, I’ll toss in a few bonus baguettes too.

Here’s a taste of what I’m working on:

• 🥖 Straight Dough Baguettes (classic & clean)
• 🥖 Levain Baguettes (natural sourdough)
• 🥖 Poolish Baguettes (a yeasted preferment)
• 🥖 Baguette de Tradition (T65-style flour + French vibes)
• 🥖 Whole Wheat, Rye Levain & Multigrain
• 🥖 Decorative scoring tips

It’s going to launch right around Canada Day weekend, and if you’re even mildly into baguettes, you’ll want to be first in line for this one.

👉 Click here to get early access + the best deal on launch day

Multigrain Sourdough – My Father’s Day Pick 🥣

This one’s easily one of my all-time favourite loaves. It’s hearty, flavourful, full of texture, and just feels like real-deal bread — you know?

I’ll be baking it this weekend for Father’s Day at the micro bakery... mostly because I want to eat some myself 😅. The crumb is soft and tender, but the crust gets this beautiful crackle from the seeds. It toasts like a dream, makes a killer sandwich, and honestly doesn’t need more than a swipe of good butter to be perfect.

If you want to bake something extra special this weekend (whether it's for you or your own bread-loving dad), this one’s worth it.

👉 How to Make Multigrain Sourdough

50% Whole Wheat Sourdough 🍞

One of the most requested loaves in the micro bakery is our country sourdough — or what most customers call the “plain one.” Lately, that’s been this 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough — a hearty, healthy staple that’s become a go-to for toast, sandwiches, and everyday eating.

This is one of the oldest recipes on my blog, and while it’s long overdue for a photo refresh (soon, I promise!), the method and technique are still solid. It’s been baked by hundreds of readers and features a soft, airy interior, caramelized crust, and just enough whole grain bite to feel like you’re doing something good for your body and your taste buds.

We mix it with organic flours (50% hard red spring wheat, 50% strong bakers), build the levain with the same blend, and cold-ferment the shaped loaves overnight. There’s a full shaping video and plenty of tips, especially if you’re trying to level up your hydration game or just want to bake a more nutritious daily loaf.

Honestly, we bake it almost every week — it’s just one of those formulas we always come back to. It’s a staple my kids eat too, so it’s nice knowing they’re getting some whole grains in with every slice.

👉 Get the recipe and full method right here.

Sourdough English Muffins (And the Best Shortcut Dinner Ever) 🍕

This one’s a massive fave in our house — a real freezer staple that saves us all the time.

We bake about 30 sourdough English muffins at once, freeze most of them, and pull them out whenever we need a quick breakfast sandwich, snack, or my kids’ favourite… English muffin pizzas.

Just tomato sauce, cheese, and a quick broil — dinner’s done, the kids are happy, and I’m not mad about it either. (I’ve definitely eaten three and called it dinner.)

They’re also perfect for lunchboxes — I cut them into strips and pack them in a thermos for my oldest. And when we’re in a rush? They pull snack plate duty like pros.

Here’s the full recipe I use — made with sourdough discard, soft inside, golden outside, and endlessly useful:

👉 How to Make Sourdough English Muffins

A Dream Collab Just in Time for Father’s Day 🧡

This week I’ve got a really special collab going live on Instagram — with Le Creuset! I’ve loved their cookware for years, and getting the chance to work with them honestly feels like a dream. Their gear lasts forever. I still remember coming back from being a guest chef at Cook It Raw in Charleston with a few gifted pieces, and in our 500-square-foot apartment, they just lived behind the couch — because we had zero storage. 😅

Fast forward a decade-plus and my collection has grown… a lot. And this time, I got to make Eggs Benedict with my daughters using their Flame Dorée cookware — a beautiful gold-accented set they gifted me to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Wild, right? Honestly, it felt like the perfect way to mark Father’s Day: cooking with my girls, using cookware from a brand I’ve admired forever.

The post might already be live by the time you’re reading this — and if not, it should be up around noon on Friday. You can find it over on my Instagram page @matthewjamesduffy.

If you’ve got a second to like, comment, or share it, I’d seriously appreciate it. More engagement = more chances to do dream projects like this. And of course, the full Eggs Benedict recipe is included in the post if you want to whip it up this weekend.

And hey — since you’re already making sourdough English muffins for those mini pizzas 🍕, set a few aside and level them up with poached eggs and hollandaise. It’s a total win. Perfect for Father’s Day, or just a random Tuesday when you’re feeling fancy. 😎

Fudgy Sourdough Brownies (for Father’s Day… or any day)🍫

If there’s one thing that screams “treat yourself,” it’s these ridiculously fudgy, double chocolate sourdough brownies. They’ve got those shiny crackly tops, gooey centers, and a flavour so deep and rich you’d never guess they’re made with sourdough discard.

We’ve made a lot of brownies in our house… but these are hands-down a family favourite. The rye flour gives them a hint of earthiness, and the sourdough adds a subtle tang. What is the texture? Just perfect. Crisp edges, soft middle — you get the idea.

They’re also:

• ✅ Freezer-friendly
• ✅ Easy to scale
• ✅ Customizable (nuts, chips, peanut butter swirls… do your thing)

Honestly, these would be a killer Father’s Day dessert. Wrap up a box, serve them warm with ice cream, or just bake a tray and let dad pretend he’s not going to eat half before anyone else gets one.

Let me know if you bake them — or if your family suddenly demands you make another batch. Happens every time around here. 😅

👉 How to Make Fudgy Sourdough Brownies

What I’m Baking This Weekend 🕺

What’s coming out of my oven this weekend:

• 🧀 Gouda, sun-dried tomato & tarragon sourdough Friday Morning
• 🍕 36 sourdough pizzas Friday night(including a mushroom & garden herb one I can’t wait for)
• 🥐 Hand-laminated croissants for my girls Friday morning (just a small batch)
• 🍞 Classic country sourdough Saturday morning
• 🍩 ~150 sourdough doughnuts for the Father’s Day micro bakery drop on Sunday and possibly a bread

If you’re firing up the oven too, I’m cheering you on — hope something delicious is on your counter by Sunday night.

Happy Baking,

MJD

​Unsubscribe · Preferences​