Hey Reader!

Tonight I (+1) was a guest author at Biblio Bash.

I’m writing this late, still kind of buzzing from it. It’s the Toronto Public Library Foundation’s annual black tie fundraiser, held at the Toronto Reference Library, bringing together authors, chefs, and a room full of people who genuinely care about books and community. The night is all about raising funds for the library’s after-school programs, supporting kids and youth across the city.

Since it started, the event has raised over six million dollars, which is pretty incredible. Being part of something like that, even in a small way, felt like a real honour.

Honestly, it still feels a bit surreal. Being there with Bread Etc. as a best-selling book… kind of wild to even say out loud.

Super grateful. Pretty blown away. Just one of those moments you don’t forget.

In this week's newsletter, you will find:

Build a Micro Bakery That Actually Works 🔨
First Wood Oven Fire of the Season
Zucchini Bread (Coming This Week)
A Go-To Bread When You Need Something Impressive (Fast)

Build a Micro Bakery That Actually Works 🔨

This week, I hosted a webinar with Simply Bread Oven all about building a micro bakery. Honestly, it ended up being less about bread and more about building a system that fits your life.

Because here’s the truth. Most people don’t struggle with baking. They struggle with time, money, and how to make it all sustainable. I’ve been there.

When we started, we were baking a ton, trying to offer everything, buying ingredients wherever we could, and wondering why it felt stressful and not that profitable.

Over time, a few big shifts changed everything.

• Keep your menu tight
More products do not mean more money. It usually means more stress, more waste, and less consistency. One great sourdough and a few rotating items will outperform a huge menu every time.

• Profit is made when you buy
Buying flour at retail will quietly kill your margins. Even small shifts to wholesale or bulk purchasing make a massive difference over time.

• Your schedule is your system
The biggest unlock for us was planning our bakes ahead of time. Same dough into multiple products, batching your work, and having clear bake days gives you way more control. Once we had a system, everything got easier.

• Waste adds up fast
A little extra dough here, some unused flour there, it doesn’t feel like much. But over weeks and months, that is real money gone. Better to sell out than overproduce.

• Know your numbers
If you’re busy but not making money, something is off. I sold sourdough for ten dollars for years, even when my costs went up. I didn’t question it, I just stayed busy. Tracking even basic numbers changes how you think and how you price.

At the end of the day, the goal is not to bake more. It is to bake better, simplify your process, and build something that actually supports your life. Not the other way around.

👉 If you’re trying to figure out what you actually need to get started, I put together a Micro Bakery Essentials video breaking down the gear, setup, and what’s worth investing in:

Watch the video here

First Wood Oven Fire of the Season

This week, I fired up the wood oven for the first time this season. I had my friend Nick over, and we made a few pizzas for our kids.

I love cooking in the wood oven. Building the fire, getting it hot, working with that live heat. It is fast, a bit unpredictable, and way more hands-on than a regular oven.

Then the first pizza goes in, and it all comes back. The dough puffs, the crust blisters, a bit of char in the right spots. It just hits different.

But it is also a good reminder. It is not really about the oven. The fire helps, but the real difference is always the dough. If your dough is right, you can make great pizza at home without anything fancy.

Still, that first fire of the season always feels right.

My pizza setup

Zucchini Bread (Coming This Week)

I had every intention of getting my zucchini bread recipe up on the blog for you this week…. and then life happened.

Between my daughter's birthday, the webinar, and everything else going on, I didn’t quite get it finished in time.

But it’s coming, and it’s a good one.

This version uses sourdough discard, shredded zucchini and apple, which keeps it super moist with a really nice balance of sweetness and spice.

It’s one of those recipes you can throw together quickly, and it just works every time.

Think:

Soft, tender crumb
Warm spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
Slight tang from the discard
Crunch from toasted walnuts (if you want them)

I’ll have the full recipe up on the blog this week with step-by-step instructions.

👉 Keep an eye out, I’ll share it as soon as it’s live.

A Go-To Bread When You Need Something Impressive (Fast)

I had a last-minute lunch to pull together this week for 6 people. No overthinking, no complicated prep… I went straight to challah.

It’s simple to make, looks incredible, and people always think you did something way more complicated than you actually did (we’ll take that win every time).

You can braid it, shape it different ways, top it with seeds or sugar… and it just has that “wow” factor when it hits the table.

But the real reason I love it? It’s one of the best places to start if you’re new to baking.

Enriched dough, super forgiving, and once it’s mixed properly, it basically does the work for you, no folds, no babysitting, just let it rise and shape it up.

And once you have the dough down, you can take it in so many directions: