Hey Reader!

This week, Bread, Etc. officially turned ONE. Which is honestly kind of crazy to write.

One year ago, my book officially came out, and I really don't think I could have imagined everything that would happen over the next 12 months.

It became a national bestseller, was shortlisted for a Taste Canada Award, and the coolest part for me—I’ve gotten to see so many of you actually baking from it.

People send me photos of their bread, pizza, cookies and recipes from the book all the time, and that still hasn't gotten old. I spent years working on this thing, so seeing copies covered in flour, dough and notes is pretty much exactly what I hoped would happen. 😂

So if you bought the book, baked something from it, told someone about it, left a review or just followed along over the last year, thank you. Seriously.

Happy first birthday, Bread, Etc. ❤️

Okay... for this week's newsletter, I thought we'd do something a little different and celebrate one year of Bread, Etc.

In this week's newsletter, you will find:

Bread Winners with Mary Berg 📺
The Part You Don't See 📖
What Have You Been Baking? 👀

Bread Winners with Mary Berg 📺

Pretty perfect timing for the Bread, Etc. anniversary week—today I was on The Good Stuff with Mary Berg for an episode called Bread Winners. 😂

I joined Mary and the crew for a bread-shaping segment, where I got to show them some of the techniques I use for shaping bread and basically nerd out about dough on TV—which is always a pretty good day at work.

It was such a fun segment to shoot, and having it air the same week that Bread, Etc. turned one feels pretty damn cool.

If you missed it, you can watch the full segment below!

👉 WATCH BREAD WINNERS ON THE GOOD STUFF

The Part You Don't See 📖

Here's something I probably haven't said enough about making Bread, Etc.: for the most part, I hated the process. 😂

There. I said it.

The book took me about five years from start to finish, and it was just HARD. Like, really hard. Writing, testing and retesting recipes, editing, shooting, rewriting—all while working and trying to have some kind of normal family life.

There was actually a point where I seriously considered paying back my advance and walking away from the whole thing. Thankfully I didn't, but at the time it felt completely overwhelming.

The photography alone took around 3½–4 months because we had to shoot everything in stages. And while the process was tough, looking back at those shoots now brings back some pretty great memories.

My kids were around for so much of it—helping with photoshoots, tasting recipes and generally being part of the chaos. In this photo, the girls were eating a slice for one of the shots and burned their tongues because it was still too hot. 😂 They STILL give me a hard time about it years later.

I also had an amazing editor, photographer and kitchen assistant, plus a whole group of people around me who helped me keep pushing when I wasn't sure I wanted to anymore.

So no, I wasn't one of those people who loved every second of writing a cookbook. But I'm really proud that I finished it. And a year later, seeing you guys actually baking from it makes all of those really hard days feel pretty damn worth it.

👉 CHECK OUT BREAD, ETC.

What Have You Been Baking? 👀

One of the coolest parts of the last year has been seeing Bread, Etc. actually being used.

I get tagged in breads, pizzas, cookies and all kinds of recipes from the book, and I genuinely love seeing what you guys are making.

So for the book's first birthday, I want to hear from you:

Do you have a favourite recipe from Bread, Etc.? Or a photo of something you've baked from the book?

Send it to me! I'd love to see what you've been making—and maybe I'll share some of them in a future newsletter.

And don't worry if it isn't perfect. Flour-covered books, wonky loaves and kitchen disasters are absolutely welcome. 😂

REPLY TO THIS EMAIL WITH YOUR FAVOURITE RECIPE OR A PHOTO

Should I Write Another Book? 😂

Okay, so after everything I just told you about how hard it was to make Bread, Etc., here's the obvious question...

Should I do it again? 😂

I've definitely thought about another book. One idea that keeps coming up is a pizza book, which I think could be SO much fun. Doughs, different styles, fermentation, sauces, toppings, baking techniques—the whole thing.

But before I disappear for another five years making one 😂, I want to hear from you.

Would you want another book from me? And if so, what would you want it to be about? Pizza? More bread? Baking? Something completely different?

Hit reply and tell me. I'm genuinely curious what you guys would want to see next.

This week in the micro bakery 🕺

Normally, this is where I tell you what I've been baking in the micro bakery this week, but since Bread, Etc. turned one, I'm stealing this section for one final shameless plug. 😂

If you've been reading this newsletter, baking along with me, and somehow still don't have a copy of the book, now feels like a pretty good time.

It's packed with 100+ recipes for sourdough, bread, pizza, cookies and a whole lot more—and despite everything I said earlier about making the damn thing, I'm incredibly proud of how it turned out.

And if you already have a copy, thank you. Seriously. Seeing these books actually being used in people's kitchens is still the best part.

👉 GET YOUR COPY OF BREAD, ETC.

Happy Baking,