Hey Reader!

Wow! Summer is officially halfway done. As of today, I’m on the back half of my private chef contract, meaning I’ve got fewer days left than I’ve already worked. (How did that happen so fast?!)

It’s been such a great season so far. I’ve been cooking every day with amazing organic produce from Eat Local Muskoka, and I’ve really leaned into the joy of cooking carte blanche just using what’s in season and letting the ingredients guide the menu.

This summer gig has been exactly what I needed to stay inspired as a chef. I never want to become a teacher who used to be a chef. Cooking has always been my first love, and staying sharp in the kitchen matters to me. That said… I do miss my baking studio just a bit. 😉

And speaking of baking... I kinda forgot something big is happening soon:
​My first cookbook, Bread Etc., is coming out on September 16.​
👉 Pre-order here​

I’ve been so immersed in cooking up here that I had a little “OMG I wrote a book” moment this week. If you didn’t know, Bread Etc. is available for pre-order now, and yes, pre-orders really do help, especially when it comes to bestseller lists and first-week visibility.

We’ve still got a few more weeks of cottage cooking ahead, and then it’s back to the baking studio. But if you’ve been loving these savoury recipes, let me know, I’ve had a ton of requests to share more, and I’m here for it.

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The Baguette Course Is Now LIVE! (Final Week at Launch Price) 🥖

After months of testing, filming, editing, and shaping more dough than I care to admit… the Simplifying Baguettes course is officially live!

This course has been one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on. It’s packed with detailed video tutorials, printable recipes (both Excel and PDF), and techniques that work whether you’re baking at home or in a professional bakery.

You'll learn how to make:

• 🥖 Straight dough baguettes (same-day bakes)
• 🌕 Poolish baguettes (beautifully balanced crumb)
• 🌾 Rye levain seeded baguettes (amazing flavour & shelf life)
• 🍇 Classic baguette au levain
• 🌾 100% whole grain baguettes
• 🇫🇷 Baguette de tradition
• ✨ Decorative baguettes with advanced scoring and shaping

As a thank-you, I’ve also included two bonus recipes:
​🍫 Chocolate baguettes and 🦑 Squid ink baguettes—just for fun.

All the recipes come in both Excel format (for bakeries and scaling) and PDF format (for home bakers). And whether you’re hand mixing, using a KitchenAid, or a spiral mixer, I’ve got you covered with demos for each.

And this just in:
🎥 A bonus video interview with MOF Alexandre Laumain is coming soon.​
He’s a Coupe du Monde winner and one of the top French bakers in the world. Everyone in the course will get access—and you’ll even be able to submit your own questions.

Students are already baking up beautiful loaves:

⚠️ This is the final week to get the course at the launch price of $119.​
Next week, the price goes up to $149.

Let me know if you join. I love seeing student bakes, and I’d be thrilled to feature yours in a future newsletter.

👉 Click here to get the course before the price goes up

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Hot Weather Sourdough Baking Tips 🌡️☀️

It’s been hot lately, and if you’re baking sourdough this time of year, keeping your dough at the right temperature becomes even more important. Fermentation speeds up fast when it's warm, which can lead to over-proofed, gummy, or unpredictable loaves if you’re not careful.

Here are some of my go-to tips for baking in the heat:

✅ Know your Desired Dough Temperature (DDT)​
The desired dough temperature is the key to consistent fermentation. If your dough is swinging from 22°C to 30°C depending on the day, your timing, flavour, and crumb will all suffer. Learn how to calculate it and how to control it with my free guide here:
👉 How to Calculate DDT​

✅ Use ice water or ice right in the mixer​
Fill a pitcher with ice and water, let it chill, then strain the ice and use the cold water for your mix. On extreme days, I’ll even add whole ice cubes to the bowl, but only with a heavy-duty spiral mixer. Be careful with tilt-head or planetary mixers, they can get damaged.

✅ Chill your dough early​
If the dough is getting too warm too fast, I’ll pop it in the fridge for 15–45 minutes early in the bulk. Using a larger, flatter container helps cool it down more evenly and quickly.

✅ Pre-chill your flour​
Toss your flour in the fridge overnight before mixing. It takes the edge off the heat and helps you better hit your DDT target, especially if your kitchen is sweltering.

✅ Use a cooler or wine fridge as a proofing chamber​
If your fridge is packed or too cold, an unplugged cooler with a small ice pack can act as a great DIY proofing box. Just don’t forget it in there (I’ve done that... more than once).

✅ Go for shorter fermentation schedules​
On hot days, skip the long ambient ferments. Try cold-proofing your dough overnight or using a shorter bulk with a smaller inoculation (lower % of starter). You’ll still get great flavour, but with more control.

Hot weather doesn’t mean you have to take a break from baking—but it does mean being a little more mindful with your temps. If you have a go-to hot weather trick I didn’t mention, please reply and let me know—I’m always looking to learn from fellow bakers!

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This Week at Work: Breakfast Sandwiches 🥚

I don’t normally cook breakfast in my summer private chef gig as most days, I’m focused on lunches, dinners, and dock snacks. But this week, my clients had breakfast guests, and I wanted to keep things homemade and special. So, I made a batch of sourdough English muffins and built breakfast sandwiches from scratch.

These muffins are a staple in our house, and my kids love them. I freeze them for quick egg sandwiches on busy mornings, and they’ve even saved dinner more than once (English muffin pizzas are my secret weapon when I’m short on time).

They’re made with sourdough discard, have that tangy, fresh-baked flavour, and they’re easier to make than you’d think.

👉 Get the Sourdough English Muffin Recipe

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Sourdough Discard Waffles: A Weekend Favourite (That’s Freezer-Friendly!) 🧇

Since we’re talking breakfast, I’ve gotta mention these 100% whole grain sourdough discard waffles I made at work for another breakfast (might have been the same one, the menus/days are blending together lol). They are one of my all-time favourite recipes.

I first started making them when we had just one kid at home. Now it’s a full-on Saturday morning tradition. The girls help mix the batter (and sneak in blueberries), and the smell alone brings everyone to the kitchen.

They’re made with 100% whole grain flour—usually einkorn, but you can swap in spelt, whole wheat, or even all-purpose—and all the flour is fermented overnight, which makes them easier to digest and packed with flavour.

Best part? You can freeze them and pop one in the toaster for a quick weekday breakfast that actually tastes homemade.

👉 Get the Sourdough Discard Waffle Recipe

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Wood Oven Pizza + Reggae Vibes = Peak Summer 🍕🎶

This week at work felt less like a job and more like a backyard party. My client has a wood-fired oven, and we threw a little pizza party while blasting reggae and honestly? That’s exactly how I make pizza at home, too. It was perfect.

The dough? 48-hour sourdough.
The setup? Mixed on the new Ooni spiral mixer (more on that soon).
The toppings? Fresh mozz from Cheese Boutique, homemade sauce, and basil picked right from the kitchen garden.

It came out so good... crisp, airy crust, blistered edges, and that deep fermented flavour you can only get with a good sourdough dough.

🎓 Want to learn how to make sourdough pizza like this at home?​
My full Simplifying Sourdough Pizza course is 50% this August long weekend.
You’ll get full lessons for both home ovens and wood ovens (Ooni and Gozney oven also, plus formulas, shaping, fermentation, and more.

👉 Get the course for 50% off - Use the promo code SUMMER

🆓 Not ready for the full course?
No pressure—check out my free YouTube tutorial here and get started right away:

👉 Watch the full pizza process on YouTube

Whether you’re baking in your backyard or your kitchen, this is the summer to make your best pizza ever. Grab some good flour, fire up your oven, and throw on some reggae while you stretch that dough. You won’t regret it.

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This Week in the Micro Bakery At the Cottage 🏕️ - Herb and Cheddar Scones Like I mentioned earlier, I had a few breakfast bakes this week—and one of the standouts was a batch of cheddar and rosemary scones, made with herbs from the kitchen garden and a seriously sharp 5-year aged cheddar. They were golden, buttery, cheesy, and just the thing with a bit of scrambled egg or a pat of butter. We made a big round, cut it into wedges, and devoured them warm out of the oven. Here’s the full recipe if you want to try them too: Herb & Cheddar Scones Makes 8 scones – 770 g total dough Ingredients 266 g All-Purpose Flour 125 g Frozen Butter 125 g Heavy Cream (plus extra for brushing) 109 g Egg (about 2 large eggs) 125 g Aged Cheddar Cheese, grated 5 g Salt 13 g Baking Powder 5 g Fresh Rosemary, chopped Method Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Grate the frozen butter and toss it into the flour mixture. Rub together with your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together cream and eggs. Pour the liquid into the flour mix. Add cheese and chopped rosemary. Stir until just combined. Pour the dough onto the counter and gently bring it together using a dough scraper. Don’t overwork it! Shape into an 8" disc and cut into 8 wedges. Brush the tops with extra heavy cream. Place on a lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bake at 400°F for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, then enjoy warm.

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That’s it for this week! Let me know if you bake anything from this week, or tag me on Instagram if they make it to your breakfast table.

Happy Baking,

MJD

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