What's up Reader!

My daughter turns four today.
It’s past midnight as I write this, and by the time you read it Friday morning, we’ll probably be having breakfast and blasting our Bluey record on repeat.

And wow… life moves fast. I’ve got a four-year-old and a seven-year-old now. Two amazing little girls. There’s this viral trend on TikTok that says, “I almost forgot this is the whole point.” Usually it’s a video of someone doing something simple and joyful with their family — baking with their kid, hanging out in the backyard — and that’s what hit me this week. Between baking, filming, writing emails, launching a book, and trying to keep a dozen spinning plates in the air… I sometimes forget to just stop and take it all in.

When I had my first meeting with my publisher about the book, I only had one kid. That was over five years ago now. We lived in a different city. It’s wild to think how much life has changed — and how this book has grown alongside it.

Do me a favour: next time you bake, take a second to think about why you do it. What do you love about it? Why do you keep coming back to the bench? For me, it’s the joy of creating something with my hands — but it’s also the people around the table. The kids stealing warm slices. The shared meals. The quiet moments.

Also… I got some pretty amazing news about the book this week. I can’t officially say anything yet (embargoed until June 23rd), but let’s just say something really special is happening to help promote the book — and I’m beyond grateful. 🙌

If you want to check out more about the book, pre-order, or just see what’s inside, you can do that here:
👉 Bread Etc. – The Ultimate Guide to Baking Bread at Home​

And finally — shoutout to Frankie. Happy birthday, my sweet girl.
You (and your sister) are hands down the two best things I’ve ever baked. 🎉💛

In this week's newsletter, you will find:

1. Baguettes Are Coming (And I’m Fired Up About It) 🥖
2. Two-Stage Rye with Cherry & Roasted Hazelnuts 🍒
3. Reader Question: “How Do You Sell Bread Ahead of Time?” 💬
4. Kimchi Pizza — Bold, Spicy, and Seriously Good 🥬🌶🥓
5. Bread + Slow Food at Terra Madre 🇮🇹
6. Micro Bakery Bake of the Week: Sourdough Tarte Flambée 🔥🥓🧅

Baguettes Are Coming (And I’m Fired Up About It) 🥖

Okay, real talk: I could eat an entire baguette fresh from the oven and feel zero regrets. This is hands-down one of my all-time favourite breads — and French baking has always had a huge place in my heart.

So after baking hundreds of baguettes over the past month (no exaggeration), I’m finally putting it all together into a full baguette resource. The goal is to launch it around Canada Day weekend — and if you’re even mildly into baguettes, trust me… you’ll want to be on the list for this one.

➡️ Click here to get early access and the best offer on launch day.​

Here’s what I’m including in the resource:

• Straight Dough Baguettes – clean, classic, direct mix
• Levain Baguettes – made with natural sourdough starter for added depth
• Poolish Baguettes – with a touch of yeast and an overnight preferment
• Baguette de Tradition – inspired by classic French techniques using T65-style flour
• Rye Levain Baguettes – bold, earthy, and deeply flavourful
• Whole Wheat Baguettes – 100% whole grain and surprisingly airy
• Grain Baguettes – hearty, seedy, and packed with texture
• Chocolate Cherry Baguettes – sweet, tangy, and dangerously snackable
• Decorative Scoring Baguettes – because if they taste great, they should look great too

(And yes — I’m testing a walnut version, too. If time permits, it’ll make the cut.)

📝 Note: I’ll do my best to include all of these — but depending on how much time I have (and how much dough I can physically mix), a few may have to wait for a future update. Either way, the core resource is going to be packed.

(And yes — I’m testing a walnut baguette, too. If time permits, it’ll be in the bundle.)

For anyone who’s used my resources before, you already know I pack them full. Technique, timing, photos, videos, and every little nuance I’ve learned over the years.

Fun fact: in France, they consume over 10 billion baguettes a year — yes, billion with a B. It’s not just bread, it’s culture.

Last year, I shot a video with my friend Xavier, who won Best Baguette in Paris in 2024 (watch it here). He makes around 1,000 baguettes a day in a city where bakeries are literally on every corner.

A Quick Note About French Flour 🇫🇷

French baguettes are traditionally made with T65 flour, which are graded based on their ash content — not protein. T65 flour, used in most baguette de tradition formulas, has just enough strength for structure, but retains the flavour and finesse you expect in a classic baguette.

I’ve been doing tons of testing with blends to mimic T65 (since it’s hard to find here in Canada), and the results have been great. My baguette de tradition formula is as close as I can get without hopping on a flight to Paris.

📩 Get on the list here to be the first to know (and get the best price)

Two-Stage Rye with Cherry & Roasted Hazelnuts 🍒

Rye has been a lifelong obsession of mine. It’s not just a grain — it’s a whole vibe: hearty, rustic, wildly flavourful, and stubborn in the best kind of way. If you’ve ever wrestled with sticky rye dough and wondered if it was worth it... trust me, it is. It just needs a little understanding — and a good recipe.

This week, I’m sharing the full formula for one of my current favourites: a two-stage rye sourdough featuring sweet dried cherries and roasted hazelnuts. The base is a high-hydration, wholegrain rye with a dark, rich flavour and just enough chew to make it perfect for cheese boards, smørrebrød, or straight-up snacking.

🧾 Formula Highlights

• Two-stage levain: Built in two steps to maximize flavour and digestibility.
• 83.7% hydration: Moist, tender crumb that stays fresh for days.
• 28% stoneground wholemeal + 72% dark rye for deep flavour.
• 17% inclusions: A blend of dried cherries and roasted hazelnuts.
• Note: You can soak the dried cherries in kirsch, port, sherry, or even a splash of brandy for added flavour. Let them soak for at least an hour — or overnight for even more flavour.

🛠 Ingredients (for 1 x 1.15kg loaf)

Build 1 (12–16 hrs @ 18°C / 64.4°F):

• 48g dark rye flour
• 48g water (18°C/64.4°F)
• 48g mature rye starter

Build 2 (90 min @ 35°C/95°F):

• 144g dark rye flour
• 144g water (45°C/113°F)
• All of Build 1

Final Mix:

• 192g dark rye flour
• 149g stoneground wholemeal flour
• 58g dried cherries
• 58g roasted hazelnuts
• 251g water (45°C/113°F)
• 11g salt
• All of Build 2

Total Dough Weight: 1.15kg

🔄 Process

Final Dough Temperature (FDT): 30°C / 86°F
​Bulk Fermentation: 45 minutes at 30°C / 86°F
​Divide & Shape: 1150g
​Final Proof: 45 minutes at 27°C / 80°F
​Bake: 250°C / 482°F for 45 minutes with full steam — vent the oven after 30 minutes to finish the bake dry.

🥖 Why This Rye Works

Rye can be tricky — it ferments faster, it absorbs more water, and it doesn’t develop gluten the way wheat does. But when you embrace its quirks (and hydrate it properly), the results are deeply flavourful, moist, and endlessly satisfying. This two-stage method builds flavour while taming the wildness of rye fermentation.

🎓 Want to Go Deeper?

This formula is a variation on one of the recipes featured in my Simplifying Rye Bread Resource, which also covers:

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• Starter care and maintenance
• Rye fermentation principles
• 4 complete formulas (plus a bonus rye cookie)
• Troubleshooting tips for sticky dough, dense loaves, and more

Check it out here → Rye Bread Resource 🌾

Reader Question: “How Do You Sell Bread Ahead of Time?” 💬

Great question, Sue — I get asked this one a lot, especially from bakers running small-batch setups or just starting their micro bakery journey.

Here’s what we do:

We run our micro bakery through a WhatsApp group that now has over 300 people in it.

• Comments are turned off by default, so only we can post.
• “Today at 2pm we’ll be dropping Habanero Mozzarella Sourdough.”
• Then at 2pm, we post the full bread list with prices and turn comments on.
• Folks reply with their order (e.g., “2 country loaves, 1 cheddar”), and we close the thread once we sell out. Then we turn comments off again.
• Everyone picks up the bread at our micro bakery during the window we share in the post.

Right now, we’re baking 2–4 times a week, depending on the week.
This week? Two bread bakes, a Tarte Flambee drop, a batch of sourdough knots, and about 30 pizzas for my daughter’s birthday. 🎉 (Yep — pizza counts as baking.)

We try to include at least one plain or country sourdough bake each week, but the rest changes based on season, inspiration, and time.

Pro tip: If you're serious about scaling your production even a little, you need a solid fridge to cold-proof dough and an oven that can handle some volume.

I use the Simply Bread Oven, and it’s hands-down the best micro bakery oven I’ve ever worked with. If you're curious how I use mine, here's a full video:
👉 Watch on YouTube​

And if you're in the market, here’s a discount code and link to grab a deal:
​Get a FREE accessory bundle​
🔗 Click here​
💸 Use code: SIMPLYDUFFY25​
(Just make sure you add both the oven and accessory bundle to your cart!)

Thanks again for the question, Sue — wishing you full proofing baskets and empty shelves!

Kimchi Pizza — Bold, Spicy, and Seriously Good 🥬🌶🥓

I’m not gonna lie… this combo slaps. Salty, spicy, umami-packed, a bit funky — this kimchi sourdough pizza hits every note.

Here’s the rough formula:

🍅 Sauce​
We mix our standard tomato sauce with a spoonful of gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste). It adds depth, heat, and a little sweetness — a perfect base.

🥓 Toppings

• Sautéed bacon (don’t skip this — it balances the funk)
• Kimchi, chopped and lightly squeezed to reduce moisture
• Chopped green peppers — I think they were shishito in this bake, but you could sub in jalapeño or Anaheim for similar flavour and heat
• Mozzarella cheese

🌿 Finish

• A sprinkle of chopped scallions
• (Optional but highly recommended): Toasted sesame seeds
• And if you’re feeling a little extra, brush the crust with honey and sprinkle sesame seeds so they stick. You get this wild sweet-savoury-nutty finish that takes the whole thing over the top.

👉 Dough​
This uses my standard sourdough pizza dough. You can find the full recipe and method in this YouTube video.

Bread + Slow Food at Terra Madre 🇮🇹

Back in October, I had the chance to attend Terra Madre 2024 — one of my absolute favourite conferences. It brings together food producers, farmers, and artisans from around the world who care deeply about how food is grown, made, and shared.

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I was there as part of the Slow Bread movement and while wandering through the halls, I had some great chats with producers whose products pair beautifully with bread — cheeses, preserves, olive oils, and more. Every vendor I spoke to was part of the Slow Food Presidia, which means they’re making things the traditional way, using local ingredients, and preserving food cultures that deserve to be protected.

🎥 Funny story: I thought I lost this footage. Turns out I had it labelled under photos (classic move). Just found it, and I’m so glad — this video gives a taste of what makes Terra Madre so special.

If you’re into good bread and good food — and the people behind both — this one’s for you.

🧡 Big thanks to all the producers I spoke with, and to Slow Food International for creating such an inspiring gathering.

📍Want to learn more about Slow Food or Slow Bread? Check out: https://www.slowfood.com/.

Micro Bakery Bake of the Week: Sourdough Tarte Flambée 🔥🥓🧅

This week’s bake might just be one of my all-time favourites. If you’ve never had Tarte Flambée (aka Flammkuchen), it’s like the delicious lovechild of sourdough pizza and French farmhouse cooking. Bacon, onions, crème fraîche, and fermented dough — what's not to love?

I first learned to make this dish while working under Chef Daniel Boulud, who has a deep love and respect for French cuisine. And since then, it’s become a staple in my own baking rotation — not just because it’s tasty, but because it’s deeply rooted in tradition.

🧠 Fun fact: Tarte Flambée started as a way for farmers in Alsace to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens before baking bread. Talk about a test bake you’d actually want to eat.

A few years back, I visited Alsace with my wife and daughter, and we ate our way through the region’s best versions. This week, I channelled all that inspiration into a batch for our micro bakery group — and let’s just say, this one sold out fast.

Get the full recipe here

Thanks so much for reading — and for being part of this little community. I’ll try to snap a few pics of the pizzas from Frankie’s party this weekend (they’re gonna be wild — 30 sourdough pizzas and a bunch of happy, sauce-covered kids!).

Happy Baking,

MJD

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