What's up Reader!

It’s a week of transitions over here—our oldest just wrapped up Grade 1 today (😭 how?!) and our youngest finishes daycare tomorrow. By the time you’re reading this, we’ll be deep into summer mode. Sort of.

I’ve also been in full baguette mode, filming every recipe and wrapping up all the videos for a brand new resource I’m really proud of (details below). It’s been so much fun to make, and I can't wait to share it with you.

And just when I thought I couldn’t pack anything else into the week, my wife surprised me with a much-needed overnight getaway. We spent the night in Elora, had an incredible dinner and breakfast thanks to the team at the Elora Mill.

Next week, I’ll be sharing a major update about what I’ll be up to for the next couple of months. Let’s just say it involves a lot of cooking in a very special (and very remote) spot.

But this week? Let’s talk baguettes.

In this week's newsletter, you will find:

Wow. Just… wow. 🇨🇦🥖
Baguette Deep Dive Drops Canada Day Weekend 🥖
Micro Bakery Fave of the Week: Tangzhong Milk Buns 🕺

Wow. Just… wow. 🇨🇦🥖

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this.

Bread Etc. was just selected as one of the Most Anticipated Canadian Books of 2025, and it’s now 30% off for pre-order at Indigo! I'm honestly blown away and so grateful. Writing this book has been one of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve ever done, and to see it getting this kind of love already is incredibly special.

I poured years of baking, teaching, and testing into this, from classic sourdoughs and sandwich loaves to pizza doughs and sweet doughs, and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on it.

🛒 Canadian friends:
You can pre-order the book here (and get 30% off right now).

🌎 International readers:
Click here to find your local store or Amazon link. It’s available in the U.S., UK, Australia, Europe, and more.

Every single preorder counts and makes a huge impact, so thank you so much for the support.

🥖 Baguette Deep Dive Drops Canada Day Weekend

Lately, I’ve been deep in baguette land, baking hundreds (yes, literally hundreds) of loaves over the past few weeks while pulling together a brand-new baguette resource with the pre-sale launching Canada Day weekend.

🥖 Baguettes You’ll Learn to Bake:

Baguette au Levain (naturally leavened with sourdough starter and a touch of yeast for that classic French boulangerie feel)
Baguette with Poolish (made with a classic French-style preferment)
Straight Dough Baguette (great for quick turnarounds)
Overnight Seeded Baguette with Rye Levain (Naturally leavened with a rye starter, packed with seeds, and cold-proofed overnight for big flavour and great crunch)
Whole Grain Spelt Levain (Hearty, flavourful, and surprisingly light, made with 100% whole grain and a spelt starter)
Baguette en Bac (overnight, hand-mixed, slow-proofed)
Decorative Baguettes (For when you want your baguettes to look as stunning as they taste, creative scoring and show-stopping presentation)

Each dough uses a small amount of commercial yeast to support consistent results, and every version has been filmed, with demos for hand mixing, planetary mixing, and spiral mixers, so bakers at any level can follow along.

If you’ve ever struggled with colour or crust on your baguettes, try this quick tip: add a touch of diastatic malt or even honey to help bring out a richer golden tone, especially helpful if you’re short on fermentation time.

That said, fermentation is king. One of my favourite methods right now is the Baguette de Tradition:
Mix → 35–45 min bulk → overnight in the fridge → shape, proof, and bake.
It’s an easy schedule with amazing flavour and structure.

Bonus Tips + What’s Coming

Mixing technique is everything and I’ll be breaking that down inside the course so you can build strength, hydration, and that dreamy open crumb.

No promises yet, but I’ve also been chatting with a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) — one of France’s highest artisan honours about contributing a short baguette Q&A as a bonus inside the course 🤞

The resource will include a full recipe Excel sheet with all the above formulas, plus a few extra baguettes I’ve developed but haven’t filmed yet. If there’s enough demand, I might sneak them in this fall!

Only folks who click and sign up will get the best deal we’ll offer, significantly lower than the full launch price.
Let’s bake some beautiful baguettes.

Get Early Access to the Baguette Resource

Micro Bakery Fave of the Week: Tangzhong Milk Buns 🕺

I baked a batch of my Whole Wheat Tangzhong Milk Buns recently for a private dinner order — no seeds this time, as requested. And honestly? It reminded me just how good this recipe is.

Super soft, a little sweet, and perfect warm with butter (or cold the next day as a sandwich bun). The tangzhong method keeps the crumb fluffy for days, and you can customize it however you like — with seeds, herbs, cheese, or even something sweet.

If you haven’t tried this one yet, it’s an easy win. Full recipe and tips are here:

👉 How to Make Whole Wheat Tangzhong Milk Buns