I'm back

Well, I submitted the manuscript for Breaducation last week, on time, even, though I have a lot of work left to do, both to button down all the recipes, many of which are untested in their final form, tighten up the manuscript after I get it back from my editor next month, shoot the images, and figure out the artwork.

If all goes according to plan, the book will be done done by the end of the year, and out the following October (2026). Unfortunately, I am working on a tight schedule, which means that if things take even a little longer than expected, it won't be out until the spring of 2027, which is ages away. I really don't want that to happen, but I also want the book to be all that I want it to be, and I'm willing to give it the extra time if necessary. (Everyone keep all of your fingers and toes crossed that it doesn't come to that.)

I've been working on this thing officially since January 2023—more than two-and-a-half years—which is bonkers, especially considering that for the last six months or so I worked on it nearly every single day. (For the final six-plus weeks, I was chained to the desk and bench every single day.) I have never worked this hard on anything before, ever, and I'm honestly surprised I was able to pull it off. I've always thought of myself as a high-functioning slacker, able to produce A-minus work with C-plus effort without anyone noticing, but in this case I couldn't get away with that. It turns out that I can work hard when there is enough on the line, though I still don't like it.

All of which is to say I am very glad to be "done" with the book. I was running on adrenaline for a long time up until the hand-off, and boy did it take a lot out of me. I spent most of last week in a haze, unable to make myself useful in any way (I did catch up a little on sleep, TV, and not-bread-related reading, though). I've not recovered fully yet, though I am starting to emerge from my stupor.

Breaducation is the culmination of everything I have been up to here at Wordloaf for the past five years; certainly it wouldn't exist without the newsletter laying the groundwork for it. When Wordloaf launched, writing a book was never part of the plan; I just wrote whatever came into my head at any moment, without thought to whether it had some larger purpose. That I was able to put a lot of what I've written here into the book is proof that my instincts are often good. But the book has also been something of a distraction from the newsletter, and many of my favorite posts are those that have little to do with it. With it (mostly) out of the way, I am looking forward to just writing here for the fun of it.

And I have a lot in store to share: books I love to promote, interviews with talented bakers that have been sitting half-transcribed to finish (and others to schedule and record), and recipes to share, both from Breaducation and not. It's going to take me a little while to get back up to full speed, so thank you for bearing with me and for sticking around while I've been somewhat absent. It means a lot that you've stuck around, despite.

That goes double for those of you who are paid subscribers. I got a very generous advance for the book, but I've only received one modest payment so far and won't see the next one until January. Which means that your subscription fees have been keeping the lights on and flour bins stocked all this time, and I couldn't have done it without you. I promise that your patience will be rewarded over the coming months and years.

I don't really have a game plan for the future, but I have enough of a backlog of items to keep me busy while I figure it out. I do know that I want to focus on some of the subjects that aren't in Breaducation, especially pizza, something I've missed playing with, and that I have many new thoughts about. (No, I don't want to write a pizza book—never say never, of course—but I have lots to say on the subject that I haven't yet.)

In the meantime, this week I'll be sharing a second post about this year's Kneading Conference, and will be rebooting the Friday Bread Basket, for which the backlog of items is extremely long.

More soon.

—Andrew