Building a Weekly Bread Routine That Actually Sticks

Why Most Baking Resolutions Fail

January 2nd: You are going to bake fresh bread every week this year.

February 15th: You have not touched your starter in three weeks.

Sound familiar? The problem is not motivation. It is sustainability. Most baking resolutions fail because they are built around ambitious weekend projects that demand more time and energy than normal life allows.

The answer is not willpower. It is a routine that fits your life.

The One-Loaf-a-Week Framework

Start small. One loaf per week is:

• Enough to feel accomplished
• Little enough to not feel burdensome
• Regular enough to build skill
• Flexible enough to survive busy weeks

The goal is consistency, not volume. Fifty-two decent loaves over a year beats four ambitious loaves in January.

Choosing Your Bake Day

Here is the trick: pick the day your bread is READY, not when you START.

Why? Because "I bake on Saturdays" is vague. Does that mean you mix on Saturday? Shape? Bake? What if Saturday gets busy?

"Fresh bread for Sunday breakfast" is specific. Work backward from there:

• Sunday 8am: Fresh bread on table
• Sunday 7am: Start baking
• Saturday 10pm: Shape and refrigerate
• Saturday 2pm: Start bulk fermentation
• Saturday 1:30pm: Mix dough

Now you know exactly when you need to be in the kitchen.

The Weeknight Baker's Schedule

Do not have lazy weekends? Most people do not. Here is a schedule that uses weekday evenings:

Thursday evening (30 min):

• 6:00pm: Start autolyse
• 7:00pm: Mix dough with starter
• 7:30pm-9:00pm: Stretch and folds while watching TV
• 9:30pm: Shape and refrigerate

Friday morning or Saturday morning:

• Whenever convenient: Preheat oven and bake

Total hands-on time: About 40 minutes, spread across an evening. The dough cold-retards overnight (or up to 48 hours), so you have flexibility on when to bake.

Starter Maintenance for Weekly Baking

If you bake weekly, you do not need daily starter feeding.

Keep your starter in the fridge. Remove it the night before you plan to mix dough. Feed it, let it rise at room temp, use it when it peaks.

After baking, put the remaining starter back in the fridge. It will happily wait until next week.

Feed schedule:

• Day before baking: Feed starter, leave at room temp
• Bake day: Use starter at peak
• After baking: Refrigerate remainder
• Repeat next week

Scaling Up Gradually

Once weekly baking feels effortless, you might want more. Do not double up right away.

Week 1-4: One loaf per week, same schedule Week 5-8: Same schedule, maybe try a new recipe Week 9+: If you want, add a second bake day

The key word is "if you want." One loaf a week is a completely valid long-term routine. More is not better if it leads to burnout.

Making It Stick

Keep a simple log. Date, what you made, how it turned out. Helps you see patterns and get better.

Forgive missed weeks. Life happens. Missing one week does not mean you failed. It means you are human. Start again next week.

Connect it to something you enjoy. Bread for Sunday brunch with family. Fresh sandwich loaf for the week. Sourdough to share with neighbors. The routine sticks when it serves something you value.

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