Baking Great Bread at Home
Year in Review

2025: The Year We Rose Together

"From 'Can I do this?' to 'What happens if I try this?'"

A global community of home bakers proving that no gimmicks and no paywalls can build something extraordinary.

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The Shift

A Year of Transformation

Watch the collective conversation evolve from hesitation to bold experimentation.

January 2025
"Can I do this?"
December 2025
"What happens if I try this?"
8.6x
Higher Engagement than the industry average
Defying the Odds

While Others Declined, We Thrived

In a year when the "Organic Traffic Crisis" devastated food blogs worldwide, our community bucked every trend.

The 2025 Reality Check

Major publishers saw traffic drop 10-50% as AI search results displaced traditional content. Food blogs were hit especially hard. But authentic, community-driven content? That's a different story.

51,900
Blog Views
+106% YoY
36,600
Unique Visitors
+154% YoY
42.6%
Organic Search
vs 33% avg
1.30%
Daily Engagement
vs 0.15% avg
Worldwide

A Global Family

50+ countries. Six continents. One love of bread.

50+
Countries
🇺🇸
United States
21,310
56.1%
🇨🇦
Canada
2,316
6.1%
🇲🇾
Malaysia
1,669
4.4%
🇬🇧
United Kingdom
1,460
3.8%
🇦🇺
Australia
1,423
3.7%
The Heartbeat

Sunday Funday Bake Along

"Bake it True, Bake it Bold, Bake it Western"

Terri Briede

Terri Briede

Co-Host & Founder
Donna L. May

Donna L. May

Co-Host & Lamination Expert
24 Consecutive Weeks
5:30 AM Mountain Time Start
1,300 Peak Reach (Challah)
Tracy Havlik

"If you haven't joined us for a bake along, you really are missing out on an amazing opportunity to learn something new, improve your skills, share great ideas and enjoy baking with some of the best bakers you'll ever meet."

— Tracy Havlik, Community Member

This success was bolstered by a constellation of regular participants including Tracy, Cheryl, Marjorie, Star, Carolyn, Linda, and Rhonda, who formed a reliable core that showed up week after week.

"There is always room at the table."

— Terri Briede
Most Loved

Top Content of 2025

The articles that solved real problems for real bakers.

2025 Signature Search Term
"Tangzhong Cinnamon Rolls"
Built for You

Free Tools That Outperform the Market

While others charge $4.99–$25, we built these for free.

💰 Competitors: $5–$25 → Ours: FREE
Crust & Crumb App

Crust & Crumb App

Your intelligent baking assistant with everything you need to master bread.

  • 132-term glossary
  • AI assistant "Krusty"
  • OCR recipe scanner
Competitors: 20-50 terms, $4.99-$12.99
Bread Buddy Converter

Bread Buddy Converter

Convert any recipe between sourdough and commercial yeast, instantly.

  • Bidirectional conversion
  • Bilingual (EN/ES)
  • Hydration calculator
Competitors: One-direction only
Sourdough Guide

Sourdough for the Rest of Us

The complete beginner's guide to sourdough, available as a free download.

  • Comprehensive guide
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • Troubleshooting tips
Similar guides: $9.99-$24.99
Celebrating You

Superstar Bakers of 2025

Hover to see their achievements. These are your neighbors, your friends, your fellow bakers.

Kimberly Wasko

Kimberly Wasko

Fair Champion
See Her Story

8 Ribbons

Won eight ribbons at the Bloomsburg Fair after honing her skills with our community.

Read Her Story
Donna L. May

Donna L. May

Lamination Expert

Master of Layers

Became the resident expert on baguettes, croissants, and steam techniques.

Terri Briede

Terri Briede

Community Builder

24-Week Streak

Co-founded Sunday Funday and co-hosted the advanced Panettone Workshop with Donna.

Ellen Clancy

Ellen Clancy

Community Ambassador

Local Inspiration

2025 #GiveBreadInstead winner who inspired her local community through the gift of homemade bread.

In Your Words

What Our Bakers Say

Real stories from real bakers in our community.

Jami Steiger

Jami Steiger

Learning & Transformation
"I have learned so much from you. You are the best!"
Bern Lee

Bern Lee

Community Leadership & Gratitude
"You have given years of dedication to hosting this group. Your generosity, guidance, and steady presence have made you an inspiration, an educator, and a faithful friend to so many of us. The knowledge you shared and the community you nurtured will continue to matter. Your kindness and impact are truly appreciated."
Sharon Stubbs

Sharon Stubbs

Recipe Quality & Value
"Your recipes never disappoint. Every single one turns out perfectly!"
Larry Christl Wagner

Larry Christl Wagner

Learning & Growth
"Picked up SO much this year from Baking Great Bread at Home!"
Mike Morrell

Mike Morrell

Expertise & Guidance
"Thank you for all of your sage advice too!"
Insay Guanzon

Insay Guanzon

Community Impact
"Thanks for spreading baking knowledge and helping our community grow."
Bernadette Gomms

Bernadette Gomms

Year-Long Engagement
"Thank you for a wonderful year of baking and sharing!"
Tina Weidner

Tina Weidner

Trust & Appreciation
"Thank you for all you do and this great site."
Allison Quaglia Micciche

Allison Quaglia Micciche

Support & Guidance
"Thank you for all the guidance and support to all of us!"
Eric Dobis

Eric Dobis

Instruction & Expertise
"You are the best Baking Instructor I have ever had!"
Shirley Glenn Suttle

Shirley Glenn Suttle

Transformation & Magic
"Henry Hunter is my magic! The Ultimate Dinner Rolls are out of this world!"
Tracy Havlik

Tracy Havlik

Community Connection
"If you haven't joined us for a bake along, you really are missing out on an amazing opportunity to learn something new, improve your skills, share great ideas and enjoy baking with some of the best bakers you'll ever meet."
Kristie G Pickering

Kristie G Pickering

Success Stories
"First attempt at sourdough, using the classic recipe and it turned out perfect!"
Renee Williams Mikulin

Renee Williams Mikulin

Recipe Results
"I followed the recipe exactly, baked on steel and got excellent results!"
Julie Reis

Julie Reis

Product Quality
"I read the book. Love how it's organized and the photos!"
Henry Hunter Jr.

The 'Why' Behind Our Culture

The culture of patience, empathy, and accessible education that defines Baking Great Bread at Home is not a marketing slogan. It's a deeply personal philosophy born from experience.

In 2021, Henry Hunter faced a medical challenge that affected his dominant hand, forcing him to relearn his craft from scratch. This journey taught him new levels of patience and precision, breaking down movements he'd done automatically for years.

This personal struggle is the source of the community's uniquely empathetic and supportive environment.

"When members post about failed loaves... I get it. I've been there."

The Difference

Quality Over Quantity

Some groups measure success by size. We measure it by safety, trust, and genuine connection.

A Private Group By Design

We're not exclusionary. We're intentional. Every single membership application is reviewed by our team. Are they real people? Do they show any propensity to bake? Are they members of hundreds of groups (a red flag for bots and self-promoters)?

This creates a safe environment where like-minded bakers can connect, learn, and share without spam, misinformation, or drama. It's a velvet rope at the door, with our moderators as the bouncers.

The result? Zero drama. No misinformation. No bots. Just bread.

7,575
Member Requests Reviewed in 2025
954
Approved
6,465
Declined
156
Blocked
12.6% acceptance rate

The Bread Squad

The team of administrators, group experts, and moderators whose dedication serves as the backbone of our community, ensuring no question goes unanswered.

Administrators

Henry Hunter
Terri Briede
Cheryl Odden
Donna L. May
Kar ArGent

Group Experts

Dave Palmer
Debbie Eckstein
Donald Kelly
Jake Rog
Kimberly Wasko
Kristy Michelle
Maria Cristina Del Solar N
Roldan Marzan
Sergio Bryner
Timothy McQuaid
Tom Cucuzza

Moderators

Marsha Pope
Moe Mastrapasqua
Adam Sellers
Steve Schwartz
Kathy Judd
Martin Drazen
Ted Machart
Angela Amoroso

Some team members hold dual roles. Together, they touch every post and answer every question.

Through the Year

2025 Campaigns & Initiatives

A year of challenges, stories, and shared celebrations.

Q1

#FreshStart

A challenge focused on healthier baking to kick off the new year by using stevia in sweet rolls.
Q3

Thanksgiving Bakers Hotline

A live event where Henry and the Bread Squad provided real-time troubleshooting for holiday bakers.

Q4

#SCORETHESEASON

A campaign to master decorative scoring techniques for Thanksgiving masterpieces.
Q4

#GiveBreadInstead

Our fourth-annual campaign encouraging members to gift homemade bread instead of store-bought presents.
Holiday

House of Bread

A Bethlehem Christmas narrative connecting our craft to deeper traditions and stories.

The Community Flywheel

Our success isn't a strategy. It's a virtuous cycle.

Free Content
& Tools
Empowers
Members
Peer Leadership
Emerges
Engagement
& Growth

"High-value content empowers peer leadership, which fosters engagement, drives growth, and inspires new leaders to emerge."

Explore More

Experience the Story

Dive deeper with our video presentation, podcast discussion, and infographic summary.

Video Presentation

Year in Review: The Full Story

Watch our comprehensive video walkthrough of the community's incredible 2025 journey.

Audio Discussion
Podcast Episode

Two-Person Deep Dive

Listen to our hosts discuss the highlights, challenges, and victories of 2025.

Open in Google Drive
2025 Year in Review Infographic
View Full Size
Infographic

Visual Summary

A beautiful visual overview of our community-powered growth story.

There is always room at the table.

Here's to 2026. Let's keep baking.

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