The Bakehouse Almanac: January 2026

Welcome to The Bakehouse Almanac — a new monthly ritual I’m so glad you’re here for. At the top of each month, this little almanac will land like a note taped to the fridge accompanied by a mug of coffee slid across the counter. It’s our monthly guide of sorts: a mix of good intentions, short lists, seasonal thoughts, and a few personal notes from me as we move through the year together. Think of it as a vibe check as we step into each new month.

This is very much a shared table situation. A dialogue, not a monologue, if you will.  In the comments, I’d love for you to check in too! Tell me how January feels where you are, what’s playing in your earbuds, what’s baking in your oven (or what you’re hoping to bake this month). We’re doing this together, one month at a time, with dirty dishes in the sink and the very best of intentions. 

Friends, hi! If you’ve been around these parts for any number of Januarys, you know how we like to begin the year here. Say it with me now: gently. Yes, we have officially entered Gentle January, a phrase our dear Karlee coined years ago that still feels exactly right. I let it be a soft recalibration after the holidays, where I fully settle fully into the coziness of winter without talking about freaking Christmas cookies.

This month, I’m pushing back, confidently, against hard pants and overexertion and leaning instead into afternoon cups of chai-spiced hot cocoa and letting plans for the year unfurl slowly in my mind before I pin them down in a Google Doc.  I jokingly refer to it as visionwork, but yes – that’s exactly what it is!

The days here in Bellville have been unseasonably warm, which I’m choosing to accept as a gift since this big old house is short on insulation and very prone to winter drafts. I’ve taken the cue to haul the king-size comforters to the laundromat for a proper freshening and hang a few festive Mardi Gras decorations on the front porch while catching the gentle winter sun (this after Will dragged all the Christmas decorations up to the attic). Small rituals, but they feel like just enough for now.

You know how they say some years are for building foundations, some for growth, some for spiraling and burning everything to the ground (they do say that, right?)?  I think I’ve decided that this year — coincidentally my 18th year of blogging on the internet, canyoubelieve!? — is a year for nesting. I think I need to take the time to settle more deeply into marriage and home and pop-up bakery. You’ll feel that nesting quality reflected in the recipes here this year, too.  The best and the coziest will be the goal.

These are just a few of the thoughts swirling as the year opens. Let’s ease into it together.

Oven Is On – Here’s What’s Warming The House

Right now, there’s a giant bowl of citrus living on my kitchen counter, and it feels like pure luxury. Oranges and grapefruits in January are the jewels of winter and exactly what what I require of the season when the twinkle lights of Christmas come down.

The Whole Orange Bundt Cake has been tapping me on the shoulder for weeks now, and I finally have the perfect excuse to bring it back to life with a few gorgeous Cara Cara oranges. It’s makes the house smell like sunshine and rewards us for doing the earnest work of creaming butter and sugar.

I also have a soft spot for Grapefruit Yogurt Poppy Seed Cake, which is a true countertop cake (loosely covered / knife nearby) that quietly disappears slice by slice throughout the week.

And if you’re feeling ambitious (or simply craving a reset that doesn’t involve resolutions), hauling out the big juicer for a mega citrus juice situation: orange, grapefruit, lemon, with a knob of fresh ginger. Bracing, invigorating, and magically warming. It’s incredible! Additionally, someone in the comments of that juice post suggested a blood orange juice mixed with coconut water and fresh lime juice which also sounds quite nice!

Citrus aside, I’m back at the kolache drawing board. The truth is, I know my kolache dough is good. It’s reliable, tender – it’s downright well-behaved.  But it doesn’t yet have that impossibly soft, almost doughnut-like quality that makes a truly great Texas kolache feel so right. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that Texans guard their family kolache recipes the way Louisianan’s guard their family gumbo recipe. I have not yet been granted access

That’s not stopping me.

Last week I baked a very legit Texas kolache from Lydia Faust, and friends… it’s the closest I’ve come to the one. Pillowy, rich, and that doughnut soft I’ve been after. I can feel it! It’s the right foundation, and with a few Joy-the-Baker tweaks (you know I can’t leave well enough alone), I think I can get it where I want it to go.

At this point, I’m a dog on a bone. Because I have King Cake Kolaches in my mind, and I simply cannot let this go until I’ve gotten this right for us.

What I’m Reaching For This Month

I was scrolling through my camera roll from last January (the aforementioned much colder,  more winter-y January), and I have to admit… in most of the selfies and videos I look downright cold. Upon closer inspection, I’ve realized I wasn’t actually freezing so much as I was pale and under-hydrated, inside and out.  Winter really gets me with that.

The good news, these are solvable problems for a Gentle January.

Our longtime internet friend Emily Schuman mentioned the Tan-Luxe Face Illuminating Self Tan Drops recently (I believe on her Substack, which I love), and I trust her picks implicitly. I grabbed both the face drops and the  Tan-Luxe Body Self Tan Drops and — yes — the hype is real. They provide very natural color without looking overly tanned. For body moisturizer, I’ve landed on an extremely unassuming tub of Cetaphil Skin Activator Moisturizer that punches well above its price point and mixes beautifully with the tan drops.

My current routine looks like this: a weekly scrub with the Buf-Puf Body Scruber (best body scrubber I’ve found), followed by a light coating of organic sesame oil straight out of the shower while my skin is still damp, then moisturizer + tan drops. That’s plenty.

Internally (because hydration start on the inside) I’ve been enjoying these Cure Hydration packs after one of my houseguests left them in the guest apartment (I think my friend Timothy left them, but I like a little mystery). I’ve bought them again and again I love them so much. They contain less sodium than most electrolyte drink powders and taste great which I appreciate.

Will I be luminous all January? Yes. Yes, I will. Pleases join me.

January Ins / January Outs

In:

1. Subscribing to a magazine you love.  It’s actually affordable analog, baby!
2. Clearing the digital space. Delete dead apps, clear and delete downloads and duplicate photos.
3. Listening to full albums. Highly recommend August and Everything After this month.
4. This non-alcoholic Negroni made with hibiscus, cloves, and tonic water.
5. Picking birthday cakes for your loved ones for the year.
6. Sending handwritten thank you notes for holiday gifts.
7. Onion rings, if they’re on the menu.

Out:

1. Cold coffee.
2. Pants that cause any discomfort whatsoever.
3. Comparing your January to anyone’s productive month.
4. Doomscrolling.  Highly recommend deleting TikTok completely. It’s freeing!
5. Less than 7 hours of sleep.
6. Spending a single minute on Reddit.
7. Sweet potato fries (This one is temporary, but they’re out this month.)

Days of Note in January

•  January 21st is Squirrel Appreciation Day, a holiday my dog Graham celebrates everyday in the backyard but he’ll surely enjoy the 21st especially.

•  January 22nd is Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day and every morning Tron yells at me, asking where his food is and every morning I answer his questions with a fresh can of wet food, but I’m sure the 22nd will be extra special. Take note.

•  January 27th is Chocolate Cake Day and we know exactly what to do with that one.

A January reminder:
You don’t have to decide the whole year this month. January is for listening, not locking everything in.

Let me know what resonates in the comments below! I’m so glad you’re here! If you’d like more from me on a weekly, basis – be sure to subscribe to my Substack: Baked In!

My love to you,

Joy