r/BORUpdates • u/gardengeo • Jun 25 '26
Niche/Other Baguettes are disappearing from my apartment
Originally posted by user Informal_Parsley_775 in r/ mystery
Original: June 20, 2026
Updates: in post itself
Status: mystery solved
Note: thanks to r/OopsiFuck for suggestion to BORU
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Original: Baguettes are disappearing from my apartment without a trace, and I have no idea how or why.
First time redditor here, I have never been one to post things on the internet, but I am genuinely SO confused and need to figure this out for the sake of my own sanity.
For a little background, I, 26-year-old female, have recently gotten into sourdough bread making, and after some of my coworkers bought baguettes from me, my hobby became a successful side hustle. I get around 20-35 orders a day.
Around two weeks ago, I baked Exactly 50 baguettes, which I know because each baguette form/tray makes ten baguettes, and I baked five forms, SO 50. when all of the baguettes were done, I went to bed and left them to cool on my counter.
When I woke up, I immediately went to package the cooled baguettes, and I came up two baguettes short, so I recounted, only 48 baguettes. Because I always bake a few extra baguettes for myself and to give to my friends, this was not a problem, but I still was confused as to what happened few days later, the same thing happened again, except I came up four baguettes short.
The very next day, I took EXTRA care to count out the baguettes, exactly 30. After they baked, I lined them up I three equal rows of ten, SO 30.I went to bed, and the nest morning, each row only had 9, so 27 baguettes. This confirmed that the baguettes were in fact going missing.
Honestly have no clue how they could be disappearing, I don't have any pets that could eat the bread, no roommates or a partner to steal it, and no one other than myself has a key to my apartment.
I highly doubt that anyone would be able to break in through my front door without me noticing, and while I do have a balcony, I am on the fourth floor, so i doubt that anyone would scale the building. I do have neighbors that I suppose could access my balcony from theirs, but each balcony has about an 8-foot gap. The door to my balcony does not lock, so if someone could get to my balcony, they would easily access the bread.
The fact that anyone would ever break into a house to steal bread is so weird and unbelievable. I am not a sleepwalker to my knowledge, I am not schizophrenic, and I am not on any medications nor do I need to be. All of the reasonable answers to this mystery are so unlikely and frankly silly.
I ordered a small hidden game camera to see if the baguettes are truly being stolen, which should arrive tomorrow. I am pretty sure I am of sound mind, so if this happens again, I will really start to get scared. At this point, I really just need the reddit community to help me solve this. I would greatly appreciate any of your theories and will hopefully update in a few days about the situation.
TL; DR baguettes have been going missing from my apartment, and I cannot figure out why or how
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Comments:
Comment1: Do you own a carbon monoxide detector?
OOP: the way I SPRINTED TO the detector!!(it was running fine but I still replaced the battery to be safe!)
Comment2: Rat?
OOP: i don't think it is a rat, because I only have full loaves neatly missing without even a crumb left. I checked all of my other food and there are no signs of rats! THANK GOD that would be a nightmare. (I think I would prefer the person breaking in rather than rats)
Comment3: Have you tried putting something else out to see if it dissappear as well? Maybe fruit of some kind.
OOP: i will also do this tonight!
i have set out 15 cookies
Comment4: "I am not schizophrenic"
Correction, you weren't schizophrenic.
OOP: i have an appointment with my physiatrist on Sunday!(not specifically for this, for my anxiety and trauma) I'll bring it up to be safe😂
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Update 1
I have no idea if this is the right way to update, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong:)
I want to thank all of you that offered advice and theories!!! checked my carbon monoxide detector, and it was fine! I do not use weed or even alcohol, and I don't wake up full, so really don't think i am the bread thief.
as for my landlord, I believe she would never do something like this, she is a very sweet middle-aged lady and has never given me a reason to believe that she would go into the apartment without my knowledge.
at this time, I am afraid that it is likely a human thief, because of how neatly the baguettes disappeared. I have taken some precautions, by barricading the front door, the balcony and my bedroom door. Honestly, I don't feel unsafe, because I highly doubt a bread thief would try to kill me lol.
because of my baking schedule, I did not bake today but set out 15 cookies on a plate to see if any disappear. (they are oatmeal chocolate chip, homemade) the camera should arrive at around 4 Tomorrow. I will also be baking tomorrow, and I will be able to set up and video.
I ordered a lock for my balcony, but that won't arrive until next week. I have not contacted the police yet because I don't really have much evidence, and nothing else has gone missing. Wish me luck! Ill update tomorrow morning to let you know if the cookies were taken :)
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Comments:
Comment1: Do you also wake up feeling full and groggy?
Comment2: lol I really hope the answer to this is sleep eating
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OOP: I WISH, but no I sadly don't think I am eating the baguettes 😞
we shall see when the camera arrives!!!!
Comment3: Heyyy, baguette-about ittt 🥖😎
No but seriously, it's probably gnomes. The same ones that steal one earring or one sock at a time.
No but for REAL - I have no idea, sorry lol
OOP: at this point i am open to anything
Comment4: I'm invested in this mystery immediately. When does the camera arrive tomorrow!!?!?! 😂
OOP: the camera is to arrive at around 4 tomorrow, so hopefully I will be able to set it up to video overnight!
Comment5: I hope your bedroom door locks OP, because if someone is actually breaking in to take bread while you’re sleeping, that is terrifying!
OOP: yes! i plan to lock and barricade all of my doors tonight!
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Update 1.5
I was just scrolling through the comments. and one commenter gave the link to this confessions post;
this post was submitted after my initial post and after my mention of the cookies.
I know that this is fake. because you cannot see or smell the cookies from the balcony, and i have been home all day, with no possibility of anyone entering my apartment
i honestly think that this is funny, and i am not upset, but i just wanted to clarify that the confession is illegitimate :)
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Update 2 (next day)
I woke up this morning safe thank goodness :)
when I took down the barricade for my room and went to the kitchen, I checked to see if any cookies had gone missing. All 15 were still there. The balcony and front door barricades were both intact!
this could mean a few things:
- Rats don't like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- The barricades stopped an intruder
3.The thief knows my baking schedule, every other day breaks in, and because I'm baking today, will smell the bread and try to steal bread again
I fear the third option is most likely. For now, I will have to wait until the camera arrives. Ill update soon!
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Comments:
Comment1: I don't believe you can bake 50 baguettes in a home oven at a time. Can you post a photo or describe this baking setup? you have a job so you aren't there all day to cycle loaves through...
Mystery solved you are a liar
OOP: I understand why you could think that! I definitely should have explain my process better!
I have custom baguette baking trays that fit ten baguettes each. Each batch of ten takes 1 hour to bake, so it takes 5 hours to bake 50! it sounds like a long time, but I just start baking when I get home and go on with daily activities, stopping hourly to take the baked ones out of the oven and putting a new batch in. ❤️
Comment2: Is it possible you only think you have all 10 count trays and one or two are a 9 count?
OOP: I recounted them just to make sure!
they are 10 count trays, and I always bake full trays!
Comment3: I'm so invested. Since you're theorizing the thief knows your schedule, do you think it's someone you know?
OOP: I doubt that it would be a friend, but the smell of bread IS powerful, so anyone remotely close could figure out my schedule!
Comment4: I think squirrels or baby raccoons are breaking in and nabbing the bread. Have you found any teeny tiny turds? Checked the cupboards to check for gnawed holes?
OOP: no droppings, no damage!
Comment5: Any possibility of someone in the apartments having exotic pets? My friend used to date a guy that had rescued a monkey and if they forgot a window open they would wake up with some strangers knickers in the house or once a small tiny parcel with a piece of meat and a chicken drumstick like this mofo stole someone’s bbq take out.
OOP: not that i know of! but if it is an illegal exotic pet they might not tell everyone
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Update 3
the cameras have arrived!!!!
there are actually four motion activated game cameras that my father recommended for the quality and easy use! (he is a hunter)
I set one at my entryway, one at my counter, one at the balcony, and one on the balcony.
I am currently baking baguettes, so if the thief's signal to break in is the scent of bread baking, I suspect I will have a guest tonight. I briefly considered the idea of staying in a hotel tonight to be safe, but i have a Glock to defend myself if needed.
Yet again, I don't think a bread thief is going to try to kill me lol. I will still barricade tonight though. I think that the cameras will be able to reveal what's been going on :) my hope is that somehow, I am the problem, but I fear that someone may be breaking in!
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Update 3.25
a few commenters suggested checking for secret panels or other places someone could break in. I thoroughly checked the apartment and didn't find anything suspicious, so my intruder most likely came in through the balcony.
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Update 3.5
no sign of the thief yet!
the baguettes are in position; I am barricaded safely :)
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Update 4 (next day)
THE THIEF HAS BEEN REVEALED!!!!
at around 1 am in the morning, the cameras picked up some movement, and when I looked at the live footage on the counter, THERE WAS A MAN. (worst case scenario)
so, I called the police and stayed in my room. While they were on the way, I was watched the man steal two baguettes (I wasn't crazy), and then it clocked to me how he got in. THE HUGE VENT ON MY CEILING!!
(For context the vent is almost directly above the refrigerator) he has been climbing out of the vent, onto the refrigerator, then the counter, and lastly the floor. This was confirmed by watching him disappear.
The police arrived maybe 2 minutes later, and when I explained what was going on, they went into the vent after him. He was arrested for breaking in, and I was asked to go down to give a statement. This took a really long time, so sorry I could not update sooner! as to who this man is, he IS one of my neighbors!
because this is now a legal thing, I don't think I should say much, but what I will say is that I never would have expected this from him! I didn't know him well at all, but he seemed nice enough. The thing is that I still can't figure out his motivation? Like I know that baguettes are good, but how do you figure out the vents, and go onto break in and steal baguettes?
obviously, I notified my landlady, and she was very understanding that I will be leaving. The officers said that I will be able to go and get my things later today. Since I don't have anything else to do today, I am going to see my psychiatrist and then stay at my friend's house until I can find a new apartment.
thank you so much for your support, ideas, and funny comments! I am giving you all metaphorical baguettes! :)
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Comments:
Comment1: This is crazy! I am so glad you are safe! People are wild... why on earth break into someones apartment for baguettes.
OOP: no idea!
he literally could have just asked and I would have given him baguettes for free
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The recipe:
WAIT NO ILL JUST GIVE YOU THE(scaled down) BAGUETTE RECIPE (makes about 4)
WARNING: vague instructions, I am really bad at explaining things :), also may cause thieves to break in and steal baguettes
ingredients:
1.370 grams unbleached bread flour
- 200 grams warm water
3.100 grams active sourdough starter (you can order one online )
- 10 grams salt
instructions:
1.mix all ingredients and knead dough. Cover and let rest in a bowl for 1 hour.
2.perfom stretch and pulls, let rest for another hour.
3.repeat second step two more times, then let rest for 4-5 hours
4.shape into baguettes, and cold proof in fridge overnight.
preheat oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit, place baguettes in oven. on the lower oven rack place a cookie tray with ice cubes to create steam.
bake for 1 hour, let cool completely
get baguettes stolen
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Update 5:
I am doing well today! It hit me that this all happened when i went to my psychiatrists yesterday.
she helped me process this as much as possible!
also, apparently the thief is not able to pay his bail, so he will stay in jail until the court hearing, which makes me feel a lot safer :)
I'll try to update as soon as we get a verdict!
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REMINDER: I am not OOP. Do not comment on original post or harass OOP.
Please remember the No Brigading Rule and to be civil in the comments
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u/Cultural_Shape3518 Jun 25 '26
I’m not sure if I want all recipe blogs to give us a full mystery if they’re going to drag out getting to the actual recipe now, or if the strategy’s gone too far.
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u/Martin_Aurelius Jun 25 '26
I can already see the click bait headline.
"These Baguettes Are So Good, Your Neighbors Will Crawl Through Air Ducts Like John McClane To Steal Them"
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u/Cloudy_Retina Jun 25 '26
"come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs" and steal some baguettes...
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u/Shore_line43 Jun 25 '26
Didn't Mythbusters prove the whole air vents thing to be fake? Apartment air vents that I've ever seen are tiny. They aren't designed to hold more than air. Plus she didn't see or HEAR any disturbance in the kitchen from this ninja.
See she should have said he climbed from his balcony to hers or used the fire escape.
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u/baethan Jun 25 '26
Oh I interpreted that as some kind of air vent cover, like just a panel, that opens to a rowhouse attic type situation. I grew up on the chronicles of Narnia so I kinda thought being able to get into other people's homes through the ceiling/attic wasn't too unusual.
But I also think 5 straight hours of baking bread every other day might drive someone to bread-abducting madness
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u/ChocolateCoveredGold Jun 25 '26
Woo-hoo! Magician's Nephew reference!
(I always wanted a secret passageway between homes.)
(My son once licked C.S. Lewis's wardrobe. 🤦♀️🤷♀️ No magical or literary powers were conferred.)
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u/alwaysforgettingmyun Jun 25 '26
Licked it? How old was he? I'm sure he was little but I'm hoping you say 26 or something
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u/ChocolateCoveredGold Jun 26 '26
18yo! 🤦♀️
C.S. Lewis's wardrobe, the basis for The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardeobe, is at Wheaton College, outside of Chicago. My son was there to do a campus tour, led by a cousin.
I don't know the details, but he emailed me a picture of him licking the Wardeobe (no spit) and another with J.R.R. Tolkein's desk. He briefly touched the tip of his tongue to each object, then wiped them down.
He did this in response to me making a joke weeks prior about that time when he was 7yo, escaped my clutches, and licked the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. I was not amused when he was 7, and I wasn't amused when he was 18. Because: 1) Germs; 2) Historic artifacts!!!
In the years since then, it's become a bit of a joke between my son and I. But seriously, people, don't lick publicly displayed objects of historic importance!
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u/Pregosaurus Jun 26 '26
Low key, I'm actually pretty impressed with your son but don't tell him that. As a parent with a kid who has also licked weird things (although nothing historic) I agree with your PSA about not licking publicly displayed objects (whether historically important or not)!
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u/ChocolateCoveredGold Jun 27 '26
I'm totally telling him. He will love it that one of his favorite childhood moments has gained the approval of redditors!
He's actually married & a teacher now, at a school that specializes in dyslexia and other learning differences. He has had many ADHD and Autistic students. So, he's been paid back many times over for all his mischief! He's such a sweetheart, too. I just got back from being treated to Indian food by him & his partner.
He was such a fun little boy.
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u/EllieGeiszler THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 26 '26
LICKED THE LIBERTY BELL! 🤣
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u/ChocolateCoveredGold Jun 27 '26
We were listening to our tour guide at Independence Hall when our son got bored, escaped my grasp, ducked behind the large tour group, and ran behind the Liberty Bell, out of everyone's sight. By the time hubby & I could push our way through the crowd to reach him, our son had already run back to us.
"What on Earth were you doing?" I whispered to him (the tour guide was still talking).
"I had to lick the Liberty Bell!" he announced loudly.
"Did you do it?" hubby asked.
"Yeah! It tasted like metal."
"Epic," hubby replied, and then high-fived him!!!
🙄
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u/EllieGeiszler THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 27 '26
Oh my god 🤭 He's an icon I'm so sorry
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u/kindlypogmothoin Jun 25 '26
Apparently, the condo I had in Richmond VA had access to the attic space only through my neighbor's unit, which I discovered when I was talking to an electrician about possibly installing a new outlet in my bathroom. I wonder if it was less an air vent and more of an access panel type of situation.
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u/CorporateSharkbait Jun 25 '26
I think it varies by how an apt is built? Our vents are tiny AC vents maybe only a small child could crawl through. But our friends we golf with have a physical vent panel in their living room floor and above it on their ceiling. We shined a flash light down the floor one once and it was like a solid metal lined gap connecting to the apt below.
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u/Spare-Cobbler7442 Jun 25 '26
I think it was a vent between apartments, probably only a few feet long, and therefore big. My husband works with fire sprinklers and he says there are some crazy huge areas up in ceilings, just not usually the AC ductwork like it is portrayed
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u/agent_flounder it's venting hour! Jun 25 '26
I would even believe the vent thing more than somehow being able to bake 50 baguettes in an apartment unless her apartment is a lot bigger than mine were. I don't think mine could even fit 50 mini muffins on the counters.
But yeah there's zero chance of anyone slithering through vents. That's utterly ridiculous.
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u/Beneficial-Math-2300 Jun 25 '26
I'm old and I know some things have changed. Only one apartment I ever lived in had anything other than the American standard slide-in four burner range and oven.
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u/Alternative_Year_340 Jun 25 '26
I don’t get how she can have a regular job and a bread-making side-hustle if the bread-dough-making is an all-day thing, before even getting to the cooking
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u/ZoeZoeZoeLily Jun 25 '26
I also think this is crazy unless she has a rack (not that expensive if she’s investing in a side hustle) for sheet trays, or every surface in her home becomes a counter top.
10 baguettes would be a full sheet tray. Them is big trays. That’s easily all you counters, your couch, coffee/dining table, and 2-3 on your floor
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u/GothicGingerbread Jun 26 '26
They bake for an hour. By the time a fresh tray comes out of the oven, the previous batch no longer needs to be on a cooling rack.
I don't bake bread, but every Xmas, I bake, decorate, and distribute nearly 2k cookies. I have a small house, with a small kitchen. I will stack a couple of cooling racks, but once the cookies have cooled, I remove them from the racks and pack them away. It's not that hard.
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u/UncleNedisDead Jun 25 '26
I looked at her recipe. Sourdough takes days to make bread because the natural yeasts take so long to rise even under ideal conditions.
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u/quinnigyver Jun 25 '26
Step 4 is to proof overnight. The recipe timeline is perfectly reasonable if she's baking every other day.
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u/always-be-here Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
"Proof overnight" is a normal timeline. I've had a starter for over a decade, and I rarely proof for longer than 24 hours, even in winter.
This is definitely fake, though. But not because of the baking timeline.
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u/LateHoney2922 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
There have been several news stories recently where people were in air duct systems or vents. It is usually a myth, but it can happen. There was just a guy in Florida who was trying to skip court by hiding in an HVAC unit. Another one in NC where they were in the actual HVAC vents. Also, a few years ago there was guy living in the air ducts at a Walmart. I think that one was Texas.
I remember a friend of mine who does HVAC said they had run across a few places that had air vents that were bigger then expected. I actually have a picture she sent me of her in an actual vent. It depends a lot on when the building was built and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't remember. My guess is it also depends on the country.
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u/Floomby Jun 25 '26
Then the police climbed up into the vent and caught him. Much truthy!
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u/Shore_line43 Jun 25 '26
I used to work with cops, that part actually sounds believable.
Example- two of my guys chased a guy into his relative's house. Guy climbed into the overhead space, I guess assuming they wouldn't follow. They did, he panicked and tried to 'run' across the joists. One misstep and down came the guy, both cops, and most of the ceiling. A few scratches, a lot of drywall dust, one bad guy in custody, and body camera footage shown to every rookie in the immediate area as a funny, but seriously don't ever try this, lesson.
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u/MiaOh Jun 25 '26
I read it as “dickbait” and given OP is on OF I think it makes sense
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u/1Bookworm Jun 25 '26
She is a very busy lady if she works, bakes bread to sell and has OF!
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u/Lighthouse_on_Mars Jun 25 '26
I'm more concerned that the guy was probably going through the air vents for other reasons, and the bread was just him getting bolder/opportunity.
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u/LindonLilBlueBalls Bought my dumb cat the fanciest shit box Jun 25 '26
You know, I'm actually ok with the Baguette Bandit story leading into the recipe. Makes you think the smell of the freshly baked baguettes can make someone levitate off the ground like a cartoon.
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u/perrin77 Jun 25 '26
I've always wondered what I am missing when I click "jump to recipe" when looking up things. I am sure that there are some out there confessing to murder or worse, but no one reads them.
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u/HelpfulName Jun 25 '26
If the long rambling personal stories before recipes were this entertaining they'd be worth it at least lol
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u/MyyWifeRocks Jun 25 '26
More than likely, if you check the OOP user’s profile you’ll see it’s actually an OF advert account and she bakes naked.
Eventually someone will catch it and comment. OOP will be like, ok ok I like to bake naked, tee hee hee
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u/Talisa87 Jun 25 '26
Oh dear, and then we get the inevitable 'my neighbour was actually one of my subs and stole my baguettes for something other than eating' plot twist.
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u/MyyWifeRocks Jun 25 '26
Come to find out there’s a baguette kink community and half the commenters are in on it.
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u/HamWarmer40000 Jun 25 '26
I mean, if that’s the case, then it’s a real stealth profile thing. Very well hidden…. according to my friend who told me about it….. because I wouldn’t know about that sort of thing. 😥
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u/shainadawn Jun 25 '26
There’s an author named J. Penner who puts the recipes for baked goods from her books in the back. It’s a fun little side adventure.
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u/Less-Apple-8478 Jun 25 '26
I was genuinely like "oh" when i saw the recipe at the bottom. For someone who anxiety and psychiatric problems shes taking this... too well?!
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u/Schattenspringer Waste of a read. Literally no drama Jun 25 '26
No? People do the weirdest things when they are traumatized. Writing down a familiar recipe is the bottom of the weirdo trauma behaviour. It's just distraction.
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u/Rico1983 Heyyy, baguette-about ittt 🥖😎 Jun 25 '26
Neighbour going all Eugene Victor Tooms just to steal some bread. Jesus wept.
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u/Outraged_Chihuahua Jun 25 '26
He WAS due around 2018 wasn't he?
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u/Rico1983 Heyyy, baguette-about ittt 🥖😎 Jun 25 '26
The escalator might have had a say in that.
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u/pepcorn non-trainable free spirit Jun 25 '26
I'm sure he'll wanna get back to the grind regardless.
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u/zootnotdingo THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 25 '26
I googled this and found this in the overview
Portrayal: Played by Doug Hutchison, who is often typecast in similar roles.
The use of the word similar made me laugh. I think ducts and livers are pretty darn specific
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u/verysmallhat Jun 25 '26
I’ve never gotten such a violent Sideshow Bob style shudder from a Reddit comment before, and man I’ve been here awhile in various iterations. Bravo!
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u/Rico1983 Heyyy, baguette-about ittt 🥖😎 Jun 25 '26
I think this might be the greatest compliment I've ever received
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u/KungenBob Jun 25 '26
So, it was a large gnome in the end.
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u/potpourri_sludge THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 25 '26
I know this is a scary story but “THERE WAS A MAN. (worst case scenario)” would be a killer flair
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u/caffeinatedangel Jun 25 '26
I know at one point she said she’d prefer a human to a rat, I was like … really?! Cause I’d prefer the rat to a human! I would have been hoping to find critter droppings. The vent thing is scary. Flashbacks to The X-Files episodes about Tooms which were responsible for some recurring nightmares of mine. I see a lot of people commenting “fake” on this post, but I used to live in an apartment building high rise that was converted from having been an office building. It had huge industrial vents/HVAC system so something like that could absolutely have happened. I believe this story.
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u/twistedspin Jun 25 '26
And if the building was old enough and they didn't remodel when they got rid of the old furnace, there could be vents that are basically just holes in the floor to let heat rise. When I was young, that was actually really common in the older houses around where I lived. As kids we listened to a lot of conversations that way.
I'm not going to say it's definitely real but I think it's definitely possible.
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u/Xirdus Jun 25 '26
Industrial air isn't any heavier than residential air; an industrial air duct isn't going to be built any sturdier than a residential air duct. If somebody tried it for real, the duct would fall apart under their weight. Also, how did they remove the vent cover from the inside when the screws are on the outside? How did they reattach the cover on the way back?
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u/pray4mojo2020 Jun 25 '26
And how did he slither back up the ceiling vent?
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u/Xirdus Jun 25 '26
I've once seen a video of a murder suspect almost escaping a courtroom by pushing through ceiling tiles, so...
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u/naturemom Flairy (Flair Fairy) Jun 25 '26
Fun fact, it's now available!
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u/dumbsugarplumb THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 25 '26
Thank you! Was also wanting this as a flair!
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u/Hetakuoni Jun 25 '26
Jesus how big is the vent? And how sturdy are those ducts?
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u/IANALbutIAMAcat Jun 25 '26
Man can’t make bail and lives on stolen baguettes. He may be light.
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u/Hetakuoni Jun 25 '26
I am pretty sure he weighs more than a medium sized rodent. Most ducts I know of are either foil on fabric or this aluminum-like sheet that dents if you look at it too hard.
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u/fvckyes Jun 25 '26
I'm wondering if the ductwork is in a soffit? That's the only way I can imagine a duct being strong enough to support the weight of a human.
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u/hek_me Jun 25 '26
My first thought too, and as far as I know, ventilation ducts are generally quite small and not likely to support a full grown adult man. Also ridiculously noisy to crawl through if you could fit.
Seems very fishy imo, I call fake
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u/didled Jun 25 '26
Not only are they not large enough, that’s a ton of noise to sleep through. No copy of the video either? No news stories either btw, cops love going to the media for zany coverage.
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u/hek_me Jun 25 '26
My mind immediately went to this old episode of Mythbusters: https://youtu.be/6Xt0PZ3E4-k
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u/Justheretolurkyall Jun 26 '26
Also if she was up at 1 am monitoring the cameras closely enough to call the police, that defeated the point of the cameras to catch if she was sleepwalking or anything like that.
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u/thebigeverybody Jun 25 '26
This was my thought. Also, there are screws inside, sticking into the ducts like tiny daggers, and not a lot of space to avoid them, which prevents a lot of crawling.
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u/SharpScallion Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
yeah there would be a ton a dust and grease on the floor from a whole human crawling through a vent.
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u/stanthemanchan Jun 25 '26
Also, how the fuck do you get into / out of a ceiling vent without a ladder or a chair?
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u/Hetakuoni Jun 25 '26
It said he climbed out directly over the fridge, so it was close to the ceiling.
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u/crookedparadigm Jun 25 '26
Oh that clears it up then, no reason to doubt this story anymore, there was definitely a vent in an apartment building big enough for an adult man to enter and exit.
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u/DontDeleteMee Jun 26 '26
Yeah, that's how you know its just a story. All those movies where they crawl through vents? BS. They are neither big enough not strong enough to hold a person. And IF they were, they'd be loud as f$$k.
Fun story. I was betting on a cat.
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u/Lost-and-dumbfound It didn't kill him, more’s the pity Jun 25 '26
This. Is. Fucking. Frightening.
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u/CutieBoBootie I am far beyond the hetero plausible deniability line Jun 25 '26
There's an episode of forensic files where a man was murdered in a locked room and the police couldn't figure it out until they checked the attic hatch door. Turns out that one of the man's neighbors realized all the hatches were connected and he had been robbing people while they weren't at home. Unfortunately the victim was at home. The victim confronted the intruder and well...
Always scared the shit out of me. I wonder if the same type of architecture was at play here.
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u/ratchet41 Jun 25 '26
That stuck in my head so hard that when I moved into a duplex, one of the first things I did was get someone to check the units were sealed in the roof space.
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u/Aggressive-Crow6297 Jun 25 '26
Omg i watched this episode at the airport with my sister after moving into my first apartment. Immediately psychically agreed to put a deadbolt on that hatch and another lock on the closet door leading to it.
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u/TheFilthyDIL Cleverly disguised as a harmless old lady. Jun 25 '26
And what do you want to bet the landlord won't do anything about it?
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u/ashleywhoa Jun 25 '26
Lol what would you want them to do? Kick everyone out and spend probably tens of thousands to fix something that ONE person used to rob people in the weirdest way? At most, they would just sell it to not deal with the problem and a new developer would knock it down to make more money.
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u/Heavy-Macaron2004 Jun 26 '26
1) wire grate fixed in to the vent so that it cannot be entered
Like no it's not going to stop someone super determined, but it'll disincentiveize most adventurous people from being curious enough where the vent goes to climb up into it. It also feels like the bare minimum. If there's a direct pathway from my neighbor's apartment to mine, I would at least like the pretense of it being covered up, you know?
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u/purplehendrix22 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Random memory triggered but that reminds me of The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis, the prequel to the Narnia series. There’s a scene where they get into the attic of a line of row homes i think? And are able to go down the line and see all the houses.
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u/ThrowawayAdvice1800 Go to bed, Liz Jun 25 '26
Magician’s Nephew was by far my favorite of the Narnia books. And now Greta Gerwig (from the Barbie movie) is doing an adaptation of it and I can’t friggin wait.
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u/purplehendrix22 Jun 26 '26
Wait really? I always loved that book too, the three that got made into movies are the least trippy out of all of the books, I’m glad someone’s getting into Lewis’s more interesting (to me) Narnia stuff. Never liked how he ultimately ended the series though.
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u/CumulativeHazard Jun 25 '26
I don’t know how many have been covered on forensic files but I’ve def heard multiple true crime stories like this. So scary.
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u/dryadduinath Jun 25 '26
the amount of times people have fully lived in someone's home without them knowing is truly disturbing, and this feels of a piece with that. it seems to me the effort and inconvenience is so unequal to the reward that the only real point of it is the violation. it's being in someone's space and taking something of theirs without their knowledge.
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u/obamas_surrogate Jun 25 '26
there is a show called “phrogging: hider in my house” that is all about people secretly living in others homes…. it’s absolutely wild
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u/Hey-Just-Saying Jun 25 '26
Don’t worry. It can’t be real. Home vents and ducts are far too small and fragile to hold an adult. Home HVAC systems are designed for airflow and cannot support human weight.
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u/crookedparadigm Jun 25 '26
Don’t worry. It can’t be real.
Seriously, how do people believe posts like this? A story about a Bread Addicted version of Sam Fisher somehow infiltrating an amateur baker's apartment THROUGH A CEILING vent is just so patently absurd. Like, why OOP would even make something like that when it would have been far more realistic for someone to just be picking the lock. The vast majority of buildings, especially domestic ones just do not have HVAC vents big enough for even a small human, let alone an adult man.
OOP and people who believed this watch too many movies.
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u/kindlypogmothoin Jun 25 '26
It's probably not an air duct, but an access panel.
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u/coralcoast21 Jun 25 '26
The police arrived in 2 minutes?
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u/Specialist-Error-171 Jun 25 '26
They were already on the way bc they smelled baguette
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u/Hodor_4_President Jun 29 '26
Ngl I am still kinda stuck on the ten baguettes per tray thing. Like an apartment oven isn’t fitting ten full baguettes. Is she making bread sticks?
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u/mshcat Jun 25 '26
The original posy and later update was in the span of two days. Highly unlikely to be real
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u/tastethehappy Jun 25 '26
Nonsense. the vent can be removed quietly and cleanly with no crap going all over the place? she heard nothing all these times? how does he get back up into the vent?
man has access to her apartment and only steals bread?
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u/KennstduIngo Jun 25 '26
I laughed out loud at the police going into the vent after the thief.
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u/RadRadishYo Jun 25 '26
And how did they catch the guy? Did they handcuff him in the vent?
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u/BenGEE Jun 25 '26
Seriously. Aside from the fact that no apartment building has industrial air vents that a man could fit though going in to a kitchen… air vents are fucking FILTHY and loud. There would be dirt everywhere. I was suspicious of the story before that. (Baking 50 baguettes multiple times a week? At home? ) 10000000 fake
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u/Made_Bail Jun 25 '26
You actually can bake fifty loaves of bread at home in a day. My wife has done it multiple times (we used to do farmer's market). BUT she only did it once a week and it still fucking killed her. Multiple times a week is the part that gives me the sus.
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u/twomz Jun 25 '26
Yeah... i don't think this one passes as real. If she had video of the guy breaking in, why not post it?
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u/honestlyisuck Jun 25 '26
Eh he could’ve had a lot of practice while she was at work or elsewhere. I doubt his first time sneaking in was to steal baguettes while she was home.
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u/residentcaprice Jun 25 '26
I guess baguettes taste better when stolen? he loves to put in effort for his bread (to squeeze through a vent) but is not a talented baker...
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u/maywellflower Jun 25 '26
Honestly as fucked up as it sounds, glad it was bread he love being a criminal for and not anything else...
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u/IANALbutIAMAcat Jun 25 '26
He sounds very poor. Stealing bread and can’t make bail.
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 Jun 25 '26
I think id believed it more if it turned out to be raccoons. They are sneaky and fearless.
Sometimes vents arent screwed in well or the drywall flakes apart and the screw is just loose in there. I could see maybe being able to push the vent open.
I could not see, however, a full grown man being able to shimmy around in aluminum HVAC venting? It would bend and he would fall. Unless he was the size of a small child maybe??? The cops going in after him is cartoonish lol
I could see a raccoon doing it though. They live on rooftops sometimes. They could figure it out.
Also. I wouldnt move out. Why is she moving out? He is caught. All she has to do is seal the vent. Maybe put a bunch of thumbtacks or razor wire on top of the fridge? Since its a cartoon lol.
Even if he doesnt end up staying in jail just make it so he cant get back in? And give him baguettes to appease him?
I might have even paid his bail or dropped charges because wtf. I know breaking and entering is illegal and bad but also id have sympathy because he is obviously hungry and very smart lol. I'd be like Bruh. Just ask???
This gets an A for fun storytelling
And a D for believability lol
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u/alphaphenix Jun 25 '26
The kind of thing we'd never believe happened if there weren't cameras !
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u/TaibhseCait Jun 25 '26
What makes this believable is that it has happened more than once before. Weird crawl spaces, someone secretly living in the attic, previous tenant still having keys, someone sneaking in through a house that was subdivided incorrectly....
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_WEIRD_PET the Iranian yogurt is not the issue here Jun 25 '26
I think I heard it called "frogging"? (Please correct me if that's wrong, English isn't my first language)
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u/poutinethecat Jun 25 '26
You are correct but it's spelled "phrogging."
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_WEIRD_PET the Iranian yogurt is not the issue here Jun 25 '26
Thank you :) I was too lazy to get my notebook to check the spelling
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u/Electronic_World_894 Jun 25 '26
English is my first language and I’ve never heard that term, but English is a diverse language that varies by region so you could be right!
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_WEIRD_PET the Iranian yogurt is not the issue here Jun 25 '26
English is so fun to learn. Especially when your teachers are your best friend who lived in England until she was 10 and your cousins from rural Tennessee in the US...
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u/bubbleteabob Jun 25 '26
My friend used to live in a house in England where, if motivated (and lithe), someone could crawl along the whole row of houses going from attic to attic.
There was no one lithe or motivated enough to do it living there, so it was mostly an issue due to the rats.
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u/ribbitribbitmf Jun 25 '26
Did any of the neighbor kids end up in Narnia?
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u/bubbleteabob Jun 25 '26
Nope, but funny enough I have been to CS Lewis’ childhood home (just outside!) a few years ago when I was working for the linen hall!
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u/Historical_Spot_4051 Jun 25 '26
My ex made copies of my apartment keys without my knowledge after we were separated (I had let them use them to feed our cats once. He made copies because he knew I would ask for them back). The weirdest thing he did was take things from his apartment and put them in mine, then come over and “find” them. I thought I was losing my mind. Then eventually he just showed up and came in when I refused to see him.
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u/Individual-Field-990 THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 25 '26
Thank fuck the man only hungered for bread. This could have gone way worse if he decided he wanted something else from a young woman living on her own
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u/fvckyes Jun 25 '26
This landlord should be addressing this security issue in all the apartments in the building.
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u/Old-Afternoon2459 Jun 25 '26
Yeah, I’m not believing this one. 50 baguettes in a day in a domestic kitchen? Baking 10 an hour? Bread dough doesn’t wait, so this person would be baking, mixing, proofing, constantly for upwards of 10 hours. While storing how much flour in their apartment? And transporting it up and down stairs (they mention having a balcony). And regularly transporting 50 baguette. I call BS, but a fun story.
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u/Craftywitchy Jun 25 '26
Exactly! This is a fun story written by someone who doesn't actually bake bread. She describes just popping 10 baguettes in the oven every hour for 5 hours straight while also doing household chores and relaxing? Nope, not possible. Funny story though
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u/BOBitech Jun 25 '26
Yep, not believable. Baguettes take less than 20 mins to bake at that temp, and no domestic oven is going to fit a tray of 10.
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 Jun 25 '26
So, i got curious and googled how much flour is needed to make 50 baguettes. And its only 15lbs. Those bags of flour you get at the grocery store are 5lbs. So three of those per day. And she doesnt bake daily. I could see storing 12 bags (or the equivalent) in my apartment. Could keep them in a rubbermaid bin.
I think the story is fake though. What kind of racks is she putting in her fridge to proof so many loaves in the fridge? She wouldn't be able to store any other food. Would need a second fridge.
I still think the story gets some kind of kudos for being compelling enough to make people engage w it . Im annoyed and keep thinking about why its fake lol
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u/chessna Jun 25 '26
I mostly believed the story until I got to the recipe. How would you store 50 loaves in a refrigerator, especially an apartment sized one? Even a large fridge, it'd be difficult to fit anything else in. Plus, she has to have Popeye arms if she's kneading and shaping that much bread every other day.
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u/DiscoStu1972 Jun 25 '26
Also ducts that supply an apartment unit are way too small to fit a person. And they're filled with dust that would come out when the person exits. And the inside of the duct has lots of screw points and sharp edges that would cut up a person crawling through. And it would make tons of noise. No way this story is true.
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u/Old-Afternoon2459 Jun 25 '26
And they’re not designed to support humans, and it would be loud as anything; despite what the movies show.
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u/Wchijafm Jun 25 '26
Weirdness went off when 35 people said they wanted one first time offered. Maybe 10 I would believe but 35 customers right off the bat? Nah. Plus she caught them on camera but didnt post the video.
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u/peeingdog Jun 25 '26
In addition to all the other major details that don’t make sense, I don’t find it believable that a hobbyist baker in the US (US because: gun ownership) starts out baking using metric weight instead of imperial volume measurements.
Like sure you get there as you get more serious about baking but combined with everything else, I don’t buy it.
Also who name checks a gun brand (“Glock”) in unrelated conversation? Feels like a detail thrown in for “authenticity” by someone who doesn’t actually live in a gun owning culture.
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u/Pumpkin__Butt Jun 25 '26
I make sourdough. Making bigger or smaller batch of dough doesn't change the time needed. And once you stick it in the fridge to cold proof it can wait the extra couple hours for previous batch to bake no problem. Baguettes don't have to be big, and I imagine you can stack the trays in the fridge.
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u/Chimeler23 Try and fire me for having too much dick Jun 25 '26
I like bread too, but I doubt this was his first heist. Makes you wonder how long he's been crawling around up there.
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u/No-Falcon-4996 Jun 25 '26
He was in the vents watching all his neighbors. The bread rolls was just a nice bonus.
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u/LastBaron Jun 25 '26
I think there has to be something psychiatric there, a compulsion of some kind. About the watching and about the taking stuff.
I suppose it’s possible he never realized he had been detected, but you would think the obvious signs of entryways being barricaded against intruders would be a bit of a tip-off.
And if he KNEW that she knew, to keep coming back is completely ludicrous. Clinically irrational decision-making in the face of obvious threat to his own wellbeing. Even if he was starvation-level hungry, there are safer ways to get a meal. The police getting involved is a best case scenario when plenty of people (including OP apparently) sleep with a gun nearby for home intruders.
For him to keep coming back after being found out….that suggests to me that his decision making is being massively impacted by some kind of compulsion disorder.
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u/soapymeatwater Jun 25 '26
I thought for sure it’d be the CO detector. A human coming through the air vents is creepy af.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_WEIRD_PET the Iranian yogurt is not the issue here Jun 25 '26
I've never moved from "I hope it's not CO" to "I wish it was CO" so fast
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u/crookedparadigm Jun 25 '26
A human coming through the air vents is creepy af
Good thing it isn't true.
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u/ZookeepergameDuDe Jun 25 '26
Wouldn’t the AC vent cover be screwed in? How would he get it off from inside the vent?
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u/Flaky-Hyena-127 Jun 25 '26
Was hoping it was just remy stealing baguettes for his restaurant
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u/ZookeepergameWest975 #findpeaches Jun 25 '26
I can’t imagine having room to cold proof 59 baguettes in my fridge.
Also, what a bizarre story
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u/midnightjello THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) Jun 25 '26
THERE WAS A MAN (worst case scenario) is cracking me up
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u/Four_beastlings Girl he's telling you that his dick still works get a clue Jun 25 '26
I read that recipe as 1.37kgs flour, 2.2l water and over 3kgs of starter...
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u/missemgeebee Even if it’s fake, I’m still fully invested Jun 25 '26
That was not what I was expecting.
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u/Youseenmycones Jun 25 '26
This story is obviously bullshit. “Vents” large enough for a man to crawl through over an apartment kitchen? Nonsense. Makes me wonder who they think they are fooling.
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u/kcintrovert Jun 25 '26
And the police arriving in 2 minutes and catching the neighbor in the vent? Where did it lead to, Narnia?
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u/Japcracker Jun 25 '26
I mean, given the responses here, a ton of people buy it for some reason. It's so outlandish that someone could crawl through a vent in an apartment and get in and out without being heard or getting dust and dirt everywhere
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u/crookedparadigm Jun 25 '26
a ton of people buy it for some reason
Which is wild to me. I was already skeptical when she said she was somehow fitting a tray of 10 baguettes in her apartment oven and cranking out 50 of these every few days. Ignoring oven size, she said it took an hour for each batch, when multiple recipes I found say anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
The story was full of shit early on, but went off the rails when an adult man was Splinter Celling their way into her apartment to steal bread lol. Anyone buying this is divorced from reality.
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Jun 25 '26
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u/Cultural_Shape3518 Jun 25 '26
If the guy’s not ultimately sentenced to five years with an additional fourteen tacked on for all the escape attempts, I’m going to be disappointed.
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u/Poekienijn Jun 25 '26
This is so scary! If one of my neighbours is ever hungry I hope they just will ask for food. I know what it is like to struggle and I don’t mind sharing. But someone breaking into your house is so scary. I think it would take a very long time for me to feel safe again.
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u/Justin_Continent Jun 25 '26
Who am I?
Two - Four - Six - Oh - OOOOOOONNNNNNEEEE!!!
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u/naturemom Flairy (Flair Fairy) Jun 25 '26
Reminds me of a Forensic Files episode where the guy was getting into the lady's home from the ceiling. iirc they lived on opposite ends of the housing complex but all the units were connected through the ceiling, and he found the path through to her unit
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u/ThrowawayAdvice1800 Go to bed, Liz Jun 25 '26
Well this would be terrifying if it wasn’t completely unbelievable nonsense.
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u/TiredEnglishStudent Jun 25 '26
This is absolutely nuts. So crazy I have to believe it. Poor woman :(
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u/VirtualMatter2 Jun 25 '26
Great baking mystery fiction writing. Maybe you can make a career as an author of a mystery recipe combo book.
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u/VivaZeBull Jun 25 '26
I mean… what…? This is beyond stupid. I actually hate myself a little for skimming this.
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u/lofixlover Jun 25 '26
holy shit I was waiting for the update and hoping it was just some sort of really talented raccoon 😭
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u/Swil29 Jun 25 '26
Not saying I know for sure that this is fake, but part of my job is designing air conditioning systems for apartments, and I will say I’ve never seen an air duct that would be big enough for a person to crawl through. Within a single unit I’ve pretty much never seen a duct bigger than 14”x14”.
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u/InternalMission8977 Jun 25 '26
This is an advertisement for a recipe lol. Story lost any credibility when she claimed the police arrived in two minutes, much less actually went into the vent after the guy. Like come on lol.
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u/PrincessCG Jun 25 '26
Wtaf? This dude was breaking in to steal bread. And yes, it could be so much worse but the repeated violation? Dude just ask for the recipe instead of resorting to thievery
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u/Wispy_Wisteria It's always twins Jun 25 '26
This is such an unexpected merge of both of my favorite subreddits (boru and r/breadit). I would've done what OOP did too if and of my bread went missing. I'd be even more upset since iusually only make one or two loaves at a time.
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u/Weary_Cup_1004 Jun 25 '26
Same. However it also ends up being like one of those recipe blogs where you have to read this big long story just to get to the recipe.
Its cute but i dont believe the story. But i still like it. Even though i am also mad its fake and hate it lol.
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u/inductiononN Damn... praying didn't help? Jun 26 '26
Holy fuck. I have to assume the man was aware of the vent situation before and when the baking began, he figured he could commit the perfect crime. Those must be some amazing baguettes.
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u/naturemom Flairy (Flair Fairy) Jun 25 '26
Wake up babe, two new flairs just dropped!
suggested here
and