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Sourdough for All

Saturday-Sunday 19-20 April 2008

‘A stimulating two days that answered a lot of the questions I had – also great fun!'

 

‘Sourdough’ puts quite a few people off.  To some, the word itself sounds vaguely unappetising; others fear that it’s an area of baking reserved for rather intense enthusiasts.

Which is all nonsense, of course. Sourdough, or natural fermentation, is the way all bread was made before yeast production was industrialised. Peasants, workers and artisan bakers managed fine, letting flour and water ferment slowly and keeping a piece of each batch of dough to pass on the naturally occurring yeasts to the next day’s bread.

So the process isn’t difficult. And it’s great fun watching your leaven work, knowing that all it contains is flour and water. The process becomes even more intriguing when we learn from recent research just how many good things happen in dough fermented by natural yeasts and beneficial bacteria.

In Sourdough for All you make your own starters (from wheat, rye and other grains) and may try out the sourdough that Andrew Whitley originally brought from Russia 18 years ago. We dispel myths, reassure nervous custodians of exotic-looking ferments, and show how science and craft come together in an age-old process which everyone can use to make their own delicious, healthy bread.

‘The course was absolutely superb.  It combined plenty of learning with huge amounts of fun - the perfect balance in my opinion.’