The Sourdough School

BALM – Proven as one of the healthiest approaches to bread in the world.

Based in the walled gardens of Dr. Vanessa Kimbell's beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire, UK, we tutor individuals and train bakers and healthcare professionals in Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM). Personalising bread to your lifestyle, gut microbiome, and unique genetics for optimal health—tailoring fermentation, fibre, and diversity so that your daily bread becomes the foundation of your health.

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Are the courses suitable for professional bakers?

We often get asked if our courses are suitable for professional bakers, or if they are designed solely for the home baker. The courses we offer teach the principles of everything you need to know about sourdough, whether you are a domestic or a professional baker. There are, of course, differences between the two – mainly in scheduling and quantities. But the principles and timings that underpin sourdough baking can be applied equally to a home kitchen or commercial bakery, and we find that Baking as Lifestyle e medicine is useful to all.

  1. For bakers wanting to teach Baking as Lifestyle Medicine we suggest you look at The Certificate here. 
  2. For Healthcare professionals wishing to train in prescribing Baking as Lifestyle Medicine look here
  3. For Homes bakers who wish to learn how to bake for themselves and their families check out The Sourdough Club Membership here
  4. For anyone hating to totally emerse themselves in the experience of Baking as Lifestyle Medicine then you can learn more about attending a 7 day retreat + 1 year Certificate here

Vanessa trained and worked in bakeries

Vanessa trained and worked as a professional baker, so she is very conscious of scheduling and timings when working with large quantities. She is more than happy to discuss this as she is teaching. During the course we work with 1kg quantities. These can, of course, easily be scaled up in a professional bakery, because we are working with baker’s percentages and ratios.

So yes, absolutely, the principles we teach at The Sourdough School on Baking as Lifestyle =Medicine  are very much applicable to professional bakeries. But please bear in mind that this is classroom-based teaching, and some specific tips and techniques that might be useful in a professional setting will not be demonstrated during the course.

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