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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What recipes will I learn to bake on the Diploma?

The Diploma takes you from not knowing how to bake to baking boules. Over the course you will bake many recipes but these are some of the bakes you can expect to learn:

  1. Simple 10-Minute Tin Loaves: These are likely to be basic recipes designed for ease and efficiency, suitable for beginners or those with limited time.
  2. Heritage Grain Breads (like Emma Spelt Tin Loaves): Recipes using ancient or traditional grains, such as spelt, which are known for their distinct flavors and nutritional profiles.
  3. Sourdough Pastries: This could include a variety of pastries made with sourdough starter, adding a unique flavor and texture compared to traditional yeast-based pastries.
  4. Sweet Recipes (like Cakes): These are likely to explore the use of sourdough in sweet bakes, a less common but intriguing application of sourdough fermentation.
  5. Creative Uses of Leftover Sourdough Starter: This category could include recipes for pancakes, waffles, and muffins, utilising excess sourdough starter that might otherwise be discarded.
  6. French-Style Ambient Techniques (e.g., Beetroot and Feta Bread): Recipes that involve ambient (room temperature) fermentation, possibly with unique ingredient combinations like beetroot and feta.
  7. Retarded Techniques for Mid and High Hydration San Francisco-Style Overnight Loaves: Advanced sourdough bread techniques that involve longer fermentation times, typically resulting in a more complex flavor profile.
  8. Baguettes: The classic French bread, likely with a sourdough twist.
  9. Brioche: A rich, soft bread typically made with a high proportion of eggs and butter, adapted here for sourdough preparation.
  10. Cinnamon Rolls: A sweet, rolled pastry, usually with a cinnamon filling, adapted for sourdough baking.
  11. Pocket Breads: These could include varieties like pita or other flatbreads that puff up to create a pocket.
  12. Panettone Course: A traditional Italian Christmas bread, rich in eggs, dried fruits, and citrus zest, adapted for sourdough baking.
  13. Pizza Recipes: Diverse approaches to sourdough pizza crusts, likely exploring different toppings and styles.
  14. Focaccias: An Italian flatbread, often topped with herbs and olive oil, made here with a sourdough base.
  15. French Regional Breads: A category that could include a variety of breads specific to different regions of France, each with its unique sourdough interpretation.

These tested and photographed recipes represent a broad and diverse range of sourdough baking, from the simple to the complex, and from the savoury to the sweet. They offer students a comprehensive experience in sourdough baking, covering a wide spectrum of techniques and styles

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