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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We advise all our sourdough course users to start here, at the beginning and really get to know the fundamentals of your loaf. We are asked all the time why does my sourdough loaf look flat? Is sourdough bread healthy? In this core knowledge section, we really delve into everything you will ever need to know about the theory behind sourdough bread baking. These lessons aren't the same as our practical guides but they will help you to understand the process that will make your bread rise, taste delicious and offer you all the health benefits that sourdough is known for.

If you've eagerly raced ahead and started on the practical sourdough course lessons, then you may find that it doesn't turn out quite the way you expected at first. If that is the case, then everything you need to know to explain why that may have happened, whether you haven't achieved a DDT, or quite got to grips with your fermentation controls or bassinage, then look no further. All will be explained in this comprehensive set of videos.

Estimated total time: 44 hours 25 mins.

Enzymes – They Rule The Roost

So How Do I Know If My Sourdough Is Ready To Bake?

How You Bake Your Bread is Really Important & the Trick that Makes all the Difference

Is it a yoga move? Why do I need to Stretch & Fold the dough?

Why Do You Need To Score Sourdough?

How to Control the Flavour of Your Sourdough

Retarded Prove Overview

Tips on How to Use a Challenger Bread Pan

Don’t Get Stuck! Tips on Using Bannetons

How to Freeze Sourdough

Managing Expectations

large sourdough loaf in apple crate

Classic French ambient Sourdough Boule – a Helpful Chart

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