The Sourdough School

BREAD COURSES || NUTRITION TRAINING || DIGESTION ANALYSIS || PERSONALISED BREAD

Learn to bake, eat, and share the healthiest bread in the world. Discover how to bake as Lifestyle Medicine from the walled gardens of Dr Vanessa Kimbell’s beautiful Victorian home in rural Northamptonshire in the UK, where we train healthcare professionals, teach bakers, and support individuals to bake personalised bread using nutrigenetics and gut health assessments.

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Online Diploma in Nutrition and Digestibility of Bread 2026

From: £59.99 / month for 24 months + £1,500.00 registration fee

The Diploma integrates scientific understanding, practical baking skills, and a focus on personalisation, genetics, and the gut microbiome. It enables students to understand how to bake, eat, and share bread to enhance individual and community health. This course can be booked as a stand-alone course or alongside an in-person workshop or retreat.

COURSE STARTS:  January 2026  (was originally September 2025 but this date has been moved) 
STRUCTURE: A personalised genetic report examining your unique relationship with bread, digestion and nutritional requirements, consultation and one year following the syllabus. Year 2 research, create, and present your BALM Personalised bread graduation recipe.
REGISTRATION FEE: £1500 upwards
TUITION FEES £59.99 per month upwards for 24 months
DURATION: 2 academic years – Each year is 3 10-week terms
HOURS: Live sessions on Tuesday Evenings 1.5 hours + Weekly Baking & Lifestyle Medicine Tasks
LOCATION: Online
WHY? Personalise Bread – for your community, to teach, or to prescribe Proven Bread.  This is an evidence-based baking as lifestyle medicine course and approaches bread and baking as functional nutrition.  BALM  also aligns with nutritional psychiatry.
HIGHLIGHTS: A wonderful  live community and apply knowledge to yourself as you learn. Watch case studies and gain practical application of the theory through the weekly baking live tutorials keep you engaged, 800+ Research database, Personalised Genetic Test
START DATE:  January 2026

SPECIAL OFFER:  The Lifecode Practitioner discount is available on Bronze until 6th August

Request a callback.

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SKU: N/A Categories: BALM Diploma, Courses
  • Description

‘Vanessa’s work on sourdough and the gut microbiome is changing the way we think of food, health and baking.’– Professor Tim Spector, Founder of Zoe


A Comprehensive Online training programme in Nutrition and Digestibility of Bread

Duration: 2 years
Total Live Q & A Sessions: 30 Live sessions (Over 3 terms) held on Tuesday evenings. ( Year 1  – 6pm – 7:15pm || Year 2  – 7:30pm – 8:45pm)
Terms:  Spring, Summer Autumn, – our live sessions follow a traditional term timetable so you have breaks for Christmas, Easter, half terms and summer holidays
Self-Paced Learning: Structured support to keep students on track, but flexible to accommodate varying schedules

 

THE THREE MODULES OF THE DIPLOMA IN BAKING AS LIFESTYLE MEDICINE

YEAR 1 MODULE 1 — The Art of Fermentation

Understanding baking as a living system
This module explores the full craft and science of sourdough baking — the art of fermentation, time, temperature, and transformation.
Students learn to work farmers, explore soil and the relationship with nutrition, and work with with wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, developing and maintaining healthy starters and understanding the microbial ecology that underpins great bread.
Through hands-on weekly baking tasks you build the knowledge throughout the course and master artisan baking skills with core knowledge for mixing, shaping, scoring, and baking a wide range of bread and baked goods including: advanced high hydration boules, baguettes, brioches, pizzas, sourdough pasta, sweet bakes and fermented pastries. 

Alongside these technical skills, students bake to nourish the gut and create incredible flavours – milling and creating botanical blend flours and diverse grains and botanicals, learning how grain variety, fibre, and fermentation affect both flavour and digestibility.

The aim is to bake with the sensitivity and precision and skill of an artisan baker — bringing together baking science, craft, and nourishment to fully understand bread as a living, responsive system deeply connected to human health.

YEAR 1 MODULE 2 — Nutrition, Digestibility and the Gut Microbiome

Exploring the nutritional, microbial, and psychological foundations of health

This module examines how what we bake and eat influences the gut microbiome, digestion, and mental wellbeing. Drawing on Dr Kimbell’s doctoral research into Baking as Lifestyle Medicine (BALM), students study the evidence linking fermentation, fibre diversity, and botanical blends to improved digestive and psychological health.

The curriculum covers the nutritional composition of grains and flours including vitamins and minerals; the role of fermentation, fibre and short-chain fatty acids; and how probiotic and prebiotic foods support microbial balance, neurotransmitter production, and emotional regulation. Core topics include Blood sugar management, Stress and the impact on your gut, IBS, IBD, bowel cancer prevention, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, and micronutrient metabolism.

Students also explore the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry, learning how gut–brain communication and neurotransmitter synthesis connect diet to mood and cognitive function. Through research-led discussion, reflective practice, and clinical context, this module provides the scientific foundation for understanding bread as preventative and therapeutic medicine.

YEAR 2 MODULE 3 — Personalisation of Bread and Nutrigenetics

Applying genetics and gut insight to personalised breadmaking

This advanced module integrates nutrigenetics, digestive health, and baking practice. A single, integrated syllabus that brings together nutrigenetics, gut health, and baking practice.
Each week explores a clinical or genetic context — for example, MTHFR, COMT, DAO, or digestive conditions such as IBS — and applies that knowledge through a corresponding bread formula or dietary strategy.

As part of the module, students complete a Nutrient Core genetic test to personalise their learning. The analysis highlights key gene variants linked to digestion, vitamin metabolism, detoxification, inflammation, and appetite control. The results are used to inform both dietary understanding and baking design, demonstrating how genetic individuality can shape the function and therapeutic potential of bread.

In the final stage of the Diploma, each student creates their own personalised bread — a practical expression of scientific insight, technical skill, and the BALM Protocol in action.

and learn how genetic polymorphisms and microbiome profiles influence digestion, metabolism, and neurotransmitters — and how to adapt bread formulas accordingly.
The focus is on translating genetic insight into practical, prescribable formulas, creating bread that supports specific physiological, emotional, and social needs.

In the second year, to graduate, students complete the Diploma by designing and baking their own personalised bread — an integrated expression of their learning that demonstrates both technical skill and an applied understanding of the BALM Protocol.
This final bake forms the centrepiece of their assessment and celebrates the synthesis of science, fermentation, and clinical insight.

THE SOURDOUGH SCHOOL EXCHANGE

8–9 July 2026  |  Included in your Diploma (This is an option in person 2 day event is held for registered Alumni and current students at The Sourdough School in Northampton )

Each summer we open The School for The Sourdough School Exchange — a relaxed two-day gathering for Diploma students and Alumni.
It’s a time to bake, share, and experience The School in person, bringing our online learning into a real, sensory space.

This community optional in-person module celebrates the community at the heart of the Diploma.
Students and Alumni bring loaves to share, eat together in the garden, and take part in relaxed talks, tastings, and collaborative baking sessions exploring fermentation, nutrition, and digestibility.
The atmosphere is generous and unhurried — part celebration, part reflection, and a true embodiment of the BALM philosophy of baking, eating, and sharing bread as lifestyle medicine.

Attendance is included within your Diploma or Alumni membership.
It’s one of the most memorable parts of the programme — a chance to connect face-to-face, share knowledge, and experience the living culture of The Sourdough School.

Who Should Attend This Course?

Bakers: Professional and Domestic
This course is ideal for both professional and home bakers who are passionate about creating nutritious, environmentally sustainable bread that nourishes their communities. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the science behind bread making, including its nutritional benefits and impact on health. By learning to craft personalised bread, bakers can differentiate their offerings, support customer wellness, and enhance the overall quality of their products.

Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare providers, including GPs, dietitians, physiotherapists, and frontline staff, will find this course invaluable for integrating baking into preventive healthcare. By understanding the therapeutic benefits of bread making, professionals can use bread as a form of lifestyle medicine. This approach can enhance patient care, support mental well-being, and promote gut health, making it a powerful tool in healthcare settings.

Anyone Interested in Lifestyle Medicine
For those interested in the broader implications of food on health and well-being, this course provides the knowledge and skills needed to use bread as a means of promoting wellness. Dr. Kimbell’s research and the BALM Protocol offer insights into how personalised bread can positively impact both physical and mental health, transforming bread from an ultra-processed food into a nourishing staple. Whether you aim to improve personal health, support community wellness, or contribute to the field of lifestyle medicine, this course equips you to make a meaningful impact.

The BALM Protocol: Baking as Lifestyle Medicine

Dr. Kimbell’s research highlights the transformative power of bread through the BALM Protocol. This innovative approach focuses on using diverse, personalised bread recipes to support gut health and mental well-being. The course draws on findings from dietary intervention studies that show a positive impact on the gut microbiome and mental health, making it relevant for healthcare professionals and bakers alike who want to improve the health of their community.

  • Request a callback.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

‘Vanessa’s approach to baking nourishes both the gut and the mind.’
– Dr Michael Mosley

‘This is a journey. And these aren’t just courses. Kimbell wants to change the bread we eat, one loaf at a time. She’s the real deal: a total inspiration.’
– Diana Henry, the Telegraph.

Sourdough Boule 10 Minutes

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