Your no-nonsense guide to creating and maintaining a thriving sourdough starter. From Day 1 to your first loaf, we'll walk through everything step by step. You'll learn daily feeding routines, how to read the signs of a healthy starter, troubleshooting common problems, and knowing exactly when your starter is ready to bake. No gatekeeping, no judgment. Perfection is not required.

New year, fresh loaves. This challenge is designed to reset your baking habits and sharpen your fundamentals. Whether you're dusting off your starter after the holidays or finally committing to a consistent baking rhythm, this is your month to build momentum. One focus, one week at a time. Show up, bake, share your progress. Perfection is not required.

🫙 New in the Classroom: The Secret to Controlling Flavor in Sourdough In this short video lesson, you’ll see what’s actually happening inside your starter jar—how the yeast and bacteria take turns, and how that timing decides whether your bread tastes sweet, mild, or boldly tangy.

Watch the dough after fermentolyse, see the salt get incorporated, and learn the Rubaud mixing method in real time. Two minutes that'll change how you bake.

Think you know your dough? Prove it. This quick quiz tests your sourdough knowledge across the basics: starters, hydration, fermentation, shaping, and baking. Some questions are easy. Some might surprise you. Whether you're brand new or you've been baking for years, this is a fun way to see where you stand and maybe learn something new along the way. No grades. No judgment. Just bread knowledge.

Prefer to listen? This audio overview covers the core concepts from my book, Sourdough for the Rest of Us. Two AI hosts break down the philosophy, the method, and the mindset that makes sourdough accessible to everyone. It's like a podcast episode about the book, perfect for when you're driving, doing dishes, or feeding your starter. Not a replacement for the full course, but a great companion piece.

Learn the five essential pre-ferment methods that professional bakers use to build flavor, strength, and structure before the dough is even mixed. From pâte fermentée to poolish to levain, discover when to use each one and why.

The coil fold is one of the gentlest ways to develop gluten structure in high-hydration doughs. Instead of stretching and folding from the edges, you lift the dough from the center and let gravity do the work, coiling it underneath itself. This method strengthens your dough while preserving all those beautiful air pockets you’ve been building during fermentation. Perfect for wet, sticky doughs that would tear with more aggressive handling.