Sourdough Baking at Divertimenti
On November the 21st I will be teaching my first class at Divertimenti: a beginner’s guide to sourdough baking.
As autumn days slowly turn into winter, nothing gives me more pleasure than spending some time in the kitchen playing the alchemist with flour, water and salt. Mixing these simple ingredients with love and care, allowing time for the magic to happen, as I contemplate the changes happening in the garden, mug in hand, of going about my daily routine, whilst tiny yeast organisms are hard at work, transforming a scraggly mess of flour and water into a majestic loaf of bread.
Bread baking is a bit like a quiet meditation, the stretch and folds necessary to build a strong dough, keep one grounded, but there is also excitement: “has it risen?” asked in hushed tones, kneeling on the kitchen floor, nose touching the oven door, like a child in front of a candy store.
And then there is the smell of freshly baked bread, engulfing you in a cosy blanket, the sound of the singing crust and the taste and chewiness of a perfectly baked loaf. There are very few other pleasures in life that I can think of, more satisfying than eating a slice of freshly baked bread, generously covered in salted butter. And on top of that a sourdough loaf is also a healthier choice for you and a gift for our gut!
I have been working with bread for more than ten years, having taught myself to bake after changing track from a career in Product Management. From there, I ran my own sourdough bakery OCTOBER 26 BREAD & BOOKS and work as a bakery consultant, baking and food educator and writer.
During our time together we will go on a journey, from creating our own sourdough starters, learning tips and tricks about how to keep it alive, to making our own dough and baking some beautiful breads.
We will discuss different types of flour, baker’s vocabulary and the tools that you might need when baking sourdough bread at home and also a little bit about the health benefits of eating sourdough breads.
We will work together to produce a French Baguette and also learn how to differently shape the dough to create a pain d’épi. We will make ciabatta style buns, as well as a beautifully light and delicious focaccia.
You will learn the shaping techniques for these breads, as well as how to score your baguette so it springs up beautifully.
These are breads you can successfully bake at home and serve at your dinner parties: as a bruschetta perhaps, or next to a soup or stew, but also perfect for your picnic sandwiches.
I am very excited to teach my first course at Divertimenti and very much hope to see you there, for a morning of playing around with flour and water and creating magical crackling loaves.
Book her first class here.
