Mastering Sourdough Starters & Leavens

What you'll learn

🌿 Master the art of creating organic sourdough starters to elevate your baking.
🛠️ Discover how to nurture your starter to maintain its peak performance.
🍞 Learn to harness the power of your starter to craft a perfect leaven.
📏 Understand the ideal starter quantities for various leaven recipes.
🍞 Bake mouthwatering sourdough bread using your expert leaven skills.
🧁 Explore using young, mature, and aged leaven to achieve unique textures and flavor profiles.

Course Content

Introduction

4 lectures

Introduction

How to get the best out of this course - and how to get baking with your own, homegrown yeast as soon as possible!

In the Resources for this lecture (see Folder icon), you will find the Mastering Sourdough Starters & Leavens Course Handbook, which includes all the written lectures and recipes in this course, conveniently collected in one pdf for you to print out and refer to.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty

The information contained in this course has been verified and documented as carefully as possible and the authors have used their best efforts in preparing the course. However, the authors cannot be held liable for the use or misuse of its contents. The authors make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this course and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies presented here may not be suitable for your individual situation, and you should consult with professionals where appropriate.

Health & Safety

The authors cannot be held liable for accidents or injuries resulting from misuse of ovens or other kitchen equipment, nor for any issues connected with ingredients or methods, including the management and usage of live sourdough culture.

Baking is a very responsible business and under-18s should be supervised by a competent adult.

What's in a name?

Starters, leavens, mothers, bosses and cultures - and what do you call yours? An overview of terminology.

Note on pre-ferments

Sourdough leaven is pre-fermented flour and water. So what about biga, poolish and sponge? Read our differentiation.

Why sourdough is so important

Understand the real benefits of sourdough baking, and why it's really worth your time and effort.

Leavenology

2 lectures

Fermentation

Defining the two kinds of fermentation, and their purposes.

Wild yeasts and friendly bacteria

Learn what yeasts and bacteria do in your sourdough.

Building a starter from scratch.

8 lectures

How to start your starter

Starter building recipe & instructions

Explanation and step-by-step recipe for building the starter. A pdf for you to print out is in the Resources here (click folder icon).

Maintaining your starter

Your starter maintenance routine

The Where, What & When? of keeping your starter going, and a starter fitness test. A pdf of this lecture is in the Resources for you to print out and keep (click the folder icon).

Finer points on feeding / maintaining your fridge starter

More tips and details on feeding and refreshing your starter.

Healthy v. unhealthy starters

A guide to healthy and unhealthy starter behaviour.

Transforming starters with different flours

It's easier than it sounds... just try!

Troubleshooting starters

A few quick tips on the most common starter problems.

Making leaven.

6 lectures

Making leaven.

Learn the difference between old, mature and young leaven, how to use the four leaven levers and how to use your starter to seed (make) a leaven.

Four leaven levers.

How to control your leaven using the four leaven levers, so that it reaches its peak just when you want to make bread.

A printable pdf of this lecture is available if you just click the folder icon in Resources.

How much starter do I use to make a leaven?

Examples of how much starter to seed your leaven with.

Four leaven formulas

How to use your starter to create four different kinds of leaven. A pdf of the formulas is available for you to print out in the Resources for this lecture.

The Great Leaven Race

What leaven does to dough

What differences do the quantity and quality of your leaven make to your dough?

Bread-making techniques & insights

7 lectures

Rock & Rolling - the New Kneading!

How to "rock & roll" your dough, a more effective way of kneading.

Modes of the dough

1st stage of the dough

2nd stage of the dough

3rd Stage of the Dough

4th stage of the dough

Baking with a Dutch Oven

How to get the best out of baking with a Dutch oven.

The Masterclasses - Using Your Leaven For Making Bread

6 lectures

Making leaven for white boule

A quick re-cap on the principles of making leaven plus instructions for making 200g white leaven, before you make your White Boule in the next lecture.

The pdf for the White Sourdough Boule recipe is in the Resources for the next lecture.

White sourdough boule

A case study on:

the stages and modes of the dough
techniques for handling wet dough
scheduling your baking

Pdf of recipe is in the Resources for this lecture.

100% sourdough rye with fennel & walnuts

How to make a truly distinctive rye loaf.

Printable pdf for this recipe is in the Resources for this lecture.

Brown sourdough

The leaven used here is the same as for the white sourdough boule, so check the video lecture Making leaven for white boule before you start this recipe.

The printable pdf of this recipe is in the Resources for this lecture.

Sourdough lavash crackers

Explore the extensibility of your leaven with these deliciously delicate crackers.

Printable recipe pdf is in the Resources.

Sourdough pancakes

The most versatile sourdough dish going! Kind of like 'fried bread', in a way. Perfect for using up discarded starter OR leaven.

Printable recipe in the Resources.

Hubble, bubble, so long, trouble!

2 lectures

So long, bubble trouble!

Diagnostics & solutions

A table showing most of the common symptoms of less-than-perfect sourdough, with suggested reasons and 'prescriptions' to make things better!

Printable pdf version in the Resources for this lecture.

Description

🚨 Are you suffering from bubble trouble? Fear not, help is at hand! 🚨

Discover the secrets of perfect sourdough with our comprehensive and practical guide! Here's what we cover:

Have you ever made a starter of your own?
Are you unsure about what's going on in that bubbling pot?
Frustrated with its inconsistent behavior?
Do you know what a healthy starter looks like?
How much starter do you need to seed your leaven?
Can you judge peak fitness for a leaven?
Understand how different leavens affect your sourdough's texture.
Can you master the time and temperature controls?
Do hordes of bacteria and wild yeast freak you out?
Do you know how to choose the best flour to feed your happy colonies?

➡️ This course answers all these questions and more!

Unleash your inner baker with our focused guide on the do’s, don’ts, and desirables of creating, managing, and baking with sourdough cultures.

Course Breakdown:

Part One: Understand what sourdough is and why it matters for both personal and environmental health. 🌍 Learn the principles of fermentation, or as we call it, "leavenology".

Part Two: Build different starters from scratch and maintain them with ease.

Part Three: Use a starter to seed a leaven, control the character of your creation through the perfect mix of ingredients, temperature, and time. ⏲️ Discover the difference time makes with the famous Great Leaven Race!

Part Four: Explore our masterclasses and achieve amazing results by varying leaven maturity and vigor in various recipes:

White sourdough with mature leaven
100% rye sourdough
Brown sourdough
Sourdough lavash
Sourdough pancakes 🥞

How we teach: Our approach is friendly, practical, and hands-on. You'll learn through demonstration rather than being overwhelmed by science. Benefit from decades of baking expertise without the pitfalls!

Engage with practice exercises and quizzes to test your knowledge. 📝

At The Artisan Bakery School, we believe baking your own sourdough bread is fundamental to improving your personal health and happiness. This course empowers you to:

Understand your starter
Utilize your leaven confidently
Bake with assurance
Troubleshoot problems effectively
Measure your progress from average to amazing 📈

What people say about this course:

★★★★★

"I've been experimenting with sourdough for about 6 months after a brief introduction on a yeast baking course. ... There is no substitute for actually seeing someone doing it, and video is actually better than a live demonstration... This course has shown me how to correct a lot that I've been doing incorrectly. Great value, thank you!" - Jennifer Zarek

... and many more inspiring testimonials from happy bakers! 🎉

Ready to transform your baking skills? Check out our promo video and free lectures to get started. If you're ready to advance from mystery to sourdough mastery, there's no better place to start than here!

Start the Course

Course Reviews

😀 Ashley and Gwendolyn Rocks

5

So far so good!!!! So much information I can’t wait to finish the class
😀 Peter Kriauciaunas

4.5
😀 Walter Natzke

5
😀 Gert Kruger

5

So far so good!
😀 Kelly-Anne Surman

5
😀 Sonakshi Khanna

5
😀 Ben Tay

5
😀 Svetlana Ustinov

5
😀 Braulio Tovar

5
😀 Yvonne Tiley

5
😐 Kimberley Porter

2
😀 Peter Hinchliffe

4
😀 Harsha Vaidyalingam

5
😀 Karen Kessler

5
😀 Beth Hooper

4
😀 Ahmed Nabil

5
😀 Mike Stewart

5
😀 Diana Petrocca

4.5
😀 Tiziana Ilaria Boccaccio

5

Outstanding course, really full of valuable information! I am impressed!
😀 Dale Mattison

5
😀 Jessica Brookman

4
😀 Adityaa

5

Absolutely great.. Great value, you sign up wanting to understand about starters and leavens, you not just understand about starters and leavens, you will also get to know how to use them and make good sourdough bread. They teach you a lot of techniques very clearly. I highly recommend this course for anyone who want to earn about starters, leavens and sourdough bread baking.
😀 Deborah Lynn Cook

5

love it I am learning a lot. I will try to see if I can do the gluten starter and see if I can tolerate it .
😀 Kacie Dorohow

5

I have been seeking instruction for Sourdough starters that I could follow and that made sense to me for quite a few years. Thank you for taking it slow and explaining each step.
😀 Juan José Borrero Mejía

5
😀 Hristina Georgieva

5
😀 Brian TAYLOR

4.5
😀 Antonio Metelo-Liquito

5
😀 Senada Karlusic

5
😀 Bridget Maloney-Krips

5

Answered questions not in the reading material
😀 Lisa Grimm

5
😀 Alvaro Sanchez

4.5
😀 Pete

4.5
😀 Stephanie Miller

5
😀 Luke Cleven

5
😀 Anna Cambouropoulou

4.5

Great information and showing techniques! Putting them to practice right away. Definitely rewatch parts to keep track with information. Can't wait to try the pancakes!
😀 Simon Darby

4
😀 Matthew Michael Murray

4.5
😀 Lynda Neely

5
😀 Riccardo Montatore

5
😀 Mamie

3.5
😀 Traci Antley

5
😀 LeSage A Lorraine

5

yes, very satisfied . Well done!
😀 Maria Luisa Massardi

5
😀 Derek White

5
😀 H. Wurst

5

Well done. Succinct and enjoyable to watch.
😀 Shirley H

5
😀 Yolanda Nunez

5
😀 Tracey

5
😀 Michael Banks

5

I have been taking time out from making sourdough but have recently felt I need to have another go. During my time out I’ve been subconsciously mulling over the whole process of making starter from scratch and then onto leven and eventually a boule. At the beginning of the week I started making the starter as per the instructions and now 5 days into it I’ve created a beast! In nearly 4 hours it has almost doubled in size. The temperature in my kitchen has been around 20-22 C, cooler at night. It’s Thursday evening and I intend to feed my ‘Borg’… (Resistance is futile) tomorrow and make some leaven and eventually the boule over the weekend. I’m full of anticipation and expectation that it’ll be awesome. For me this course with Dragan and Penny’s brilliant style and abundant knowledge has been an excellent journey to learn about making my own sourdough. All I will say is take your time. It’s ready when it ready. Thank you.
😀 Jane Hanson

5
😀 Fariborz Barman

5
😀 Lene Lenz Eriksen

5
😐 Sophia Reynolds

3

Compared with prior reading there are no aha moments
😀 Arwa Aldughayem

5
😀 Josee

5
😀 Carrie Watchirs

5
😀 Connie Kisvardai

5

The handling of the dough was very clearly articulated in the video. Most bakers do not want to give away their secrets. Thank you so much for this wonderful presentation
😀 Rita Chan

5

Show very clear of the different status of the starter which is easy for me to get and do the compare of them.
😀 Raania Mohammed

4.5
😀 Greg Schultz

4.5
😀 Patty Lawler

5
😀 Cathy Walden

4.5

Excellent course. I am new to this and there was a ton of information. I will be re-watching some of the videos to refresh and take better notes.
😀 Anupama

5
😀 Trevor Fredlund

5
😀 Luis Calado

5
😀 David S Harold

5
😀 Lesley Wright

4
😀 Stefan Petrov

4
😀 JJ Koe

4
😀 Stacey Reichardt

4.5
😀 Maddalena De Tullio

4.5
😀 Mary Sathuri

4.5
😀 Clay Fister

4.5
😀 Douglas Smith

5
😀 Sarah Driesse

5
😀 Hana Oser

5

I can't wait to start my leaven race and bake delicious loaves! I am thoroughly enjoying this course, it is very helpful and I've learned a lot about sourdough and bread making.
😀 Jen Cunnington

5

thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it extremely useful. thanks so much. Jen
😀 Marylène Bédard

5
😀 Nadia LeBlanc

4
😀 Sonal Bhandari

5

yes,it was superb .exactly what i wanted,with proper explanations and demos
😀 Jill Mason

5
😀 Melanie Walker

4
😀 Sylvain D'Arcy

5
😀 Carolle Babin

5

Excellent teaching, instructions and easy to follow.
😀 Sam Chappelle

5
😀 Angela Macneil

4.5
😀 Kenny Tan Hong Kiat

5
😀 Viren Patel

3.5
😀 Marci Moroz

4
😀 Lianeth Quintero

4.5
😀 Gary

4.5
😀 Carrie Watson

3.5
😀 Heather Macfarlane

5
😀 Fernando De La Garza

5
😀 Toni

5

Being mobile and listening (occasionally watching) works well for me
😀 Alvaro Jiménez

5

Me gusta
😀 Rebecca Worden

5

This is perfect for me, getting to know the starter which I acquired instead of made. This means I have less understanding of it I think
😀 Katja D

4.5
😀 Renato Brescia

5

Estudié Ingeniería de Alimentos en la Universidad Nacional Agraria de La Molina en Lima Perú; años después hice mi Maestría en Molinería y Panificación en Kansas State University (EEUU) y también lleve el Curso de Panificación, Pastelería y Galletería en el American Institute of Baking (AIB) en Manhattan Kansas EEUU. Trabaje en los laboratorios del AIB también por unos años. He leído todo el curso y me parece que tiene la información justa y necesaria, descrita de una manera muy amena. Excelente curso de Masas Acidas.