Take the time to understand
Before you begin baking – before you even get your starter going – you need to understand sourdough. This is essential knowledge. If you do not read these lessons, you will not understand sourdough.
I totally appreciate that you want to get your hands in the dough, but trust me: follow these lessons first and you will build a strong foundation and understanding, which will make you a better baker.
Baking sourdough starts with your head, then your heart – then your hands.
Vanessa
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Syllabus for Core Knowledge - The basics
| Lesson | Lesson Type | Time (mins) | What you will learn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All Core Knowledge Lessons Tutor: Vanessa Kimbell | Background Knowledge | All the Core Knowledge lessons that are essential to read, watch and listen to BEFORE you start baking the recipes. | |
| 2 | Two Ways to Make Sourdough | Core Knowledge | The are two main methods for making sourdough, ambient and retarded. Understanding these methods is key to understanding the process. | |
| 3 | What are bakers' percentages? | Core Knowledge | Understanding bakers' percentages is essential. | |
| 4 | Flour – Which types to choose | Core Knowledge | How to think about flour. This is a big subject and we cover a lot. | |
| 5 | Blending flour Tutor: Vanessa Kimbell | Baking Tutorial | The principles of blending flour. | |
| 6 | Why we choose organic | Core Knowledge | This article tells you all about glyphosate and how damaging it can be. | |
| 7 | The secret to success Tutor: Vanessa Kimbell | Baking Tutorial | Temperature is control: it is really important to understand this. | |
| 8 | The other secret to success Tutor: Vanessa Kimbell | Baking Tutorial | How you add your water matters, and there are different ways to mix your dough. | |
| 9 | Botanical Blend Flour | Core Knowledge | How to make a Botanical Blend flour. | |
| 10 | All our Botanical Blends | Background Knowledge | Different Botanical Blends you can try once you get more confident. I suggest you come back to this properly in about 3 months, but for now take a look at the different blends we use here at the School. | |
| 11 | How to control your sourdough | Core Module | The key things that impact your bread. You will keep coming back to this theory every single time you bake. | |
| 12 | An interview on amylase & oxygen | Background Knowledge | In 2010, I was working on a programme for the BBC about oxygen in baking. This is one of the recordings we made. |