Amazing Sourdough

My next sourdough workshops are:

Sunday 14 June, Gloucester 10am to 3pm + farm fresh lunch (sold out) https://bakesourdoughgloucester.eventbrite.com.au

Saturday 18 July, Middle Cove 9am to 1pm (sold out)
https://sourdoughjulysydney.eventbrite.com.au

Sunday 26 July, Gloucester 10am to 3pm + farm fresh lunch
https://bakesourdoughjuly.eventbrite.com.au

Bake amazing sourdough bread July - Gloucester Learn to bake amazing sourdough bread in a fun hands-on workshop

Does your mum love to cook? Gift her a sourdough workshop for Mother's Day! Or if you're a mum, bring your adult children and save $20 per ticket if you book more than one. It's fun, hands on and you will bake with a lovely group of people who will share your sourdough journey. Plus eat as much fresh baked sourdough as you like AND take home two full sized (900g) loaves on the day. Next workshop is Saturday 30 May from 9am to 1pm in Middle Cove. Bookings and more information on the link below.
https://bakesourdoughmay26.eventbrite.com.au

30/4/36: this order is full #
Hi all, I’m ordering my next wholesale flours next week. Please message me if you’d like to order a 12.5kg bag at wholesale prices. Pickup from my home at Middle Cove from 8-10 May at agreed times (I’m traveling from 11 May so don’t order if these days don’t suit you). Example prices below, message me if you’d like to order (payment is required when ordering).

All bags are 12.5kg

Wholegrain Milling Co
- Sustainable white premium bakers flour $25
- Sustainable Premium Wholewheat Bakers Flour $25
- Sustainable high protein premium white bakers flour $25 (>12.8% protein) NEW
- Sustainable light sift rye $30
- Sustainable stoneground whole rye 10kg $25
- Sustainable white spelt $60
- Organic White Bakers Flour $35
- Organic white spelt $75
- Organic white Khorasan $50

Manildra
- Bakers flour $16
- Protein enriched flour $20

Farina 00 flour $25

Caputo O Novulo purple bag 15kg $75 (13.5% protein)

Or let me know if there are more prices you’d like me to look up for you.

# 10/3/26: the order has been delivered, I’ll be ordering again in 2-3 months # #

Hi all, I’m putting in my next wholesale flour order next week. Please message me if you’d like to order a bag at wholesale prices. Pickup from my home at Middle Cove. Pickup will need to be prompt as I don’t have food safe storage space. Example prices below, message me if you’d like to order (payment is required when ordering).

All bags are 12.5kg. Also happy to share a bag of rye.

Wholegrain Milling Co
- Sustainable white premium bakers flour $25
- Sustainable Premium Wholewheat Bakers Flour $25
- Sustainable high protein premium white bakers flour $25 (>12.8% protein)
- Sustainable light sift rye $30
- Sustainable stoneground whole rye 10kg $25
- Sustainable white spelt $60
- Organic White Bakers Flour $35
- Organic white spelt $75
- Organic white Khorasan $50

Manildra
- Bakers flour $16
- Protein enriched flour $20

Farina 00 flour $25

Caputo O Novulo purple bag 15kg $75 (13.5% protein)

Or let me know if there are more prices you’d like me to look up for you.

A few places are still left at my 8 March sourdough class. Details and bookings are on the link below, or message me if you have any questions.

Bake amazing sourdough bread - March Learn how to bake incredible sourdough bread in a fun hands-on workshop!

Get started with sourdough baking at a hands-on workshop, with online support until you’re up and running. Click the links below for details and bookings.

Saturday 31 January from 9am to 1pm in Middle Cove
https://middlecovesourdhough.eventbrite.com.au

Sunday 8 March from 9am to 1pm in Middle Cove
https://sourdoughmarch.eventbrite.com.au

Or message me for group bookings.

Bake amazing sourdough bread - March Learn how to bake incredible sourdough bread in a fun hands-on workshop!

Update: orders closing at 10am Tuesday 13 January.

I’m putting in my next wholesale flour order shortly. Please message me if you’d like to order a bag at wholesale prices. Pickup from my home at Middle Cove. Pickup will need to be prompt as I don’t have food safe storage space. Example prices below, message me if you’d like to order (payment is required when ordering).

All bags are 12.5kg except where otherwise noted.

Wholegrain Milling Co
- Sustainable white premium bakers flour $25
- Sustainable Premium Wholewheat Bakers Flour $25
- Sustainable high protein premium white bakers flour $25 (>12.8% protein) NEW
- Sustainable light sift rye $30
- Sustainable stoneground whole rye 10kg $25
- Sustainable white spelt $60
- Organic White Bakers Flour $35
- Organic white spelt $75
- Organic white Khorasan $50

Manildra
- Bakers flour $16
- Protein enriched flour $20

Farina 00 flour $25

Caputo O Novulo purple bag 15kg $75 (13.5% protein)

Or let me know if there are more prices you’d like me to look up for you.

Today’s question is ‘do I need a Dutch oven to bake sourdough’? You can make a good loaf without a Dutch oven. Anything with a lid to trap steam that can withstand high temperatures will work e.g. a casserole dish, or two baking tins with one inverted over the top as a lid. The lid traps steam which keeps the crust soft enough for the dough to rise. You then remove the lid halfway through the bake to crisp it up.

The advantage of a Dutch oven is it will give you a crunchier crust (if you like that) and distribute heat better if your oven doesn’t heat evenly. The first photo is a loaf baked in a Dutch oven in my farmhouse kitchen. My farmhouse has a gas oven that turns on and off so I have to use a Dutch oven to hold and distribute heat and get a decent crust.

The second photo is of some loaves baked in my Sydney kitchen in loaf tins. It’s an electric oven with a fan function that distributes heat well, and I prefer using loaf tins in that oven because I can fit more loaves in at a time.

The third photo is of open baked loaves (no lid) with steam added to the oven. My oven doesn’t hold steam well so the crust isn’t as pretty, but the bread is still delicious. Open baking is tricky to get right (unless you have a steam oven) so I’d recommend using a Dutch oven or other covered baking vessels until you are more experienced.

Going on holidays? Don't worry, you don't need a pet sitter for your sourdough starter. It will be fine in your fridge for a few weeks. Give it a good feed before you go and put it in a clean jar with a good lid (if it's a metal lid, line with the lid with plastic wrap to stop the acids in the starter reacting with the metal). Make sure it's sealed so it doesn't dry out.

When you get back, it may have separated with a clear liquid on top (called h***h). It might also smell like nail polish remover. This is just the sign of a hungry starter, and is quite normal if you haven't fed it for a couple of weeks. To revive it, stir it well (so the h***h is mixed back in), discard half and feed it. Repeat at least daily (twice daily if very hot weather) until it doubles in size within a few hours. When this happens it’s ready to bake with.

If your starter goes mouldy, don't use it - you can always get some more from me! But this shouldn't happen if your jar is clean and your fridge is working well.

We’ve had some scorching hot days in Sydney! Here are my top tips for baking great sourdough over the summer:

1. Watch the dough, not the time. Aim for 50-75% rise on hot days, then shape and pop in the fridge (the dough will keep rising in the fridge until it cools down).

2. Reduce your starter amount to 7-10% of flour (ie max 50g starter for 500g flour). If your recipe is from a cooler place (like Europe… or even Melbourne) it will probably have 20% or more. You don’t need that because we have sun ☀️.

3. Use cold water from the fridge to slow things down.

4. Put your dough in the fridge if you’re not ready when it is.

5. Bake in a tin if your dough is a little soft. You don’t need a sandwich loaf recipe, any loaf can bake in a tin.