Utah Community Learning
Cooking & Baking

Sourdough Bread from Scratch

Meets Mondays 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM · Fall 2026 · registration open
This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

Bread is flour, water, salt, and time. That's it, and it's still harder than it sounds, in a way I've come to like.

This class is for anyone who has never kept a starter alive and wants a loaf they can make again next week and the week after. We'll build a starter from scratch, feed it on a schedule you'll actually keep, then mix, shape, and bake a basic sourdough. Everything's in grams. Bring a notebook.

We bake for our air, not a coastal blogger's. At about 4,600 feet with this dry weather, timelines lie, so I'll teach you to read the dough instead of the clock. You'll leave with a repeatable recipe and a starter that's yours.

Lessons

  1. Getting Set Up Right

    We sort out the handful of tools that actually matter and why I weigh everything in grams instead of scooping cups.

  2. Building a Starter from Nothing

    We start a jar of flour and water and coax it to life, which is the part where it argues back.

  3. Keeping It Alive

    Feeding on a schedule you'll actually keep, and what to do with all that discard instead of throwing it out.

  4. Mixing and Bulk Ferment

    We mix a dough, add a touch more water for our dry air, and let it ferment while I fight the urge to rush it.

  5. Shaping and Cold Proof

    We pre-shape, shape, and set the dough in the fridge overnight so it fits around real life.

  6. Scoring and Baking

    We score with one honest slash, bake without a Dutch oven if you don't own one, and troubleshoot the loaf you pull out.

Class discussion

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