100% Rye Sourdough Bread Baking Class
Skill Level: Intermediate
Class Age Suitability: 18+
Learn to Bake 100% Rye Sourdough Bread
Earthy, nourishing, and deeply rooted in tradition. Rye bread is unlike any other. This hands-on class teaches you how to bake it beautifully.
What You’ll Learn:
- Working with Rye: Learn how to mix, ferment, and shape 100% rye starter and dough with confidence.
- Scalding and Add-ins: Understand the role of boiling water, molasses, and optional seeds in traditional rye loaves.
- Temping Dough:Use a digital thermometer to check your dough and scald temperature. You’ll learn how heat shapes rye fermentation — how it speeds up, slows down, and changes flavour. We'll work with that warmth intentionally, so your bread ferments fully, not fast.
- Pan Baking Technique: Discover why rye is best baked in a tin and how to create an even, tender crumb every time.
- Storage and Slicing: Learn how to cure, store, and slice rye bread. It is often better on Day 2 and Day 3.
What’s Included:
- 3-Hour In-Person Class with guided instruction and hands-on practice in a modern, well-equipped kitchen.
- 2.5 kg Fat Chance Farmstead Rye Flour, fresh-milled, organic, and stone-ground from a trusted Ontario farm.
- Freshly Baked Loaf to take home and enjoy.
- Class Booklet with recipes, shaping instructions, and troubleshooting tips.
- Rustic Lunch Buffet served mid-class with local cheese, meats, honey, fresh bread, and egg salad made with eggs from our own backyard hens. We even make the egg salad together. Coffee, sparkling water, and good conversation are included.
What To Bring:
-
1 lb Bread Tin
A simple, lightweight aluminum tin is ideal. We use one like this one in class. -
Wooden Spurtle or Mixing Spoon
Helpful for stirring hot, dense rye dough and scraping the bowl clean. Here’s the one we recommend: Wooden Spurtle -
Digital Food Thermometer
Essential for checking the temperature of the rye scald before mixing in your starter. It helps protect your sourdough culture and teaches you to trust the process.
We use this one. It's accurate, fast, and easy to read.
Location:
📍 Kingston, Ontario
Class Size:
Limited to 6 students per session to ensure personal attention and a relaxed pace.
Reserve Your Spot Today
This is your chance to bake the kind of bread your ancestors might have known. Hearty, humble, and full of story. Rye teaches us patience. It rewards care and curiosity.
Only 6 spots are available in each session. Classes often fill quickly.
Interested in booking a private group class or custom date? Please get in touch. We would love to welcome you.
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Sourdough Starter FAQ
What is a sourdough starter?
A sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeast and bacteria that ferments flour and water. It’s not the dough itself — it’s what you use to leaven your bread. You add a portion of your active starter to your flour, water, and salt to make dough. It replaces commercial yeast, giving your bread rise, flavour, and character through natural fermentation.
Is the starter ready to use when it arrives?
Yes. This is a live, stiff sourdough starter that ships fresh every Monday. Once it arrives, feed it once using the included instructions. You can mix dough the same day.
How should I store the starter?
Store your starter in the fridge, either in the test tube or a small jar. Feed it weekly to keep it healthy and active.
How do I use the test tube to track fermentation?
Once empty, reuse the tube to track bulk fermentation. Add 10–12 g of mixed dough and mark the starting level. When it rises to the top, your dough is ready to shape.
