Sourdough Starter Cultivation
Your journey into sourdough begins with understanding the living culture that makes it possible. In this focused session, you'll create your own starter from scratch, learning to recognize the signs of healthy fermentation and troubleshoot common issues.
We cover feeding ratios, temperature management, and how to maintain your starter long-term. You'll learn to read your starter's activity level, understand hydration percentages, and adapt feeding schedules to your lifestyle and baking plans.
What You'll Master
- Creating a starter from flour and water
- Recognizing fermentation activity and readiness
- Feeding schedules and ratios
- Storage and long-term maintenance
- Troubleshooting sluggish or overactive cultures
- Using discard productively
Traditional Dough Shaping Methods
Shaping is where craft becomes art. This workshop focuses on the hand skills that transform a mass of dough into a structured loaf ready for baking. We work slowly and deliberately, building muscle memory through repetition and guidance.
You'll learn multiple shaping techniques used in Irish breadmaking—from round boules to elongated batards, from rustic free-form loaves to structured tin breads. Each shape serves a purpose, creating different crust-to-crumb ratios and textures.
Techniques Covered
- Pre-shaping and bench rest timing
- Creating surface tension without tearing
- Seam placement and closure techniques
- Round boule shaping
- Batard and baguette shaping
- Traditional Irish soda bread forming
Wood-Fired Oven Baking
This is the heart of traditional Irish breadmaking—baking in a wood-fired oven as generations did before modern conveniences. You'll learn to work with fire, understanding how traditional bakers achieved consistent results without thermometers or timers.
We teach you to read the oven's readiness by observation and feel. You'll understand how to manage different heat zones, when to load bread, how to create steam, and how fire affects crust development and flavor in ways electric ovens simply cannot replicate.
Skills You'll Develop
- Building and managing the fire
- Judging oven temperature without instruments
- Understanding heat zones and positioning
- Loading and rotating bread
- Creating steam for crust development
- Recognizing doneness by sight and sound
Irish Baking Heritage Techniques
Irish breadmaking developed unique characteristics shaped by local ingredients, climate, and traditions. This workshop explores the specific techniques that define Irish baking—from the distinctive cross scored on soda bread to the use of buttermilk and specific flour types.
You'll learn the stories behind the methods. Why certain shapes were preferred. How baking traditions varied across regions. The role of bread in Irish households and celebrations. This context makes the techniques more meaningful and memorable.
Traditional Methods
- Traditional Irish soda bread techniques
- Working with buttermilk and traditional leavening
- Regional variations in shaping and scoring
- Using local Irish flours and grains
- Understanding the history behind techniques
- Adapting heritage recipes to modern kitchens