The basket has been updated
Event Archive
These days no self-respecting café or restaurant will be seen without a basket of sourdough bread on the table, and its popularity is growing apace as people discover not just its superior taste and flavour, but also the health benefits of long-fermented bread.
But what is sourdough bread? Why is it much better for your gut and how does this relate to the wider context of fermentation, from kefir to kombucha, kimchi to sauerkraut?
In our second fermented foods and gut health workshop of the year, we turned our attention to sourdough. Hosted by our friends from Hackney Bread Kitchen, we spent a day on all things sourdough, baking and learning the benefits and science behind it.
A lunch of autumn soup and salad was provided, followed by a walk around the garden. After the final touches were added to our baked goods, we finished the day with a talk on gut health from our guest speaker accompanied by tea and scones.
This one-day workshop was led by specialists in all- things fermented, Lawrence Leason from Hackney Bread Kitchen and Arthur Potts Dawson who heads up the kitchen at OmVed Gardens.
Our guests were able to try some yoghurt kefir, sip kombucha and were introduced to the principle of sourdough bread baking. Guests got hands-on experience mixing, kneading and shaping their own dough, had a chance to stroll in the beautiful gardens to pick herbs for their lunchtime focaccia, and went home with three different types of sourdough bread.
What to expect on the day
During the day our guests went through all the stages of mixing, kneading, proving and shaping the loaf, as well as receiving an overview of what a sourdough starter is and how to use it in bread making.