Michael Greenfield – SourdoughU

Recommended by Teachable

We invited Mike to share his recipe on our Instagram and our everyone went CRAZY for this. The Teachable team loves this course!

Sourdough Bread Baking Is THE HARDEST SKILL You Can Learn In The Kitchen!

It’s not as easy as just following a simple recipe and adding some baker’s yeast!

There’s so many more factors that go into the fermentation process, fully activating your sourdough starter, and perfecting the stretch and fold techniques for ideal gluten structure…

That it forces you to stay much more in tune with your dough and the bread baking process.

And sadly, because it’s so easy to go wrong, too often I see people giving up after their bread doesn’t rise, or they end up with a super dense or uneven crumb.

To make matters worse, when you try figuring out where you went wrong…

Most Baking Advice You Read Online Is Dead Wrong

I remember when I started my sourdough bread baking journey…

I’d spend hours proofing, kneading, and baking bread – Only to open the oven and see a loaf with no rise, or slice inside to find a gooey crumb or massive uneven holes!

Then I’d go online to figure out where I went wrong, and the only information I could find was random guesses from people on forums.

On top of that, there were all these new terms like hydration percentages, auto-lysing, and proofing, that I had no idea what they meant.‍

So if you’ve tried baking sourdough bread before and failed, or you’re afraid to jump in because you think it’s too difficult…

Trust me, you’re not alone!

I Took The SLOW WAY to Mastering The Art And Science of Sourdough Bread Baking

But after my first few attempts I started seeing some progress, and being the Pro Home Cook that I am, I was committed to cracking the sourdough bread baking code:

• I apprenticed with multiple professional bakers –Mastering their stretch and fold techniques for ideal gluten structure and bread with more rise
• I scoured the internet for every morsel of advice I could find – Sifting through the BS and testing everything to see what actually worked
• And I became a mad scientist testing everything from different hydration levels, to mixing in ancient grains, and even milling my own flour

I call it “The Quest for the Perfect Loaf” – Where every loaf you bake is better than the last.

And as a result, I became ADDICTED to sourdough bread baking!

But even more than that, after successfully baking literally thousands of loaves in my oven…

I’ve Perfected The Sourdough Bread Baking Process Into A Simple System That Anyone Can Follow‍

Once I started getting consistent results in the kitchen, I recorded a few sourdough tutorials and published them on YouTube…

And was surprised by their immediate success, with millions of views, and near daily emails from people sending me pictures of beautiful loaves of bread. (Which I love!)

But what I quickly realized is no single video alone can give you everything you need to master the bread baking process.

So I started distilling down all the information I’d learned over the years, and all the questions from comments on YouTube…

Bringing it all into a step by step process that anyone can use to instantly bake better sourdough bread.

This Course Has Six Modules:

Module 1 – The Science of Sourdough And Building Your Bread Baking Intuition

First I’ll give you a complete overview of the program and explain exactly how to get the most out of it. Then we’ll dive right into “The Gluten Revolution” and learn why sourdough bread is the healthiest most nutritious bread out there. (Even if you’re allergic to gluten!)

We’ll also cover things like:

• Baking Percentages 101: To help you choose the right hydration levels based on your experience, and what you’ll need to change as you play with different flour mixes.

• Fermentation Fight: Learn the difference between slow and fast fermentation and when to choose one over the other – This is the key to amping up the nutrition, texture, and flavor of your bread.

• Step by Step “Bread Time”: Walking you step by step through the bread baking process, even if you have a busy schedule, with tips and tricks to speed up or slow down the process so you can wake up to the smell of fresh baked bread.

• Automatic Intuition: Incorporating all 5 senses, I’ll show you what you need to focus on to rapidly build your baker’s intuition and consistently cook better bread.

The reason sourdough bread baking is so rewarding is because it’s more of an artform than a science, and requires more than just following a simple recipe.

By the end of Module 1, you’ll be well on your way to an experienced baker’s level intuition, and know exactly what to look for at each stage of the bread baking process!

Module 2 – Baking Tools For Every Level Baker

Then in Module 2, I’ll give you an exhaustive list of baking tools… If you’re just starting out, I’ll show you how to jump in for less than $20 total!

But because I know after you start baking amazingly delicious loaves of bread you’ll get addicted, I’ve also included a complete list of the best tools for you to use on your quest towards the perfect loaf.

Here’s some of what we’ll cover:

• The Bare Essentials: The bare minimum baking equipment you’ll need to get started – Including my “Two Penny Tool” to know exactly when your sourdough starter is at peak activation and ready to use for baking more airy, flavorful bread.

• Professional Proofing: My secret weapon to know exactly when your dough is ready for the oven – And when to speed up or slow down the proofing process based on your unique environment (This is why you can’t just follow a simple recipe!).
• The Ultimate Baker’s Toolkit: My “Best in Class” tools for when you’re ready to jump into the big leagues! The best part is, most of these tools are actually an investment because you’ll end up saving money in the long run PLUS bake more nutrient dense, long lasting bread with better texture and flavor.

You might be surprised how little you need to start baking “Baker’s Quality” bread at home, I’ll show you exactly what you need in Module 2, plus my favorite tools for when you’re ready to up your game.

Module 3 – Upgrading Your Flour With Better Quality Ingredients And Ancient Grains

Then in Module 3, we’ll take a deep dive into the best types of flour to use, and how to extract maximum flavor and nutrition from this essential bread baking ingredient.

Including a complete guide for choosing the right flour based on your climate, experience, and bread baking goals…

Here’s just some of what we’ll cover:

• Fanatical Flour: My favorite method for getting the best possible quality flour which makes all the difference in your bread – And how to maximize freshness for more activity, intense rise, airiness, and structure.

• Wheat vs White: Learn when you need to use white flour over wheat (or the perfect mixture of both!) so you can add fiber without ruining your crumb texture.

• Ancient Grain Guide: Get simple techniques to incorporate rye, spelt, einkorn, and whole wheat flour into your recipes for a totally unique flavor profile – And the trick to working with each withoutthe headaches.

• Fresh Milling: This is the key to taking your bread from really good to phenomenal – More flavor, more texture, and more nutrients – I’ll show you the pitfalls most people fall into when milling for the first time so you get it right from the start!

And by the end of Module 3, you’ll have an expert level understanding of how to bake rustic loaves of bread with more bounce, airiness, and a great chew!

Module 4 – Mastering The Sourdough Starter For Maximum Activation And Flavor

Then in Module 4, it’s time to harness the Fermentation Life Force of your bread: The Sourdough Starter!

I’ll show you exactly what it should look, smell, and taste like so you know exactly when your starter is at peak activation.

We’ll also cover:

Starter From Scratch: Learn an easy way to create a starter from scratch and how to jump start it’s activity for maximum flavor right before you bake.

Feed The Beast: One of the most common mistakes people make is adding their starter before it’s fully activated – I’ll show you how to feed your starter for peak activation.

The Wild Way: How using a “Wild” starter can increase the great flavors, which starters have the best activity, and how to control the acidity of your bread to balance the acidity and sweetness.

Starter Storage: For the baker who doesn’t bake every week, I’ll show you my technique for keeping your starter alive for MONTHS in between feedings – And how to quickly activate it when you’re ready to bake!

The fermentation process going on inside your sourdough starter is what separates sourdough bread baking from other types of baking.

This is where a lot of mistakes are made, but after Module 4, you’ll know exactly how to create and keep a sourdough starter at peak activation and ready to bake incredible bread.

Module 5 – Beginner’s Sourdough Bread Tutorial

It’s time to start baking! In Module 5 I’ll walk you step by step through my sourdough bread baking process!

With high quality production and multiple camera angles so you can see exactly how to stretch and fold the dough and get a “Top Baker’s Quality” gluten structure and rise.

You’ll also learn:

• Beginner’s Basics: The simple process for mixing your ingredients for maximum rise and flavor – Including both Batard and Boule style loaves.

• Expert Autolyse: My favorite technique for making dough that’s easy to work with – And the one ingredient you MUST skip during the autolysing process.

• Nix The Knead: Why you should NEVER knead your dough and the stretch and fold process I use for ideal gluten structure – leading to more rise, better taste, better texture, deeper colors, and fresh bread that lasts longer.

• Advanced Bulk Rise: Stolen from top bakers to continue building gluten bonds and making more flavorful, airy bread – This is the make or break stage in prepping your dough, it’s not even worth baking if you do this wrong!
• Scoring 101: This is the key to making sure your bread doesn’t explode out in random places while baking and how to turn your loaf into an artisanal masterpiece.

Let me be your “Sourdough Shaman” and let’s take this bread baking journey together!

Instead of spending years to learn this process, you’ll be baking better bread within hours of joining Sourdough U – And hopefully get as addicted to the process as I am!

‍Module 6 – The Quest For The Perfect Loaf And Advanced Baking Strategies

And finally, in Module 6 we’ll take things to another level – Breaking past the beginner’s loaf and cover all the best ingredients and advanced bread baking techniques.

Strap in and follow along with me as I go all into baking my Perfect Loaf – Teaching you as many advanced baking techniques as I can along the way (Many of these you can’t find anywhere else online!)

We’ll also cover:

• Ancient Grains Explained: Einkorn, rye starter, and my favorite ancient grain flour mix that helps me bake the bestloaves of my life.

• Hyper Hydration: Learn the best hydration percentages to get a super crusty bread with a very soft andairy internal crumb – without the headaches that normally comes with stickier dough.

• Patient Proofing: Use this simple process to add extra bacteria and color to your bread – Leading to morenutrients from the longer fermentation process.

• Caramelized Crust: How to get a super dark, deep, brown hue on your crust that tastes amazing with a soft,buttery, beautiful crumb inside.

• Design Details: How to score your bread like a French artisanal baker with stencils and even usingmatcha for colored stenciling!

When it comes to baking The Perfect Loaf, you need to use more advanced strategies like adding ancient grains and higher hydration levels, which leads to all sorts of new issues and complexities…

But after Module 6, you’ll have dozens of new tactics to help you on YOUR Quest Towards Your Perfect Loaf!