Bake Beside Me

From Starter to Sourdough, Side by Side.

What is Bake Beside Me?

Learn sourdough by actually making sourdough.

Bake Beside Me is a private, hands-on sourdough baking session with Yohana from Sourdough Avenue.

Designed for just 1–2 people, each three-hour session gives you Yohana’s undivided attention while you work through the sourdough process together.

Whether you’ve never touched a sourdough starter before, have been baking at home but can’t quite get consistent results, or you’re an experienced baker wanting to refine your technique, the session is tailored around where you are in your sourdough journey.

This isn’t about standing back and watching a demonstration. You’ll be mixing, folding, feeling, shaping, asking questions and learning what to look for at every stage.

3 Hours | 1–2 People | Hands-On | All Experience Levels

What We'll Explore Together

From starter to that first crackly crust.

Yohana will take you through the complete sourdough process and, importantly, help you understand why you’re doing each step.

You’ll explore:

Understanding, feeding and maintaining your sourdough starter,

How to recognise when your starter is ready to bake with,

Ingredients, ratios and preparing your dough,

Mixing and developing dough strength,

Stretching, folding and handling your dough,

Understanding bulk fermentation and knowing when it’s ready,

How temperature and time affect fermentation,

Preparing your dough for proofing,

Scoring your loaf,

Baking techniques for achieving a beautiful crust and crumb,

Cooling, cutting and storing your sourdough,

Troubleshooting common sourdough problems, and

How to adjust the process to suit

your home, schedule and baking style.

And because there are only one or two people in each session, there’s plenty of time to stop, ask questions and work through the areas you want help with.

What You'll Take Home

Three hours together at the bench.

The goal of Bake Beside Me isn’t simply to help you make one good loaf while you’re with Yohana. It’s to give you the knowledge and confidence to keep making great sourdough when you get home.

Your experience includes a three-hour private hands-on session with Yohana, personalised guidance throughout the session, practical troubleshooting and the opportunity to ask all those sourdough questions you’ve collected along the way.

You’ll leave understanding what your dough should look like, feel like and do at each stage, rather than simply following timings from a recipe and hoping for the best.

Beginner? Absolutely.

Already baking sourdough? Bring your questions.

Professional baker wanting to sharpen your sourdough skills? You’re welcome too.

Bake Beside Me meets you where you are and helps you become a more confident, intuitive sourdough baker.

And if that was not enough you will also get to take home:

1 x Baked loaf,

1 x Proofing Basket, and

1 x Dough to take home and bake the following day.

To complement your learning experience, Yohana's Bake Beside Me book, filled with helpful tips and guidance, and a Beginner's Tool Kit will also be available to purchase.

Bake Beside Me — Coming Soon

Expressions of Interest are now open. Email sourdoughavenue@gmail.com with your name, email address and phone number, and we’ll contact you when sessions become available.

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