“ Sourdough slows me down , ” says Shannon Peckford , the founder ofSourdough School Housein the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia . “ Life is so fussy and you ’re constantly moving at a thousand miles an hour and you ’re multi - tasking . But with sourdough I always say it ’s a little bit of work over a long full point of time — and in that bit , you ’re really focussed on that one thing . ”
At Sourdough School House , Peckford teaches workshops in the art of mastering sourdough . After originally hosting classes in her base kitchen , Peckford add up to realize that pivoting to online sessions would be a natural progress that allow for a with child bit of students to do good .
“ Now we have educatee in over 15 unlike countries , ” says Peckford . “ It ’s similar - tending people baking the same thing and connecting with live calls . ”
take a moment out from provision class , we spoke to Peckford about learning to sleep with sourdough and improving loot grading technique . We also touch on the joy of divvy up bread with other people .
Discovering Sourdough
A post shared by Shannon Peckford ( @sourdoughschoolhouse )
“ My husband and I were on a paleo dieting for about five years and were learning about the wellness welfare of zymolysis , ” say Peckford , pinpointing the moment when she began exploring sourdough .
“ I loved the mental process when I started working with it , ” she explains . “ It ’s probably the calmest I ever am when working with dough and baking . you’re able to transform it by shape and do different things to get different outcomes . I found it very inspiring and creative . I ’ve essentially prove to convert everything to sourdough ever since ! ”
Read more : Here ’s what you take to get started with sourdough — from starter to artisan loaves !
Starting Sourdough School House
After attending a distich class with her husband at a cooking schooltime in Vancouver for their 17th nuptials anniversary , Peckford became inspire to pursue the idea of teach similar classes based around sourdough .
“ It was such a great means to revolve around food , ” she recalls .
Don’t Overthink the Process
Addressing entryway floor sourdough tips , Peckford enunciate that her students often feel cow by the sheer amount of data about sourdough that ’s useable .
“ There is not just one way to do sourdough , ” she explains . “ You ’re go to make changes for different doughs . But I learn one method acting that takes you through seven steps . Once you sympathize those seven footstep , you have more freedom and do n’t feel so overwhelmed . ”
Read more : At Blue Truck Bread , the farm runs on sourdough and ancient grains .
Scoring Creative Patterns
When it come to adding eye - catching design to the top of a loaf of bread of sourdough , Peckford teach that there are two key ways to approach scoring patterns .
“ There are the light intricate form that give you the details , ” she explains , “ and then there are separatrix that are design to give you that big candid capitulum , so you go a lot deeper . ”
Peckford adds that it ’s easy to score cold moolah that ’s been in the refrigerator for a while . Also , adding a little water to your bread lame or cutting puppet can help skid through the dough .
“ I would say sourdough is a journey . Be tolerant to yourself in the appendage , and practice , practice , practice , ” she bring . “ If you do n’t get the figure you want this time , recall it ’s an edible canvass so try it again ! ”
Baking It Forward
“ I ’m always astounded at the joy hoi polloi get from bake , ” sum up up Peckford when talking about the rewarding nature of teaching the great unwashed to bake sourdough . “ make something from scratch is so satisfying . It ’s awe-inspiring the joy that present someone with a loaf of bread of bread get to both parties . ”
