The Sourdough School

WHAT WE DO The Sourdough School is a research institute for the study of the nutrition and digestibility of bread. The school is run by Vanessa Kimbell – baker, best-selling author, a regular contributor to the BBC4 Food Programme, researcher and teacher. It is at the Sourdough School that we research, develop and create sourdough bread – but it is more than just bread, and it’s more than just a school. Over the last few years, the gut microbiome and its role in supporting digestion and our mental and physical health has been one of our main areas of research. HOW WE TEACH YOU TO MAKE SOURDOUGH The Sourdough Club is where we teach you how to make our amazing bread. It is the part of The Sourdough School where we share our recipes, tutorials, tips, lessons and support you so that you can learn how to make Sourdough where ever you are. WHY ARE WE DIFFERENT? Here at the school Vanessa and the team have taken the most up to date scientific findings and applied them to sourdough and other fermented foods, working towards our mission to scientifically prove that sourdough and gut-friendly nutritious food can have a positive impact on our physical and mental health. THE SCHOOL: The Sourdough School is more than a cookery school. It’s about sharing incredible scientific knowledge about the connection of bread and our gut microbiome. It’s supported by a network of medical professionals, scientists, wheat breeders, nutritionists, specialist bakers, researchers, academics and we’ve been pooling the research on sourdough & fermentation from all over the world into a central point. We develop recipes, techniques and formula’s as our aim is not just to study, but conduct our own research on formula’s & grains and fermentation and to share what we find. It’s about applying evidence and the practical application of fermenting and baking into delicious, affordable nutritious bread recipes to bake, to eat and to enjoy. The Sourdough School has featured in the 3 BEST courses in the UK in the Sunday Times and in The Telegraph top ten baking courses in the UK, as well being included in the London Evening Standard top course in the UK. Each year the Sourdough School has: Research and development workshops working on different themed areas from bread and guts, sourdough for non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, IBS, blood sugar management, sports and mental health. An annual week-long diploma focusing on in-depth analysis on bread and guts. Research study groups with renowned neuroscientists, wheat breeders, microbiologists, scientists and medical professionals. Her own research development kitchen applying the scientific findings about bread and fermented foods to create new bread formulas and recipes. A clinical study as part of her PhD working with De Montford University and baking innovation group Puratos. The school also has an online offering called the Sourdough Club where people can learn how to make sourdough online via in-depth video masterclasses hosted by Vanessa. Until easter this year our we held RCGP accredited for our nutrition and digestion of bread diploma. We decided not to renew our subscription to allow for longer courses that included more baking.