Redbeard Historic Bakery Bread Baking Workshop
Each comprehensive full-day hands-on workshop covers:
- making your own sourdough leaven to harness the power of complex wild culture fermentation
- kneading, shaping and prooving loaves in tins, cloth and baskets
- a short history of baking and ovens, and how to get the most out of your oven
- using different types of flour and milling your own
- how to recognise well made bread
- cooling and storing bread
Who leads the workshops?
John Reid, founder of RedBeard, with almost three decades of sourdough baking experience leads the workshops.
- The cultural history of real traditional wildferment "sourdough" breads - why they taste so good and are so good for you
- To knead, shape, proof and bake classic "sourdough" loaves
- To make and maintain your own wildferment "sourdough" starter culture (leaven)
- Luscious locally-sourced lunch, bottomless tea/coffee and snacks from our café
- The loaves you shaped and baked, your new leaven, a bag of organic rye flour to feed it, and comprehensive printed notes including bread recipes plus valuable baking tips
- 10% discount off any baking equipment, flour, etc, purchased on the day
- On-going support for your bread-baking journey
- Your enthusiasm and an apron (or consider pre-purchasing a special RedBeard apron for the class to take home)
Comfortable summer wear - the bakery is always warm from the glow of our enormous 19th century wood-fired scotch oven. Closed toe, flat shoes.
Anyone interested in baking - over the age of 16!
Bookings may be refunded or moved to another available date up to two weeks before the date booked. Under two weeks no changes can be made.
Vendor since 2016
We bake handmade, authentic sourdough in a 19th century woodfired scotch oven in Trentham, central Victoria. Cafe, tours and classes.
Our authentic sourdoughs are leavened with a natural, wild culture of yeasts and healthy bacteria. We don’t use bakers’ yeast, preservatives or any other additives.
Our loaves are made with organic flour, shaped by hand and baked in a woodfired oven, built in 1891 - one of only a handful of Scotch ovens still operating in Australia.
‘The best bakery in the world. It’s been a privilege to be inside. This is all about heart, passion and a love for making great bread.’ George Calombaris, MasterChef, 2013
‘I had RedBeard sourdough for breakfast and it was absolutely delicious. RedBeard is doing a wonderful job to promote the resurgence of authentic sourdough and artisan woodfired baking.’ Maggie Beer, legendary cook and restaurateur, 2010
‘It’s relaxed and charming, the location is gorgeous and their bread is fantastic.’ The Age, 2011
Bookings may be refunded or moved to another available date up to two weeks before the date booked.
22 August 2019 • Redbeard Historic Bakery Bread Baking Workshop
Everyone should get to this workshop, it is inspirational about natural food and health. The day is very very enjoyable and packed with activity and learning. the outcome [bread we baked] was truly sensational. The lunch and hospitality was first class.
21 August 2019 • Redbeard Historic Bakery Bread Baking Workshop
This course is definitely worth the price, not only this is a whole day course with food and drinks provided, but also learnt a skill that can be used for lifetime from an experienced teacher/baker. This skill not only bring satisfaction to yourself, but importantly happiness and joy to friends and family. Regardless whether you are skilled baker or home cook like me, I will strongly recommend to attend this course once.
20 August 2019 • Redbeard Historic Bakery Bread Baking Workshop
Learnt heaps. Had fun. Possibly ate too much. Certainly went home with too much bread (but yes we have found enough people to share all our loaves with and they all loved them). The graphs on the baker's whiteboard are an awesome way to explain what was happening at each stage. Baking bread at home has changed from just a way to break up with the supermarket to a facinating journey in its own right.