Beginner Sourdough Class in Newhaven, East Sussex

Have you wanted to bake sourdough at home, but never felt quite sure where to begin?

Perhaps someone gave you a starter and you did not know what to do with it. Maybe you have watched videos, read recipes and come away with more questions than answers. Or perhaps words such as feeding ratios, hydration and bulk fermentation have made a simple loaf of bread feel unnecessarily complicated.

Our new Introduction to Sourdough: Starters & Baking at Home class is designed to make that first step much clearer.

On Thursday 17 September 2026, we are opening the doors of Newhaven Community Kitchen for a relaxed two-hour introduction to sourdough. The class forms part of Foodwave 2026, a Sussex festival celebrating local food, makers and the people who grow and produce it.

You do not need any previous experience. You do not need special equipment. And you certainly do not need to arrive knowing the language of sourdough.

You only need to be curious about baking real bread at home.

Class at a glance

• Date: Thursday 17 September 2026
• Time: 6–8pm
• Location: Newhaven Community Kitchen, Denton Island, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 9BA
• Price: £28 per person
• Experience: No previous baking experience needed

Book your place on the beginner sourdough class

Why can starting sourdough feel so difficult?

At its heart, sourdough is simple. A starter is a living culture made from flour and water. Once it is active, it can be used to help dough rise without commercial yeast.

But the internet has turned that simple idea into a great deal of conflicting advice.

One person tells you to feed your starter every day. Another keeps theirs in the fridge. One recipe insists that you need a Dutch oven, a banneton and a long list of specialist tools. Another gives you a strict timetable that does not work in your kitchen.

The missing piece is often not another recipe. It is understanding what you are looking for.

A starter is affected by warmth, time, flour and the way it is fed. Dough changes with the seasons and with the temperature of your home. Once you understand those basic signs, sourdough starts to feel less like a set of rigid instructions and more like a slow, forgiving rhythm.

That is what we want to give you during this class: a clear foundation and the confidence to begin.

What will you learn in the class?

This beginner sourdough class focuses on the parts that commonly stop people before their first loaf.

What sourdough actually is

We will begin with the basics. You will learn what makes sourdough different from bread made with commercial yeast, what lives inside a healthy starter and why slow fermentation changes the flavour and character of a loaf.

There will be no unnecessary science lesson. We will explain it in useful, everyday language.

How to wake and care for a sourdough starter

Your starter is the foundation of every loaf, so we will show you how to wake it, feed it and recognise when it is becoming active.

We will look at the practical signs that matter: bubbles, rise, smell and texture. You will also learn how to fit starter care around normal life, including when to keep it at room temperature and when it can rest in the fridge.

How a starter becomes a loaf of bread

We will walk through the journey from an active starter to a finished loaf: mixing, strengthening the dough, bulk fermentation, shaping, proofing, scoring and baking.

Sourdough takes longer than two hours, so this is an honest introduction rather than a rushed attempt to make and bake a complete loaf during the session. You will see the key stages, understand how they fit together and leave ready to continue at home.

Which tools are useful—and which can wait

You can spend a lot of money on bread-making equipment. You do not need to.

We will show you the tools we use, explain what each one does and help you separate the useful basics from the things that can wait. Many people already own enough kitchen equipment to begin.

What properly fermented sourdough tastes like

There will also be a sourdough tasting. This gives us a chance to talk about crust, crumb, acidity and flavour—and to enjoy some bread together.

We will finish with an open question-and-answer session. Bring the questions that have been stopping you, however basic they may seem.

What will you take home?

Every student will receive a Sourdough by the Sea starter essentials set to help them continue after the class. It includes:

• Our Seaside strong white sourdough starter culture
• A Weck starter jar
• A wooden stirrer
• A simple insert card linking to our free recipes and practical guides
• The advice and tips shared throughout the session

The aim is not to send you home with a bag of equipment you do not understand. It is to give you a healthy starting point, a suitable jar and the knowledge to use them.

The Sourdough Essentials gift set is valued at £26.95, when sold separately.

You will also have access to our online beginner sourdough recipe, starter guidance and free sourdough baking tools and calculators when you are ready to bake.

Who is this sourdough class for?

• This session is for complete beginners and curious home cooks. It will be especially useful if:
• You have never used a sourdough starter before
• You have a starter but are unsure whether it is healthy
• You have tried baking sourdough and found the process confusing
• You want to understand the whole process before buying lots of equipment
• You learn better by seeing something explained and asking questions in person
• You would like a calm, local evening activity in Newhaven

The class is suitable for all ages. If you plan to bring a child or have any questions about the venue or session, please contact us before booking.

A local class from Sourdough by the Sea

Sourdough by the Sea is based here in Newhaven. From our Sussex workshop, we prepare sourdough starter cultures, beginner gift sets and baking tools for home bakers around the UK.

The class will be led by Jim Callender, Founder of Sourdough by the Sea.

Jim’s approach is practical rather than precious. Sourdough should fit around your home and your day. It should not make you feel that one missed feeding or a cooler kitchen has ruined everything.

Hosting this class next to our Newhaven base gives us the chance to meet new bakers face to face and share what we have learned from helping thousands of people start baking at home.

Part of Foodwave 2026

This one-off class is being held as part of Foodwave 2026, which runs across Lewes and the surrounding area from 5–20 September.

Foodwave brings together local growers, producers, makers, markets and community kitchens. Its focus on local food and the people behind it feels like a natural home for sourdough: bread made slowly, shared around a table and kept alive through a starter that can last for years.

We are pleased to be bringing one of the festival events to Newhaven and to the community kitchen beside our own workshop.

What happens after the class?

Your sourdough journey will not end when the session finishes.

At home, you will wake your starter and begin watching how it responds to feeding and warmth. Once it is rising reliably, you can use it in your first loaf. Our online guides will take you through the process, and you can return to them whenever you need a reminder.

And if something looks wrong, ask us. Sourdough starters are resilient, and many apparent problems are easy to correct. Friendly support from a real person is part of what we offer.

The first loaf may not be perfect. That is normal. The useful goal is not an Instagram-ready open crumb on day one. It is learning what changed, baking again and gradually developing a method that works in your own kitchen.

Frequently asked questions