What is our secret?

Perhaps you have been blessed to try our delicious homemade bread? We receive requests from many people asking how we bake our bread. This free course was designed to share the secrets of our bread baking with our friends at the monastery.
Learn how
Brother Baker stacking fresh bread

What you'll learn

    1. What is the role of bread in the monastery?

    2. What is bread?

    3. About Wheat and its Varieties

    4. Wheat Berries and the Parts of Wheat

    5. Milling and Making Flour

    6. Mixing and Sifting Flours

    7. Other Ingredients for Bread

    8. The Role of Bread During the Monastic Fast

    1. What is a Fermented Food?

    2. Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

    3. How Does Fermentation Work in Bread?

    4. Fermented Bread in Particular

    1. Introduction

    2. King Arthur Mills - Sir Galahad Artisan Flour

    3. Heartland Mills - Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour

    4. Heartland Mills - Stone Ground Whole Rye Flour

    5. Heartland Mills - Whole Spelt Flour

    6. Cairnspring Mills - Trailblazer Bread Flour

    1. What is Leaven?

    2. What is Leaven and how does it work?

    3. How to make your own Leaven (aka Sourdough Starter)

    4. How to make your own Sourdough Starter - Video Guide

    5. What to do with your Sourdough Starter

    6. Introduction to the "Proofing Curve"

    7. Timing the Proofing Process

    1. Tools of the Trade - Everything you need to start baking bread

    2. The Recipe: Introduction to Bakers' Math

    3. Step 1: Prepare the Leaven (2-3 hours)

    4. Step 2: Mix the Flour

    5. Step 3: Autolyze (30-60 minutes)

    6. Step 4: Mix in Salt and Olive Oil (and any other mix-ins)

    7. Step 5: Bulk Rise (4 to 18 hours)

    8. Step 6a: Shape the Dough into a Loaf, Part 1

    9. Step 6b: Shape the Dough into a Loaf, Part 2

    10. Step 7: Bench Rest (30 minutes)

    11. Step 8a: Final Shaping

    12. Step 8b: Final Shaping, part 2 - Folding

    13. Step 8c: Put the Dough into Baskets

    14. Step 8d: Bring Baskets to the Oven

    15. Step 9a: Score and Bake (20 minutes covered)

    16. Step 9b: Remove Lids and Bake (20-30 minutes uncovered)

    17. Step 10: Remove from the Oven and Cool

    18. Step 11: Enjoy your Fresh Bread

    1. Baking in High-Altitude

Details

  • Free
  • 77 lessons
  • Brother Baker cutting bread
  • A Brother praying over the landscape
  • Brother Baker explaining the dough

FAQ

  • How much does the course cost?

    This course is completely free, but is by invitation only for friends of the monastery. We are excited to share our baking secrets with those we love and pray for on a daily basis.

  • How long will the course take to complete?

    Bread baking is easy once you know how, but learning can take many weeks. The more you bake, the better and easier it will get. The end result is worth it to make delicious and nutritious bread for your friends and family.

What are you waiting for?

You too can bake like a monk!

Learn how