Sour Flour had a booth today at the Noe Valley Farmers Market, San Francisco. It's not a farmers market normally on my radar, but I spied a TGTG order $4.99, and given their high rating I opted to buy a spot. The order was put together upon my arrival which was comprised of 6 bagels, a small loaf, and 3 baguette shaped breads. Great baked goods and an excuse to visit Noe Valley on a Sunny Day, it was a win win. read more

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We had SUCH a great time at a private starter workshop with Sour Flour! Oozie, our baker, was super engaging and explained everything in a way that made it easy to understand. The class was hands-on, full of laughs, and honestly way more approachable than we expected. We left feeling totally ready to make our own bread at home, including with our own sourdough starter. Highly recommend it if you want to learn, have fun, and eat great bread! read more

Not real store it need to be a real place i tired to go in no entrance guy working there was rude

MAKING BREAD CLASS What is up with San Francisco and sour dough. I use to hate sour dough but it grew on me, especially when eating it with clam chowder. Something about the sour... now only if I can control the sour!!! After this class, I CAN. Why is this class so hard to get into?! It's just bread! If you are trying to secure a spot, better lock a date many weeks in advance. I called days in advance and they were so graciously kind to accommodate to my short notice schedule of flying in! LOCATION. Pay attention to the email! It is not in the Mission it's in the Dog Patch. In a huge warehouse across from Hard Knox. CLASS. Packed class with a mix of people who know about bread and people like me who just like to eat it. Okay, more like a lot of people like me who like to eat it. We all had hands on. The instructions are super basic (starter, flour, water, with ratio measurements). I felt like a 10 yr old could take this class. We learned about bread, yah doesn't sound too exciting, most of the talking was kill-time talking. At the end, we made our own individual flatbread, baked it, and ate it. We made our own "starter" to take home (and to continue feeding it to grow). I passed airport security with my starter, which almost exploded on the plane because I fed it too much, and it is currently still growing in my kitchen (I didn't kill it). It's SF. Pricy class for what it is... but good to know about making bread cause I've always wanted to learn to make my own bread. For all my friends who liked my IG video and asked about it... it's a good to know class. Until the next review... read more

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Not bad at all! First type of baking/cooking class in general and it was a pretty fun date night idea! You end up taking home a bit of starter and are able to grow your own so that when you are interested in baking some bread, you not only have the tools but also the resource and knowledge as well! Would definitely be interested in doing another type of class, perhaps cooking as you get more of a meal out of it over a bread baking class haha read more

Sour Flour - Our trial run - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Did a bread making class at Sour Flour, we had a good time but not sure if I would recommend to others. In the class you make a flatbread and there isn't much to it but there is a lot of waiting. In between where we weren't really doing anything we just went around asking our instructor questions about bread. This happened for over 30 min... I personally like classes where I feel like I'm doing more work in preparing a dish and such. Go if you want a reasonably priced session on how to make bread, but wouldn't suggest for a special event such as a birthday. read more

Sour Flour - Flatbread that we made, covered in olive oil and seeds! - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

Absolutely loved my experience taking the starter sourdough workshop here. Cat is clearly experienced, and we all had a ridiculously fun workshop with her! She answered all our questions with a smile. We had a range of experience in our class, from people who have never baked before to amateur bread bakers. The workshop itself was efficient and productive. I never felt like she was wasting my time, but still felt that I got my money's worth. And we also got to take our own starter bread home! Oh, and the sourdough flatbread we made was absolutely delicious. We added arugula, olive oil, and parmesan cheese on top, as well as some sesame + poppy seeds. Like many of the reviewers here, we bought our tickets off of Groupon which made this whole experience a great deal. Note: This place is inside La Victoria Bakery -- just go inside and all the way to the back. There should be a sign-in sheet. It gets pretty hot inside (as it is a kitchen), so make sure to wear layers so you can peel them off when you get sweaty! read more

Fun class! Little too advanced for me when they went into theory. Kitchen gets really hot, so wear something comfortable like a wifebeater. Two hours later, basically paid $80 to make and eat some bread. You do get to keep the starter flour if you wanted to make more bread. Mmmmm... I think I'll pick up some Pillsbury Grands instead. For the love of date nights!?!? (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sour-flour-san-francisco?select=WpBGueVhvdkIiNslN_bUew#iPVfMpjSke7nlVc2y1-Q3w) Either way, here's my sourdough shark bread! What?!?! (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sour-flour-san-francisco?select=WpBGueVhvdkIiNslN_bUew#WpBGueVhvdkIiNslN_bUew) read more

Oh my goodness! Had SUCH a good time with Cat! I brought the boyfriend and we attended the sour dough starter class. Cat is so approachable and friendly and she's incredibly versed in the art of bread making. She had charts, graphs, books, and hands on activities that really made me feel good about going into the world and baking my own bread. I loved the hands on part. The entire class got to help mix dough, stretch it, and make our very own flat breads. Not only that, but we got to create sour dough starters to take home with us. I named mine Victoria and my boyfriend named his Bruce. I came away with a wealth of knowledge and I know I can email Cat anytime I have a question. We've already made a loaf of bread with the fabulous starter and it was awesome! Highly recommend this class and I will definitely be back to try her other classes. What a great time! read more

Sour Flour - Flat breads from class, pre-baking. And, of course, our new sour dough starters!! - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took the starter class, I thought it was a good class but it could have been better, especially if they had given us some handouts with information on how to care for your starter and how to make bread. I left the class with a little piece of starter and not really remembering how much to feed it (was taught to just add water and flour and experiment by yourself). At the start of the class, they showed us how to score the bread and we got to practice on some dough. However, I only got to make 2 slashes and they weren't very good. I definitely needed more practice but there was nothing else to practice on. I was really disappointed when they didn't give us a loaf of bread that we scored. Instead, they were put in the bakery window to sell. read more

My husband now makes weekly sourdough bread after taking this informative and fun workshop. The class size is small, you learn alot about the science behind bread making and participate in making your own flatbread. Best part is you get to take some aged sourdough starter home. They also sell delicious bread at Noe Valley farmers market on Saturdays. read more

Sour Flour - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took the beginner bread class a few weeks ago and liked it a lot. Learned a ton about bread and the dough I ended up with (and baked at home that night) was some of the best I have ever had. And I like my bread a lot, so I think I am a tough judge! The only negative I can say about the class was that there was SO much information said and no handouts, recipes or anything given out, I guarantee I forgot pretty much everything already. Maybe it's my bad and I will just email Danny direct to get it, but kind of thinking if you run a class that's so hands on and so info dense, a handout with some pictures or drawings or something visual would be a great help. I just signed up for the bagel class, so we'll see how that goes! read more

Fun and informative class But WAY TOO HOT for a 3 hour class. We learned how to make a bread starter and all participated in making ONE batch of bread. But it was tasty! read more

Sour Flour - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took the bread making workshop with Kat, and she was such a sweetheart. I think I'm a fairly advanced baker (that or I am not that critical of my own shit), so all the kneading and rising wasn't all that exciting. To be honest, I really wanted to do the starter workshop, but I was only in SF for two days and it wasn't on a Monday. I had found a deal via google offers for a $40 class. I had a lot of fun - Kat was super nice and knowledgeable and showed us techniques. The other students were nice and the class was maxed out at 8 people, and that's about all that fit at the table. It was fun to see other people just as nerded out on bread as I was. There was an older couple and the gentleman had brought in his own starter and a loaf that he had just baked. We may not have been on the same political spectrum (telling him my job had a chilling effect), but once the convo veered back to bread, he was really friendly, inquisitive, and even offered me some of his starter to take back to the OC. I'd recommend going, though make sure you read which class you're taking since it may be info you already know if you've already handled bread. I prob wouldn't pay full price for them though. I got to bring home one baked loaf and one thing of dough which I baked at home. Fun fun!! read more

First of All-location is now in another S.F. Hood. 1565 Kirkwood Ave. Had a lovely time creating and learning the art of Sour Dough and bread making. Spent two hours measuring, mixing, kneading, shaping and baking. A Unique time. read more

I bought a Groupon for a class for two for Christmas 2017. When I went to their site to book it, the first Saturday available(we work on Wednesday) was after the expiration date for the coupon and I booked it in April of this year. I received an email telling me that because I chose a date after the Groupon expired that I could not move the date of my reservation. Then at the end of March I received an email saying the date for my class in April had been canceled and I'd have to choose a new date. At this point I gave up. The joy I had hoped to get from this had become nothing but disappointment. I never got a class but Sour Flour got my money read more

Sour Flour offers bread making workshops in the Mission District of San Francisco. I had a great experience here. I recently took their Starter Workshop. For this course, you learn the basic techniques to creating and maintaining wild yeast. The classes are small and hands on. The instructor Cat was great and engaging. It was cool that each person got to mix their own dough and in the end, we got to bake and eat our own flat breads. Also, you get to take home your own starter so you can start making bread at home. If you are interested in taking a class here, you should sign up early because their starter workshops fill up quick. I had to book mine about a month and a half in advance. Once you have taken a basics class, they do offer other workshops such as a bagel workshop and pizza workshop. On a side note, Sour Flour teaches workshops in the kitchen located inside the La Victoria Bakery. It is not an exact school. read more

Sour Flour - Cooking Schools Near Me - San Francisco, California

I grabbed a Living Social for the dough development class a few weeks ago. I appreciate that they added classes after the coupon when all the classes sold out for April. Small classes, knowledgeable instructor, casual environment, and supporting an interesting non-profit are all good things in my book. I now know more about why my homemade loaves were not very good. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to take all my lessons into making lots of bread all the time, but at least now I know where to buy some and who to ask for help. read more

My husband and I took the Sourdough Starter Class today with Cat and had such a wonderful time! Cat's love of baking and knowledge bubbles over and you can't help but be excited about your new starter. We got our hands sticky, tasted the different stages of starter, and went home with some awesome flatbread and our starters, Bob & Clara. We'll definitely be coming back to take the other workshops with her. read more

For the price of the class, this should be a much better class. Our instructor was great and knowledgeable. Our class had 14 people, plus a child of one of the couples taking the class who kept squeezing in to watch the action. It was so crowded, we were standing at the end at the table with everyone's backpacks on it and didn't have much a work surface to work on. At the beginning of class, everyone works together to make one big piece of dough. This would be great with 6-8 people, but with 14, only a few people got to actually engage with that part of the process. There was a lot of wait time where we got to ask questions. It would be nice for them to provide written directions to take home that also included a place to take notes. A lot of great questions were asked and the instructor provided excellent answers. However, I've already forgotten all of them. At the end of the class you shape your own piece of the giant dough, but again, there were so many people at the table we were trying to squeeze it to find a few inches of work space and it made the entire experience feel impersonal. This was a Christmas gift for my mother and I wish I had spent my money on something else. read more

Breadmaking class. Groupon for $39.00 ($80 value!) Small class size. Friendly instructor, Cat Shimizu, who is full of knowledge on breads and baking. The follow-up e-mail is fabulous and so detailed. I followed it but I'm guessing that I didn't use the right flour or lacked the right temp for optimal living yeast survival. It had been 3 months since I took home my starter (after this class) and fed it on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, I killed it right before Thanksgiving and had to compost it. Maybe I will buy some in the near future?! Then again...I don't have the best luck with bread...at least not at home. (I know, it takes practice, but I'm plumb out of surface area to practice and clean up that many times...) Highly recommend this class. And even if you can't master it with one class, you'll have fun and enjoy some bread with new people. read more

Who knew bread making would be like a fun science class? My boyfriend got us a Groupon for the sourdough starter workshop. Honestly, neither of us has much experience with bread, so the this beginners class was the perfect introduction. Our instructor was really knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. Given the limited time, we each got to make a sourdough flatbread that turned out great! We were able to add some ingredients like corn meal, poppy seeds, sea salt, and sesame seeds. Then we got to try what would've been a sourdough loaf, if we had enough time to let it fully set and bake. The downside was that our group was pretty large (about 12-15 people), so there was a lot of waiting around and wasn't very interactive. Most of the time we were observing, learning, and asking questions. We each got to take our own sourdough starter home. I have newfound sourdough bread appreciation and I'm looking forward to making my first loaf of bread on my own! read more

My girlfriend and I took the Starter Class to baptize ourselves into the awesome world of breadmaking and I am a believer! We also did it to celebrate my friend's birthday and it was such a fun experience! Cat is a great teacher. Whether you're an avid cook/baker or novice, Cat provides the right amount of explanation to satiate the cooks who want to know more of the science or technicalities involved yet also makes it simple enough for the non-cooks. She e-mails you all her explanations in a hand-out afterwards, so there's no need to try to remember everything or take notes. The class is small - about 10 people and we all got our hands dirty and got into the mix. Since there's time involved in making a loaf of bread, this class focuses on the starter, the ratios needed to make a loaf, the stretch-and-fold process - which we were able to do three times, so that we could make our own pizza flatbread! We had a little party afterwards - which was a nice surprise! You don't make the actual loaf (not enough time in a two-hour class), but you get to go home with your own starter, and make a loaf at home! We were so happy after this class that we immediately signed up for Cat's Bread 2 class next month. I highly recommend this class! Another big plus....the class is held at La Victoria Bakery in the Mission - so you get a real taste of what it's like to be in a working, large commercial bakery. It's awesome! read more

Munch, crunch, crunch, munch . . . mmmmm, Warm fresh rosemary-wheat sour dough from my oven. This is my third batch of delicious sour dough bread that I've made since I took the sour-dough bread making class with Danny from Sour Flour. I am a proud baker who has killed 2 sour dough starters in my past. This is a difficult admission, that I hope never to have to repeat. After taking the 2-hour class, leaving with a ball of starter, I feel fully complete as a baker now. There is no bread I cannot make. MWA HA HA HA HA! If invaders ever come to take over the Bay Area, I will fight them with my various forms of baked victuals. (Muffin grenades, sour-dough pizza frisbee slicers, whole wheat bombs etc.) But seriously, Danny runs an easy to follow, relaxed class. He is quite linear and clear in his presentation. I particularly like the encouragement to experiment, not follow recipes and general license for creativity he endorses in his approach to bread-making. It may not be the best approach for those who are sticklers for tight recipe following (as evidenced by a few unfavorable reviews below). However, I really appreciate the getting-back-to-basics approach to bread-making and feel generally *more* empowered now to mess with the standard flour, salt, water, starter mixture to suit my taste. Sour Flour POWER!!! read more

Binky L O V E S bread, ESPECIALLY sourdough. I saw this workshop on Yelp and I couldn't imagine a better class for Binky and I to take. The class definitely lived up to all of its wonderful reviews! Binks and I have taken one class at Sur La Table (fun, but kinda elementary for Binky who loves to cook). This class was VERY different from the Sur La Table class we took in the past. There seemed to be more people in this class with an ACTUAL interest in baking bread (i.e. people asked VERY technical questions, had baked bread before, worked in the culinary industry, etc.). For me (avid bread eater, no experience baking bread), the class did seem a little intimidating and advanced (I didn't even know what a starter was before taking this class...). However, the class was kind/friendly and I felt mostly at ease, despite my lack of experience. Cat, our instructor, was lively, fun, passionate, calm, cool, collected, wild, and wonderful. There really aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe her as an instructor. Not only is she incredibly knowledgeable about the bread-making process BUT she was also able to make us LAUGH during the instuction (so much fun). The class was very interactive (not just with the dough, but with the other participants) and everyone in the class seemed to enjoy each other and the class (I definitely agree with other Yelpers -- this seemed like a bunch of friends getting together to bake, rather than an actual cooking class). In the end, everyone left with little, individual flatbreads (all personalized with our own seasonings and toppings). Some tips: *class is in back of La Victoria bakery -- just wait around in the seating area until Cat comes out, Cat came out a few minutes AFTER 3:00PM (Binky and I were confused and almost walked into the kitchen) *dress in layers/comfy clothes (clothes can get a little flour-y/sweaty) *germaphobes might take problem with the fact that EVERYONE is squishing, kneading, playing with the same huge mound of dough -- don't be surprised with other people's fingers in YOUR bread *no sitting for ~2 hours -- my feet were a little sore by the end of class *other chefs in kitchen cooking (class isn't the only thing going on behind La Victoria's!) *handout is emailed after class with detailed instructions -- don't worry about taking notes!! read more

This is a review specifically on the Starter workshop. Overall, I think Danny really knows his stuff. Unfortunately, I didn't pick up much of that knowledge. The class was very disorganized, jumping from topic to topic. There were no recipes, formulas, or handouts to help make sense of the pieces of info we were given. I understand baking can be an art, but there is always a base formula that can be used for someone who is just starting out. Once you get the hang of that, you can start to play with it and see what you like. But no formulas were given, no set instructions to make us comfortable enough to want to do this at home. Answers to questions were always "do whatever feels right" or "it depends on a number of factors", but those factors were never listed or explained on HOW they effect the bread. In the end, I left with a starter that I know how to feed, though I'm not really sure how often or how much. I'm also not entirely clear on how to make a new starter, should I need one, or even how I really make bread out of the starter I have.I bake a lot, and have some great books to reference, so I'm sure I'll figure it out. But the point of the class was that I was paying them to teach me how, and they did not. While the class was hands on, which I appreciate, I learned very little in the 2 hours I spent in their kitchen. The class seriously lacks structure. I would not recommend it to anyone who actually wants to make bread at home. There are many other baking classes in the city that will help you do this. read more

This review is for the Starter Workshop. Mind you, I have only written one other one star review. I try to be kind and give businesses the benefit of the doubt for having a bad day, but this class was totally not worth it. First off, the pet peeve I have with hands-on classes is no handout at the end. Especially cooking classes, i can't remember all the aspects of it if i am doing hands on tasks. This class did not provide a hand out or recipe for bread, etc. Also, most of the measurements were very vague and as someone who has no experience making bread, i need a bit more structure to be comfortable to try making bread on my own at home. Secondly, the instructor told everyone to wash their hands prior to starting the class. That's cool with me, i totally get wanting to start off with a hygienic environment. However, when the instructor wiped his nose with the back of his hands a few times and coughed into his hand, i thought surely he'd wash up before getting in with the dough. Nope, he didn't. I might have been ok with it too if we all had our own dough, but he was mixing dough for the ENTIRE CLASS. I am not even that big of a germophobe and I was completely put off. Thirdly, although the instructor knew his stuff, it was hard for me to retain what he was saying. It was almost as though he's done it so many times the information is very easy for him, but he was not the best communicator of this information. Fourth, we had a starter that we made--we weren't really told how to maintain it. So now I just have this thing festering in my house. I am sad because i think i may have to throw it away. Last but not least, the oven for the class didn't heat up enough so the bread we were supposed to make and take home wasn't even done!!! He said we can bring it home and bake it some more. For real? Oh hells no. The class also started a bit late because of Carnaval--it would have been nice to give the people coming to the class a heads up that it might be day to take public transit if possible. But that's the least of my concerns. I am bummed about the class because my friend got it for me as a gift and I feel like her money and our time could have been much better spent elsewhere. read more

Attended the Homemade Sourdough Bread class. I've been growing my own sourdough starter for a while and a friend thought this class would help expand my use of it. Everyone gathered around a large table in a real bakery, we proceeded to mix up by hand a 90 lb batch of dough based on the hectic calculations needed for proper ratios of flour, salt, starter and water. They do hand out a few pages to show you the 2 pages of calculations needed in order to mix up a batch of dough in a professional kitchen...which of course you can scale down for home. The bread made did taste good. Honestly though, 16 people scrambling for limited spots to work on 90 pounds of dough while working dried sticky dough off of fingers back into the batch is not a realistic "homemade" class. There are easier ways of baking at home, and while I understand the formulas for being extremely technical about feeding ratios, hydration and total dough percentage...for the home cook it does not have to be that long of a process. There are other classes in the Bay Area that offer breadmaking classes with the home cook, on a home kitchen scale, that are more relevant to most people. Perhaps if they work on the "homemade" relevance, as they described the class, they could improve it. read more

I dream of fresh homemade bread with a chewy inside and perfectly crunchy exterior. I revel in trying all local bakeries and the smell of fresh baked goodies wafting through the air. One of my simplest pleasures is spreading a bit of butter on a well made piece of bread that was obviously made with intention and experienced hands. Sour Flour made all of my wildest bread dreams come true. I walked into the workshop loving the end result of many a hardworking baker, and I left with a better understanding of how what i mindlessly consume can be made by my own hands. Danny (the guy who teaches the classes) not only has a passion for baking and getting the community involved, but has a good technical understanding of the bread making process. The workshops are held on Sundays from 4-6 in the community kitchen of La Victoria Bakery in the mission. It's a two hour class which starts off with piling cups of flour in front of you, and slowly mixing starter dough and water into it with your own two hands. You knead and shape your bagels and then take a little break while they have a chance to rest. It ends with you taking your uncooked bagels (about half a dozen depending on how much flour you started with) home with you. He gives you instructions on how to boil them and then bake them the next morning after they have a chance to "proof" (rise). For people who are extremely technical and like to follow exact instructions, this class may not be for you. It's laid-back and fun, and you definitely get answers to all your bagel related questions BUT there are no handouts, no exact measurements, no snooty teachers and there's no way you can feel like an out of place bagel making noob. It's more of a get-together with friends of a similar interest of making bagels...hanging out, learning and getting inspired. Oh yeah, don't wear something you don't want to get flour all over. Errr, maybe i'm just messy. I would highly recommend taking a class or ordering a bag of bagels and giving them to random people you come across on the streets! Share them! Throw them outside your window! Give them to your cubicle neighbor. Eat half of them and then let pigeons eat the rest. Trade all your cookies and donuts and other round shaped pastries for them. BAGELS ARE AWESOME! anything made with your own two hands is awesome. read more

I took the Dough Development class. The instructor, although he didn't introduce himself, had a wealth of knowledge about bread that was impressive. He clearly knows a great deal about bread, but might work on his teaching to beginners. Based on the name of the organization, I thought we would be making sourdough bread, which we did not. We did listen to a lot of information about bread and dough but a few things could be improved. The instructor didn't introduce himself, nor ask us who we were. We got a lot of instruction about baking the bread but I had to furiously take notes on my phone, because it's what I had. A handout would have been great. I followed the instructions for baking, but the bread came out too dark on the crust (nearly burnt) and not quite done enough inside. read more

My class with Sour Flour and Danny Gabriner far exceeded my expectations. The entire class was hands on and Danny was a wealth of knowledge and patience. He is so inspired by his company mission and his inspiration is simply contagious. I walked away with amazing bread and the confidence to recreate the experience in my own kitchen. I learned so much more than I paid for and I paid one third the cost compared to similar classes. I would recommend sour flour's classes and bread to anyone and everyone! read more

I bought two spaces in Sour Flour's Dough Development class for my mom's birthday. We had a great time learning about different kneading techniques and how the dough changes along the process. Being a scientist, I would have like a little more about the chemical changes that occur and make each step necessary. There was a lot of bread jargon that took a while to understand. But I looked up all the science online when I went home, so no loss. Danny and his assistant were great at demonstrating and explaining how easy bread making can be. Super laid back atmosphere. Unfortunately, my rental's oven isn't consistent and left random spots all over my bread, leaving it under cooked, and I over salted my bread. So my product was inedible, however, my mother's bread turned out perfect. I am determined to try again and home (and bake else where). It was also interesting to see the inside of a commercial bakery, with its kitchen-aid mixers and oven that made you feel you sipped one of Alice's potions. It was a fun evening! read more

I had the pleasure of meeting Danny (proprietor of said company) at the Monkey's Club's craft party. He was walking around, giving out samples of his bread, and to accompany Mmm, Butter's butter. Together they are divine. But here's the thing, you could eat Sour Flour all on its own. It is so soft and delicious and rivals any other sour dough that I've tasted! And it comes from a good source: a man with a vision (Danny) and a wholesome, pure form of baking. It's all written on the Sour Flour website, "Sour Flour is mastering and expanding the art and science of bread." Ta da! It's as fresh as it gets! and then I put some in my fridge, put it in the toaster oven and...omg! it's just as good as day one! I'm excited to see Sour Flour's name in lights! read more

I've tried--and failed--so many times to make bread that I feared the baker would laugh me (the pariah of the kitchen) out of class. But he didn't! Mike was a very knowledgeable, patient, and funny teacher. It's great to watch a master baker at work. The things that he can do with flour, water, salt and starter make my head spin. But he did take [some] of the mystery of the art of bread making away. Here's what I learned: Bread making is an art--with a scientific base. I had no idea about the proteins in different flours! Completely dumb was I to the concept of tears and cracks in dough. And waiting for the dough to "relax"? What a concept! Like all art, 90% of it is feeling, though... kind of tough for a Type A "But I FOLLOWED the recipe!" type of person like myself. Note: There is no recipe in the Dough Development Course. Another Note: You must be patient to be a bread baker. I highly recommend this class to anyone interested in learning bread making. Take the starter class, too (and perhaps first; I think it might make the most sense to start "from the ground up"). I'll definitely go back for more! read more

I took the sourdough starter class with Kat recently, and it was a blast! Kat is a great teacher, and gave us lots of background on how a starter needs to be maintained, exact measurements and other tips and tricks of the trade. We made flatbread with our dough, and tricked it out with various savory elements such as chopped garlic, poppy seeds, sea salt, herbes de provence, and topped them with arugula and Romano cheese after they were done. The bread was absolutely delicious, and with the clear instructions Kat emailed after the class, I am ready to make sourdough bread of my very own! Highly recommended. read more

I bought a Groupon for the Sour Dough Starter Development Class The sign up process was painless - Danny was more than accommodating and he got me and my friends into a class towards the end of the Groupon timeframe. We went in and met Chef Michael - he's a totally rock star! The badass way he just threw down a bit of starter, the effortless way he created a flour well and filled it with water and POOF! It became dough! THAT was pretty amazing. We all got our lump of dough and we spent a good part of the class kneading the dough to make our bread while Michael continued to explain the concepts of bread making to us. After we baked our little lump of dough, we got to taste it with some fresh creamery butter (any Kate & Leopold fans out there?) and Michael also allowed us to sample a pizza made with the dough. We all got to take a bit of starter back with us. I named mine "Merv" and have been feeding it with flour and caring for it like the pet I never had. (No childhood bitterness there) We also got handouts for the class and also a "bread hotline" to call with questions. I gotta say, with this kind of bread, forget about the cake! read more

Wow! Cat's class was a fun and relaxing afternoon, providing insight into the daunting and previously elusive realm of long-fermentation bread making! The course is taught out of La Victoria Bakery in the heart of San Francisco's mission district. Class size for the beginner 2 hour class was 10 people- the perfect size to get a great hands on experience. Cat started by introducing us to her 9 year old starter Dolce, whose "grandchildren" were gifted to us at the end of class, and named on the spot. Cat walked us through the scientific aspects of the maintenance of a yeast & bacteria colony in a way that was fun and approachable. We sampled the starters, and were taught not only how to make a dough, but how to rest and stretch a dough to build up gluten strength. Class was ended with the aforementioned take home starters, and a delicious freshly baked sourdough flatbread lunch! Cat followed up class with an email blast of her favorite recipes, loaded with personal insight and tips- truly a great touch. The most profound thing about the class, however, had to be Cat's overall demeanor in the kitchen and clear love of all things fermented- especially bread! Our starters are at home, and we cannot wait to start a long relationship with homemade bread making! This class would make a fantastic present for anyone who loves bread, fermentation, or fun! Cheers to Sour Flour- and Cheers to Cat! read more

I love Danny's sourdough bread and bagels. If you haven't heard about Bagel Monday, you should definitely check it out. Get free bagels every Monday from Danny's Sour Flour bread company at La Victoria. I get my bread delivered to my doorsteps every week. Danny have mastered the art of bread making and you can too. He is currently offering bread making classes in the Mission. You have to try his bagels and sourdough. Always fresh and delicious. read more

Danny is awesome & so are his bagels! I adore sour dough bread. Freshly baked - how can you resist?

In all honestly, I don't cook much. But, my roomie does so when it came time to find that special person who has everything something for their bday? I went with a cooking class! Come cooking class day, everyone introduces themselves and their level of cooking and baking. Everyone's pretty much a pro, except me. But, that's cool. Cat makes the class fun, getting everyone in there, mushing and stretching and kneading, etc, etc. Overall, I think it was definitely a great experience. I didn't realize all the work that goes into a great sourdough bread and all the logistics behind it. Will I ever use my starter? Probably not. Would I take another class? Definitely. read more