What is the minimum age to attend?

The workshop is open to participants age 12 and up.

What is included in the class?

Supplies provided include fresh sourdough starter, flour, and a banneton basket; participants bake together and taste multiple loaves.

What is the cancellation policy?

Refunds can be requested up to seven days before the start of the workshop; a 10% cancellation fee applies.

Who can I contact for questions or registration help?

Please contact Chloe Watts at 423-493-9155 or email cwatts@crabtreefarms.org for assistance.

The Simple Art of Sourdough at Crabtree Farms: Hands-On Sourdough Workshop in Chattanooga | Workshop | Cooking Class

Q: Is there a materials fee?

Yes, there is a $10 materials fee payable directly to the facilitator by cash, check, or electronic payment app.

Q: Where do I meet the group?

Meeting point: Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga • 1000 E 30th Street Chattanooga, TN 37407.

At Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga — 1000 E 30th Street Chattanooga, TN 37407 — a two-hour workshop, The Simple Art of Sourdough, turns everyday ingredients into a hands-on lesson in biology and craft. Led by Sarah, a sourdough enthusiast, herbalist and Greenhouse Assistant at Crabtree Farms, the class guides bakers age 12 and up through the living process of making bread: feeding a starter, measuring hydration, folding for strength, shaping into a banneton, and tasting a variety of fermented loaves. The setting is part community education and part small-scale urban farm kitchen, so the session surfaces connections between local food systems, native-plant work, and home baking traditions.

The experience centers on tangible skills. You’ll meet and take home a jar of active starter, use supplied flour and a banneton basket during class, and learn timing for bulk fermentation and final proofing so your loaf bakes with good oven spring. Sarah shows practical tools—autolyse, slap-and-fold alternatives, and explains how ambient temperature, flour type, and hydration percentage change texture and flavor. A tasting portion lets you compare tang levels and crumb structure, making it easier to replicate results at home.

This workshop stands out in Chattanooga’s outdoor and community-recreation scene because it’s rooted in place. Crabtree Farms is an education hub where gardening and fermenting overlap; Sarah’s herbal meads and native-plant practices enrich conversations about seasonal ingredients and preserving local harvests. Sourdough itself carries cultural weight—one of the oldest forms of grain fermentation—so the class feels like a living link to older baking traditions while teaching contemporary methods you can repeat on your kitchen counter.

Practicalities are straightforward: the class lasts approximately two hours, supplies provided include starter, flour, and a banneton, and there is a $10 materials fee payable directly to the facilitator by cash, check, or electronic payment app. The minimum age is 12. Refunds may be requested up to seven days before the workshop with a 10% cancellation fee. For questions, reach out to Chloe Watts at 423-493-9155 or [email protected].

Book this if you want more than a recipe—if you want to understand fermentation rhythms, to keep a living culture, and to connect with fellow home bakers in a working farm classroom. It’s a compact, reassuring way to leave with skills, sampler bites, and the confidence to make sourdough a steady part of your kitchen practice.

Expect a hands-on pace: you’ll stand, sample warm crumb, and handle sticky dough, so wear clothes you don’t mind dusting with flour. Bring a large mixing bowl and a jar to take home your starter. Sessions fill quickly around weekend harvest dates; book early to secure a spot and support local food education. Children aged 12 and older always enjoy the tactile learning.