The Sourdough Starter School at Bread Ahead Borough Market tried and tested

It’s a busy scene at the Bakery School in Borough Market. You can spot Bread Ahead from quite a distance, even amid the usual weekend crowd in the area, thanks to the long queue in front of the doughnut stall. Tourists, locals and passers-by wait for their turn to pick up sweet and savoury pastries, while in the background a squad of well-trained bakers fills and stretches, pulling trays fresh from the oven. In the middle of all this activity, we take our place alongside a small group of fellow participants for our class, the newly launched Sourdough Starter Course.

The White Sourdough remains the best seller among the 400 loaves sold daily at Bread Ahead. At its base is the 12-year-old sourdough starter Bruce, born in the brand’s Borough Market store. Named after Canon Bruce Saunders, who blessed the water that created the fermented paste, Bruce is still going strong today, feeding after feeding.

Lockdown marked the beginning of the (then online only) workshops, led by the flour masters themselves. The surge in social media followers and engaged audiences from those virtual classes confirmed that there was a real appetite for thorough lessons on the subject. Fast forward to 2025, and Bread Ahead School’s online catalogue offers a diverse array of in-person workshops: from brioche and crème brûlée doughnuts to pizza, South American empañadas and bagels. And when it comes to the bread, the courses range from a three-hour introduction to sourdough baking to a six-hour complete guide, available both at Borough Market and Wembley.

Now, for those short on time and looking for just a dusting of bread-baking knowledge to kick off the new hobby – a first taste of the crumb if you like – there’s the 90-minute Sourdough Starter School, with sessions running on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays in Borough. Led by master baker Lucy, the lesson is largely theoretical, explaining the alchemy behind the simple mix of flour and water, the importance of flour varieties, and the rules – and exceptions – of keeping a levain alive. It’s a true entry level course, so Q&A makes up a big part of the session and tips and suggestions abound. Participants take home a starter kit that includes, fittingly, their own sourdough starter, plus a whole loaf of sourdough bread – a good way to whet the appetite and set out on the journey of healthy breadmaking at home.

Christiana Ferrauti

Workshops at Bread Ahead, Borough Market run at various times throughout the week. For further information or to book, visit here.