Duplin County Extension Offers Hands-On Sourdough Class This May

If you've been nursing a finicky starter and watching the same YouTube videos on repeat without actually getting better at reading your dough, the Duplin County Center of N.C. Cooperative Extension has something worth your Saturday. On May 30, the Kenansville office will host "Starting Sourdough: Breadmaking Class," a 2.5-hour hands-on session running from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., priced at $20.

The class is led through the Family and Consumer Sciences program, with Rachel Ezzell serving as the Extension agent behind the curriculum. What separates Extension programming from a tutorial you'd find online is the evidence-based structure: the syllabus covers the science behind sourdough fermentation, the fundamentals of starter care, and the hands-on mechanics of shaping and baking. These aren't just talking points. Understanding fermentation variables, maintaining a predictable feeding schedule, and building proper tension during shaping are exactly the skills that turn inconsistent bakers into confident ones, and they're hard to self-diagnose from a screen.

The session also goes beyond a basic open crumb. The curriculum includes inclusion loaves, with jalapeño-cheddar and cinnamon-raisin listed as examples. That means participants will work through how to incorporate mix-ins into a sourdough formula without wrecking the dough structure, a skill that opens up a whole range of bakes beyond the standard batard.

Class size is limited, and the announcement posted April 1 came with a clear push to register early. To secure a spot, register via the Google Form listed through the Duplin County Center or call the Extension office directly at 910-296-2143. The center is located at 165 Agriculture Drive in Kenansville.

For home bakers thinking about this one: show up with your starter already active. A class this short won't spend time troubleshooting neglected cultures. Feed your starter the night before, understand where it's at in its cycle, and come ready to focus on technique. The $20 entry point makes this one of the more accessible structured baking sessions in the region, and for anyone considering a cottage bakery down the road, the food-safety framing that Extension programming brings to fermentation is worth its weight in flour.