Woodbury Public Library Hosts Beginner Sourdough Class with Starter Giveaway

Isabelle Laufer led "The Full Bake," a beginner-friendly sourdough bread baking class at Woodbury Public Library that taught attendees the essentials of starter care, fermentation and shaping. The session drew home bakers eager to improve crust, crumb and scoring technique and left each participant with a starter and a recipe card to continue baking at home.

The program ran from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and “includes a one-hour presentation, a classic sourdough recipe card, and a sourdough starter to bring home and make your own!” Within that 90-minute block, the class focused on how to care for and maintain a sourdough starter, the science behind fermentation and proofing, dough shaping techniques, and essential baking methods to achieve a delicious, crusty loaf. Sources list the session as in-person at the Woodbury Public Library, but do not describe how the remaining 30 minutes were used beyond the presentation.

For readers who keep starter jars on the counter, the course provided practical takeaways. Attendees received a tangible starter to feed and a recipe card that outlines proportions and timing, plus instruction on feeding schedules, proofing signals and scoring basics that help bakers get an open crumb and springy oven rise. Those details aim to demystify fermentation and reduce wasted batches, moving bakers from guesswork to reliable schedules and repeatable results.

Isabelle Laufer’s background added a community-minded flavor to the class. “Isabelle Laufer is a nurse by trade and a homegrown cook and baker by heart. She blends her love for teaching with a passion for all things homemade and steeped in tradition.” Organizers also shared a more personal note: “When she’s not shaping loaves or sharing sourdough secrets, you’ll find her surrounded by animals, crafting something cozy, or nurturing community through the simple magic of real food.”

The Friends of the Woodbury Library sponsored the event; LibCal materials state, “This program is sponsored by The Friends of the Woodbury Library.” Registration for the program had been available through the library’s website or by phone at 203-263-3502. Event listings identified the workshop as in-person and recommended prospective participants confirm details directly with the library.

What this means for local bakers is clear: those who attended left with both a living starter and a primer on fermentation fundamentals, lowering the barrier to producing consistent loaves at home. If you missed the session, check with Woodbury Public Library or call 203-263-3502 to learn whether future classes or drop-in starter distributions are planned and to confirm whether upcoming presentations include demonstrations or hands-on practice.