Sea, Salt & Sourdough Baking Retreat
Class Dates/Times: Tuesday, January 26 to Thursday, January 28, 2026 | 9:00AM - 4:00PM (Lunch included each day)
$1200.00 (includes all classes/lunches/swag bag) Single Baker**
**Bring a friend to share your station for $200.00 extra (they’ll get a swag bag too!)
Escape the cold and spend three delicious days immersed in the world of sourdough at the Florida Academy of Baking’s state-of-the-art kitchen in sunny Satellite Beach, Florida. Planned for early 2027, this hands-on retreat is the perfect opportunity to trade winter weather for sunshine while learning the skills and science behind great sourdough baking.
This retreat is designed for bakers who want to go beyond simply following a sourdough recipe. Over three days, you’ll learn how sourdough works, how to care for and maintain your starter, how to read your dough, and how to turn one starter into a wide variety of delicious baked goods.
We’ll combine hands-on baking, demonstrations, baking science, and plenty of time in the kitchen. You’ll bake throughout the retreat and learn techniques you can continue using at home long after you leave Florida.
Day 1 – Understanding Your Sourdough
We’ll begin by taking the mystery out of sourdough and exploring the science behind fermentation. You’ll learn how to feed and maintain your starter and understand the difference between an active starter, fed starter, and discard.
You’ll make your first Everyday Sourdough Loaf, learning about dough development, fermentation, shaping, and baking. We’ll explore open baking, Dutch ovens, and steam, as well as the art of scoring—from simple expansion cuts to decorative designs.
You’ll also bake a pre-made loaf, prepare sourdough waffle batter for the following day, and create a levaing that will be ready for Day 2.
Day 2 – Building Skills & Adding Flavor
Day two takes your sourdough skills further as you bake your Everyday Loaf and begin working with inclusion breads. You’ll learn how to incorporate additional ingredients into dough while maintaining its structure and fermentation.
We’ll prepare a Sourdough Inclusion Loaf, make dough for focaccia pizza, and prepare sourdough pretzel dough. You’ll also bake a pre-made fougasse, create delicious sourdough cookies, and learn how baker’s percentages and ratios give you the freedom to scale and adapt recipes rather than simply following them.
We’ll finish the day by preparing another levain for Day 3.
Day 3 – Bake, Create & Take Sourdough Home
On the final day, you'll put your new skills to work as we bake the Sourdough Inclusion Loaf, pretzels, and focaccia pizza.
You’ll learn how to dehydrate your starter so you can preserve it for future use and explore how to revive it when needed. We’ll also make Sourdough Discard Cheese-Its, proving that your discard can be transformed into something delicious rather than going to waste.
Finally, we’ll explore one of the most useful skills for a sourdough baker: understanding sourdough starter versus commercial yeast and how to substitute starter or discard into recipes.
By the End of the Retreat
You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of sourdough, practical skills you can use at home, and the confidence to experiment rather than simply follow a recipe. You’ll understand how to maintain your starter, develop and shape dough, control fermentation, calculate baker’s percentages, adapt recipes, use discard, and bake using different methods.
Most importantly, you'll have spent three days baking, learning, sharing great food, and enjoying the sunshine of Florida's Space Coast.
Come for the sourdough. Stay for the sunshine. Leave with the skills to bake better bread at home.
This class is suitable for the following Dynamic Duo types:
YES: Parent/Grandparent & Child - As these are full day classes it is more suitable for accompanied older children (10+) or younger children with a keen interest in baking.)
YES: Couples
YES: Friends (you will share all equipment/ingredients for 1 recipe/batch…we let you rock, paper, scissors if the recipe doesn’t divide equally.)
*What is a Dynamic Duo? It’s basically two people sharing the same workstation at no extra charge. You share all equipment and ingredients for a single batch of whatever we’re making that day.
We provide all ingredients, supplies, and tools required for use during each class. Best of all you get to take home whatever tasty treats you make - we provide all boxes/packaging.
This is a full-day class, please wear comfortable shoes (stools will be provided) and have long hair tied back. For the comfort of all our students and staff, we ask that you refrain from wearing perfume or cologne. You may wish to bring a cardigan or sweater as the kitchen is kept at 68F.
As we are located just across from the beach, the experience also invites moments of relaxation—beach chairs are available if you’d like to unwind by the water between daytime and evening sessions. You’re also welcome to bring a non-baking travel companion to join the evening classes as your guest, sharing your workstation (at no additional charge.)
This class is suitable for the following Dynamic Duo types:
YES: Parent/Grandparent & Child - As these are full day classes, they are more suitable for accompanied older children (10+) or younger children with a keen interest in baking.)
YES: Couples
YES: Friends (you will share all equipment/ingredients for 1 recipe/batch…we let you rock, paper, scissors if the recipe doesn’t divide equally.)
Q: What is a Dynamic Duo?A: It’s basically two people sharing the same workstation. You share all equipment and ingredients for a single batch of whatever we’re making that day. Don’t worry, we won’t stick you with some random stranger- if you want to fly solo, you’ll have the station (and all the yummy food) all to yourself!
These are full-day classes, please wear comfortable shoes (stools will be provided) and have long hair tied back. For the comfort of all our students and staff, we ask that you refrain from wearing perfume or cologne. You may wish to bring a cardigan or sweater as the kitchen is kept at 68F. You will warm up once you start working!
Please read our FAQ’s on the RETREATS page BEFORE booking.
Email us at info@fabbaker.com if you have any further questions.
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