Foundations of Artisan Bread Making: Fermentation, Gluten, and the Science of the Loaf

Bread baking failures are almost always fermentation or gluten failures. A sourdough that spreads flat rather than rising in the oven, a crumb that is gummy rather than open, a crust that softens within hours — each of these has a specific scientific cause. Understanding what is actually happening inside the dough during mixing, bulk fermentation, and baking transforms bread-making from mysterious to manageable. By the end of this course you will be able to explain how wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria interact in a sourdough culture, describe how gluten network development affects crumb structure and dough handling, calculate any bread formula using baker's percentages, and predict how changes in hydration, temperature, and fermentation time will affect a given loaf. What you will learn: - Yeast biology: how Saccharomyces cerevisiae and wild yeasts produce CO2 and flavor compounds - Sourdough culture science: the relationship between yeast and bacteria, pH development, and culture maintenance - Gluten formation: how glutenin and gliadin proteins hydrate and develop during mixing and folding - Baker's percentages: the formula system that makes scaling and adjusting any bread recipe possible - Fermentation variables: how temperature, hydration, and inoculation percentage control fermentation rate - Preferments: poolish, biga, pâte fermentée, and levain — their contributions to flavor and structure - The Maillard reaction and caramelization: the chemistry of crust color and flavor - Steam in baking: how steam during the first minutes of oven spring affects crust development and scoring bloom This course is structured as analytical readings organized around the lifecycle of a sourdough loaf — from culture to crumb. Diagrams illustrate gluten network development at different mixing stages, fermentation curves at different temperatures, and cross-sections showing crumb structure resulting from different bulk fermentation outcomes. Case studies trace three different loaves — a high-hydration country bread, a whole wheat miche, and an enriched pain de mie — to show how the science shifts with different formulas. This course is designed for home bakers wanting to move beyond following recipes, culinary students building a scientific foundation for bread work, and aspiring artisan bakers preparing for professional training. No prior baking experience is required.