Classic French Sourdough: Le Pain au Levain with Michael Kalanty
January 29, 2027 @ 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Up your sourdough game and add the technique of Pain au Levain to your repertoire!
In this class, you will practice each step of this age-old tradition, learning the how-to’s and why’s of feeding, fermenting, kneading, shaping, proofing, and baking.
Pain au Levain is not an isolated formula; it is the foundation of a connected system of baking. You will learn to manipulate this process to include different flours, different fermentation schedules, and different flavors in your bakes.
Chef Michael will also take you on a deep dive into the science of sourdough starters, with lots of Q&A and guidance to create a feeding program for your starter that works around your schedule and not the other way around!
Menu
- Pain au Levain: The classic French Sourdough with its characteristic mild tang and tender chew.
- Rosemary Raisin Pistolets: Added semolina makes this sweet/savory bread a perfect choice for these handheld torpedo rolls.
- Fougasse: This Provençal flatbread is leaf-shaped and studded with your choice of Castelvetrano olives or toasted walnuts. As an optional shape, this dough also makes terrifically crusty rolls!
You will learn:
- Hand-mixing techniques for tender crusts
- Working with couches (proofing cloths)
- Using Banneton proofing molds
- Bench skills for dough handling and shaping
- Oven techniques to get the crust you want
Skill Level: No prior sourdough experience required; all levels are welcome!
At the end of class, you will take home your own personal Pain au Levain dough to ferment overnight and bake at home, along with some of Chef Michael’s 30-year-old organic sourdough starter and a sampling of the breads baked in class.
Meals: Light snacks and tastings throughout class. This is an afternoon session, so please eat lunch before arriving for class.
Instructor Bio
Michael Kalanty is a professional bread baking instructor. He’s written baking curriculums for professional schools across the country, in Italy and in Brasil. When he was the Director of Boulangerie for the Le Cordon Bleu schools in North America, he was awarded “Best Instructor of the Year”. His breads recently won TWO first place awards at the Tiptree World Bread Awards at the International Bakery Expo in Las Vegas.
Michael’s “How to Bake Bread: The Five Families of Bread®” was awarded “Best Bread Book in the World” at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards in Paris. His latest book, “How to Bake Sourdough Bread”, will be available as an e-book in early December 2026.
Categories: Baking Class, Beginner, Bread, Cooking Class, Demonstration, No Experience Necessary
