Christmas Sourdough Baking with Denise

Have you heard about the viral $60 New York rye loaf? Now is your chance to come and learn to make your own.

A traditional Austrian-style rye sourdough has been causing a stir in New York, with people reportedly queuing around the block for loaves selling at around $60 each.

Denise finds that particularly funny because she lived in Graz, Austria, for seven years and knows this style of bread very well. The loaf is based on the kind of rye sourdough she grew up eating and for this special Christmas workshop she’ll show you how to make it yourself.

You’ll learn to make a 100% whole grain rye sourdough using a long fermentation and 12-hour resting period. The result is a deeply flavoured, hearty loaf with a crisp crust that stays fresh beautifully.

Alongside it, you’ll also make a Christmas fruit sourdough with dried fruit, orange zest and warm spices. It’s a lighter, fresher alternative to traditional fruit cake and perfect for Christmas morning, a festive table or wrapping up as a handmade gift for friends and family.

This is a relaxed, hands-on workshop where you’ll work with the dough yourself, learn how rye behaves differently from wheat, understand how fermentation builds flavour, and get plenty of practical tips from Denise along the way.

We’ll finish by sitting down together to taste the breads.

What you’ll learn

How to make a traditional 100% whole grain rye sourdough
How long fermentation develops flavour and texture
How to work confidently with rye dough
How to feed and care for a sourdough starter
How to make a festive Christmas fruit sourdough
Practical techniques you can recreate at home

What you’ll take home

Your own rye sourdough starter
Recipes and guidance for both breads
The skills to recreate them at home
Plenty of inspiration for Christmas baking and edible gifts

Choose your session

Saturday 19 December 2026
9.30am to 11.30am

Wednesday 23 December 2026
6pm to 8pm

Make a day of it at the Farm

Both workshops fall on market days, so there is even more reason to come down.

On Saturday 19 December, our regular Farmers Market will be running, with fresh local produce, food and small businesses to browse before or after your workshop.

On Wednesday 23 December, Perth City Farm will also be hosting a special Christmas market, giving you the chance to stock up on fresh produce and festive goodies from local producers ahead of Christmas Day.

What to bring

Please bring your favourite medium-sized bowl with you for the workshop and to help transport your dough home safely.

Everything else you need will be provided.

About Denise

Denise brings extensive experience in sourdough and breadmaking, with a practical, approachable teaching style that makes even unfamiliar techniques feel achievable.

Her workshops are hands-on, relaxed and designed to give you the confidence to go home and actually bake what you’ve learnt.

No previous sourdough experience is required.

This one is likely to fill quickly

With just two Christmas sessions, a viral rye loaf, festive fruit sourdough and the markets happening at the same time, this is one of those workshops we expect people to jump on.

If you’ve been meaning to learn sourdough, want something special to bake for Christmas, or fancy giving homemade bread as a gift this year, this is the one to book.

Contact the host of Christmas Sourdough Baking

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