❤️‍🩹 Starter health

Sure, your sourdough starter triples in volume… but does that mean it’s ready to use? Too many get caught up using visual triggers to assess the health of their starter.

🌡️ Bulk fermentation

If these two words aren’t enough to shake you to your core, you’re a braver baker than me! After all, how do you successfully balance time and temperature to ferment the dough correctly? And, what's the correct way to judge the progress?

⏱️ Proofing

Everyone keeps telling you to do the “poke” test to see if your dough is correctly proofed. But how are you supposed to know what the dough should feel like? And how do you assess your loaf correctly to understand what needs to be adjusted?

⚖️ Flour composition

Choosing the right flour for the job isn’t as simple as reading the label. How can you tell if you’ve chosen the right flour to optimise oven spring, and how do you know how much water your flour can absorb?

📚 Recipe formulation

Every recipe must be tweaked to optimise oven spring, flavour and nutrition. But how do you know what to change based on the handling of the dough and the final loaf?

💧 Balancing hydration

With so much online advice pointing towards high-hydration doughs, how do you know which hydration works best? Especially when you’re struggling with handling the dough. Is there a way to optimise hydration and avoid sticky dough?

🔥 Baking method

Is a Dutch oven the best way to bake sourdough, or should you use a baking stone? How much steam should you use to promote oven spring without creating a dense, chewy crust and a washed-out loaf?

⚖️ Dough optimisation

Matching your dough weight to the proofing basket will maximise the volume of your loaf. But how do you know the right amount of dough to use? 

📒 Sourdough tracking

Tracking your sourdough bake is the only way to improve your results. Do you know how to record the right information to make successful adjustments later?

⚙️ Troubleshooting

The most challenging part of the process is knowing what to adjust when things go wrong. Is it your starter, the flour, the hydration balance, or the bulk fermentation and proofing of the dough? There are so many possibilities; where do you start?

🌎 Global Sourdough Community

This is no ordinary community; it's a collaborative space for real-time brainstorming, information sharing, and feedback, which I head up daily.

Imagine having the power to refine your recipes and baking methods before you even step into the kitchen.

• You’ll be able to leverage the collective experience of the global community to help you troubleshoot and refine your sourdough blueprint, ready for your next baking session.
  
  
• You can submit your sourdough bakes for my personal feedback, ensuring you get speedy guidance and support. in addition, you'll benefit from the combined expertise of other members dedicated to mastering sourdough.
  
  
• It's also a super space to hang out, connect with like-minded bakers and celebrate your successes together.

Our community is hosted on our website and is available on a dedicated app, meaning you are free from advertising and trolls associated with online communities such as Facebook.

🏆 Recipe development challenges

• Through our challenges, you’ll develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills that are so valuable in recipe development and troubleshooting.
  
  
• You’ll learn how to take a recipe from an idea through to baking while having the support of the community.
  
  
• The challenges make learning more exciting and engaging, motivating you to push your boundaries while keeping your sourdough baking fresh and exciting.

🧪 The Sourdough Lab

While developing recipes as part of a professional kitchen brigade, we encountered many problems. As a collective team, we used brainstorming sessions to overcome the most challenging problems.

I’ve recreated these powerful sessions for Sourdough Unchained members.

The Sourdough Lab is a livestream dedicated to brainstorming and problem-solving, enriching the learning experience through interactive engagement.

Imagine having your very own brigade on hand, offering personalised guidance tailored to your unique needs.

Whether you're grappling with recipe design, facing challenges with oven spring, aiming to enhance your baking system or need a question answered, we’ll provide real-time support and ensure your success.

The sourdough lab is hosted live on Zoom every month, but don’t worry if you can’t attend. You can submit your help request before the stream and then watch the on-demand recording to get your personalised feedback.

We’ve got you covered.

🚀 Magnus 4.0 (Pro)

As a member of Sourdough Unchained, you will receive exclusive access to my advanced recipe calculator (Magnus 4.0). Magnus will be an essential tool for creating your recipe development blueprint.

• You’ll learn to use Magnus 4.0 (Pro) to create unique and nutritious sourdough recipes, saving time and taking the hard work and potential errors out of manual calculations.
  
  
• You will learn how to reverse-engineer other people's recipes to customise them for yourself. This method gives you great insight into how the recipe functions before you start baking, drastically reducing failure rates.
  
  
• You will have access to my new and improved sourdough tracker, which makes tracking your bake simple and troubleshooting straightforward. (Coming in September/October 24)

🎬 On-demand video library

You can watch all of the on-demand video content from the comfort of your armchair (or in the kitchen while you are baking)

• Utilise the reboot video course to reset your sourdough baking and track your progress. Get personalised feedback on your results to swiftly implement changes and see immediate improvements.
  
  
• Access our Sourdough Lab livestream recordings and apply practical insights from real-world baking challenges to advance your progress and avoid common mistakes.
  
  
• Follow the Magnus 4.0 (Pro) video tutorials to master the art of designing unique recipe formulas that yield impressive oven spring and deliciously nutritious loaves. Be confident that the recipes are precise, easily modified, and scalable.
  
  
• Get on-demand access to the Sourdough Unchained podcast and gain insights from more experienced bakers and other industry professionals. 
  
  

You’ll have unlimited video library access through a desktop browser or a convenient mobile app.

🎙️ The Sourdough Pod

Building and learning how to use a recipe development process is critical to your success. But this will only take you so far.

To fully master sourdough, we must learn from the bakers who are further along on their journey and the invaluable craftspeople integral to our craft.

The Sourdough Unchained podcasts will give you access to these outstanding individuals, giving you the chance to harness their experience and increase the speed of your learning curve.

The full podcasts are not publicly released and are only available for Sourdough Unchained members.

🎯 The sourdough system reboot

A great recipe and an eagerness to learn are essential, but the harsh reality is that you’ll never succeed if you don’t get the basics right.

There are endless dials that need to be adjusted to align each stage of the process and bake a well-sprung loaf with an open ear and honeycombed crumb.

That's exactly what I've designed the Reboot System for, cutting out the fluff and focussing on the core principles of baking sourdough.

As you work through the reboot system, you can confidently detail your process using our sourdough tracker.

Using the sourdough tracker, I'll evaluate your recipe, ingredients, fermentation process and baking method to help you rapidly accelerate your learning curve and master the troubleshooting process firsthand.

No more scratching your head and wondering what’s gone wrong. You’ll get my clear actionable advice ready for your next baking session.

This has been the biggest driver for fixing our members' problems within the sourdough process and giving them a solid foundation for expanding their repertoire of recipes.

It's about time you heard from a few of our members...

You will meet both beginner and more experienced bakers, so no matter your skill level, there's no need to worry. Sourdough Unchained will guide you on your journey to master sourdough.

All of these bakers are current Sourdough Unchained members, so if you join, you'll have the opportunity to meet with them (and many more, including me).

Phil's sourdough unchained coaching completely changed the way I think of sourdough making. I used to put together all the ingredients and hope it turned out nicely.

But Phil helps me understand that it's more important to "decide before start". Sit down, do the research, have clear expectations in mind, and then act. In this way, you will have more control over the results. I used this method on the community challenge and created a recipe my family and I enjoyed.

Phil's Sourdough Calculator makes recipe creation and tweaking so much easier!

I enjoy keeping all the test bakes on record and comparing the results among different hydration and flour types. Thanks to the Sourdough Calculator, all my bakes are well-planned and organised now.

I had been looking for sourdough-making guides on the internet. The results either lacked clear explanations or were too complex to follow through. Then I found Phil's Sourdough Unchained; the coaching videos answered most of my questions.

I also got to ask him more questions in the live session, where he helped me design an original recipe involving rice flour.


- Qin Zhou

I'm proud to say that I've been a member of the Sourdough Unchained Community since the very beginning.

Despite baking sourdough bread for more than ten years, my boundaries were limited, and there were always doubts about the ingredients and methods I was using and nobody to discuss them with.

Since becoming a member, everything has changed. I am now a member of a community with a wide range of home bakers with differing levels of knowledge and experience, with members spread all over the World.

We share ideas and thoughts and offer help when necessary. Phil is always on hand to help out. He reacts quickly to messages and has organised one-to-one live sessions to help members out on more than one occasion.

Apart from gaining a lot of knowledge, experience and confidence, I've also gained great insight into how different cultures make sourdough bread using their local ingredients and in very different environments.

I am sure that any future member of the Sourdough Unchained Community can profit in the same way.


- Bryan E.

I was contemplating whether I should join a coaching community when the web is overloaded with information, and I am glad I did.

The past three months have been so enjoyable and kept me more focused.

During this period, I've learned how to manage my baking schedule better, adjust my ingredient temperature and hydration to bake in different climates, maintain a vibrant starter, recognise proper fermentation and proofing, and use the calculator to adjust and design recipes.

I also gained a circle of sourdough-baking friends. I particularly like the monthly challenges, which expand our horizons. The discovery, experimental and implementation processes are stimulating.

What a deep sense of accomplishment I had when I completed my Easter EGGstravagaza challenge, creating and baking my first-ever recipe.

Philip helps us to tackle different problems face to face during the live Q&A sessions. Thank you for sorting out my scoring issue. I very much appreciate those times when I cannot attend that recorded programs are available.

The Sourdough Lounge is the most popular, a place to interact, be inspired and build friendships. Philip’s comments are always encouraging and helpful to each one of us. Philip, you are an excellent coach.

Thank you for encouraging us to use our five senses, venture out of our comfort zones, and push our boundaries from fearful to fearless.

I’m glad I can tag along in this sourdough journey, and eventually, I want to be able to master sourdough baking.

- Becky T.

Joining Culinary Exploration has helped advance my skills as a baker. The resources provided by the community have been very valuable in helping me scale my micro-bakery. 

From detailed tutorials to more advanced baking techniques, I’ve found lots of help that I needed to take my skills to the next level. The camaraderie and support from other bakers has been inspiring. The virtual community is great for sharing tips, troubleshooting problems, and celebrating successes.

One of the highlights of my experience has been interacting with Phil. His regular live-streams are full of practical advice and new ideas, and his personable nature makes the time invested enjoyable. 

The 1-on-1 chats with Phil have been particularly valuable; his accessibility and genuine interest in my progress have boosted my confidence tremendously. Under his guidance, I've seen significant improvements in the quality of my baking and my confidence to experiment with new recipes, empowering me to grow.

Overall, Culinary Exploration is a valuable membership for any baker seeking growth and excellence. The wealth of knowledge, along with the supportive community and Phil’s expert guidance, has greatly influenced my baking journey.

- Jonathan S.

This sourdough community offers so much information at all levels.

It is a friendly group of bakers who so willingly share their findings for the common benefit of the sourdough craft. 

Not only are the exchanges between members available to all, but the live Zoom meetings also provide group discussions with immediate interaction. 

For me, the most valuable input I have gained from this group is the common sharing of experience, success, and failure. 

I value getting on-the-spot information I need to better my skills. The immediate interaction with other bakers who share the same goals is most rewarding.

- Paulette Landers

Initially, I was apprehensive about joining the Sourdough Unchained Community, believing I wasn't good enough to join such experienced bakers. Oh boy, was I wrong?

The Community is incredibly supportive. They always share their experiences and guidance, nudging you gently in the right direction when you feel despondent and sharing in your happiness when your hard work comes to fruition! 

Any questions are answered in the community or during the monthly live stream, where Phil shares his knowledge during a deep dive into your bake.

Whilst there are so many variables to understand when baking sourdough, Phil guides you through the Sourdough Reboot process so you can understand the issues you encounter, always encouraging and believing in you. 

He doesn't tell you what to do, but through his experience, he encourages you to develop that Sourdough side of you that wants to bake a loaf of bread. Throw in the training classes and the Magnus recipe calculator, which is my go-to for every bake, and you will have the complete package. 

My bakes have gone from puddles to standing proud on the chopping board!

Thanks to Phil and the Sourdough Unchained Community, I have developed a passion I never knew existed for flour, baking and, most of all, sourdough.

- Mark N.

I can confidently say Philip's sourdough bread recipes are the best I've ever tried.

Not only because of the final result (which is not to be overlooked in the slightest) but also because of how kind he is in helping people approach the art of sourdough.

In January 2021, I had just gotten my starter going and was not even close to achieving the results I saw online, so I decided to send Philip a DM on Instagram.

He promptly sent me his phone number to help me better via WhatsApp and a lot of audio messages and pictures later; his advice is the best I've ever received so far in my journey.

As a matter of fact, I have now memorised his 30-minute sourdough bread recipe and process and religiously make it every other day with my trusty year and a half-old starter.

The aspect I enjoy the most from Sourdough Unchained is the fact that it's got the basis for anyone to pick sourdough baking up and make it their own.

- Mavi M.

For years, I struggled with sourdough and began looking for solutions online. 

I discovered Philip’s YouTube channel and became interested in joining this group. I finally broke after an unsuccessful bake and joined the group.  

I was shocked at the level of baking expertise in the group.  I was amazed and intimidated by some of these great bakers and their skills.  

So, initially, I only read the posts and watched the videos without any interaction with other members of the group. I did not want to share my failures with a group of strangers (nobody wants to hear they have an ugly baby).  

After some time, Philip and I were messaging, and he encouraged me to share one of my unsuccessful bakes with the group. It was the best thing I could have done!  

The members shared similar failures and offered measures they took to correct the issue.  There was no judging, only support and advice.  This global community rallied behind me to improve my bakes!

The live streams, the sourdough calculator, the monthly challenges, the video library, and the ability to get one-on-one advice from Philip are all well worth the investment. 

I have made friends with bakers from across the globe and learned to make my own recipes using Philip’s calculator.  

In the past, I never had the confidence to bake a loaf for friends and family because I feared it would not turn out properly.  I now have confidence, and I regularly take requests for loaves.  

This is a great support group for struggling beginner sourdough bakers and a place for skilled bakers to exchange ideas and methods. 

- Kyle M.

I’ve been baking sourdough bread for about 12 years now.

In the short time I’ve been with Sourdough Unchained, I’ve learned so much from Phil.

With his instruction my baking has reached a level I never expected possible so quickly.

Phil’s systematic baking formula has really taken my baking to a level I never expected!

No more going down the rabbit hole on the internet for me!

Phil has me developing my own recipes and has given me the ability to replicate them consistently.

Phil shares his own wonder and joy in the process with infectious humour as he continues his own baking journey with us.

My experience here has me planning my next bake with excitement!

- Jude S.

I’m a relatively new baker. When I started, I was lucky and baked some very nice-looking sourdough loaves with excellent oven spring and ears.

And then my luck ran out, baking a series of tasty, but not very aesthetically pleasing loaves. I had no idea what had changed, but knew I needed a reset.
 
I found Phil’s Culinary Exploration YouTube channel and tried The Sourdough System Reboot.

That first bake was fantastic. Immediate success! Shifting to a firmer, lower-hydration dough resulted in great oven spring, a well-developed ear, excellent color, and crust – and tasty too!
 
I quickly joined Phil’s Sourdough Unchained community, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the baking process.

With Phil’s coaching and support from the Sourdough Unchained community, bakers are encouraged to experiment based on their own interests and skill levels.

My initial interest was understanding hydration and flour absorbency. 

With Phil’s guidance and encouragement, I undertook a series of bakes, now called the hydration climb, to assess how well the bread flour I use absorbs water and my ability to work with wetter doughs.

Over time, I’ve worked to incorporate flour blends using whole wheat or rye flours and design a recipe that produces extremely consistent results bake after bake after bake!
 
My thanks to Phil and the Sourdough Unchained community for providing a framework to record and evaluate bakes and useful advice for making improvements.

Adopting this methodology provided the foundational structure I needed to really understand the sourdough baking process.

It still amazes me that with just a few simple ingredients and some creative mixing techniques, you can have delicious fresh-baked bread right out of the oven.

Michael L.