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 provide group discussion with immediate interaction. For me, the common sharing of experience, success and failure, is the most valuable input I have gained from this group. Getting on the spot information I need to better my skills is most important. The immediate interaction with other bakers who share the same goals is most rewarding.

-Paulette Landers


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 10 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 all that 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've dabbled several times in the 'bake my own' sourdough space in previous years, and given up, knowing I could buy a damn good organic sourdough from a local artisan shop. As the warmer weather descended on Sydney in Nov 2022 I decided to have another go and religiously fed a new organic starter, but then didn't know what to do with it! Fortunately, while browsing for ideas, I stumbled across Phil's no-nonsense video on YouTube and his '30-min' hands-on recipe. So, I started baking. The bread was edible, but looked nothing like Phil's :-( When an opportunity came to sign up and join Phil's community, for me, it was either stopping forever or actually putting some effort in and learning to make sourdough, so I bit the bullet and joined the Sourdough Unchained community. Within a few mixes and bakes, Phil identified my issues, coached me on how to improve and Voila!, loaf after loaf of fluffy, tasty sourdough! Even my teenage sons love it! I had guests over on the weekend, one of which also wanted to learn, so when he watched me prep, prove and bake, then tasted the result, he's now a convert too. If you're serious about making great sourdough, you really can't get any better guidance and Phil's no-nonsense approach makes it easy to follow and get results.

-John Broadbent

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 that both my family and I enjoyed. Phil's Sourdough Calculator makes recipe creation and tweaking so much easier!  

I do 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 were either lack of clear explanations or 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

My biggest win since joining SU is connecting with other bakers and seeing that we all have similar failures but then we work them out together towards a beautiful loaf of bread. I really enjoy seeing what others are baking especially from across the world and how we can learn some new recipes and accompaniments to have with our breads. I feel SU is a very welcoming and supportive baking community that will help you as a baker of any experience. Phil is patient and helps with suggestions and encouragement so that you too can achieve that Instagram-worthy loaf!

-Kathy J.

I was contemplating whether I should join a coaching community when the web is already overloaded with information, and I am glad I did. The past three months have been the most enjoyable and kept me more focused. During this period, I've learned how to better manage my baking schedule, 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 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. Glad I can tag along in this sourdough journey and eventually I want to be able to master sourdough baking.

-Becky Tsukishima