Some skills cannot be mastered by simply following instructions. Working with wholegrain sourdough bread is one of them. It requires an understanding of the process, the ability “to feel” the dough and notice subtle changes at the right moment. These skills were the focus of two practical training sessions for rural bakery staff in Armenia, held on April 6 in Ijevan and April 8 in Tsaghkunk village.
The trainings brought together bakers, technologists, and staff from small rural bakeries, including those supplying bread to schools under the National School Feeding Programme. As a result, the discussion quickly moved beyond a single baking technique to broader questions of quality, production consistency, and a product that can contribute to a healthier daily diet for children.
From the very beginning, the training was built around practice. Participants did not simply observe the stages of breadmaking; they worked through the entire process themselves — from preparing the starter and mixing the dough to shaping, proofing, baking, and evaluating the final product. This format is particularly important for small bakeries, where the quality of bread depends not only on the recipe but also on the baker’s ability to understand how dough behaves under specific conditions.
More than just bread
With wholegrain sourdough, everything comes down to detail. Things like room temperature, humidity, the strength of the starter, the freshness of the flour, and fermentation time can all make a noticeable difference to the final result. During the training, these aspects were not just explained but demonstrated in real time. Participants observed how the dough changes at each stage, learned to recognize key indicators, and understood how each decision made by the baker influences the quality of the finished bread.
The first training took place at the Kenats Hats Wholegrain Baking Academy in Ijevan, and the second at the Wholegrain Baking Training Center in Tsaghkunk. At both venues, sessions followed the same structure: practical work, followed by a detailed breakdown of the process. This approach helped participants not only remember the sequence of steps but also understand the process as a coherent system, from the condition of the starter to the finished loaf.
Beyond recipes: understanding the system
The sessions addressed common challenges in working with wholegrain sourdough, including feeding schedules, temperature control, mixing techniques, fermentation management, use of additives, and ways to expand product range based on a single dough. Participants also reviewed typical defects in finished products and discussed the basic documentation required for running a small bakery.
What made the training particularly valuable was that it went beyond simply demonstrating techniques. For bakers, it is not enough to see how a step is performed; they need to understand why it is done that way. Why does the dough spread? What makes the crumb too dense? Why can flour from the same batch behave differently from one day to the next? These may seem like isolated questions, but together they form the foundation of confident work and consistent bread quality.
Practice shows: understanding makes the difference
The two training sessions made one thing clear: learning is far more effective when every step is supported by a clear explanation. When bakers understand why each stage matters and how it affects the outcome, the skill is not just repeated but truly internalized. This is especially important for rural bakeries, where working conditions can vary, from room temperature to flour quality and starter activity. In such settings, staff need to do more than follow a recipe; they need to make informed decisions throughout the process.
Both venues proved effective in achieving this goal. At the same time, the center in Tsaghkunk was highlighted as a particularly promising site for future training. This creates an opportunity to continue such sessions on a regular basis and to use them as a platform for strengthening bakers’ skills and improving the quality of healthier bakery products.
It is through trainings like these that the foundation for real change is gradually built. They begin with simple but essential elements: well-executed mixing, stable temperature control, attention to the dough, and confident work. In baking, as in many other fields, quality is shaped by details, and that is often where meaningful progress begins.
The trainings brought together bakers, technologists, and staff from small rural bakeries, including those supplying bread to schools under the National School Feeding Programme. As a result, the discussion quickly moved beyond a single baking technique to broader questions of quality, production consistency, and a product that can contribute to a healthier daily diet for children.
From the very beginning, the training was built around practice. Participants did not simply observe the stages of breadmaking; they worked through the entire process themselves — from preparing the starter and mixing the dough to shaping, proofing, baking, and evaluating the final product. This format is particularly important for small bakeries, where the quality of bread depends not only on the recipe but also on the baker’s ability to understand how dough behaves under specific conditions.
More than just bread
With wholegrain sourdough, everything comes down to detail. Things like room temperature, humidity, the strength of the starter, the freshness of the flour, and fermentation time can all make a noticeable difference to the final result. During the training, these aspects were not just explained but demonstrated in real time. Participants observed how the dough changes at each stage, learned to recognize key indicators, and understood how each decision made by the baker influences the quality of the finished bread.
The first training took place at the Kenats Hats Wholegrain Baking Academy in Ijevan, and the second at the Wholegrain Baking Training Center in Tsaghkunk. At both venues, sessions followed the same structure: practical work, followed by a detailed breakdown of the process. This approach helped participants not only remember the sequence of steps but also understand the process as a coherent system, from the condition of the starter to the finished loaf.
Beyond recipes: understanding the system
The sessions addressed common challenges in working with wholegrain sourdough, including feeding schedules, temperature control, mixing techniques, fermentation management, use of additives, and ways to expand product range based on a single dough. Participants also reviewed typical defects in finished products and discussed the basic documentation required for running a small bakery.
What made the training particularly valuable was that it went beyond simply demonstrating techniques. For bakers, it is not enough to see how a step is performed; they need to understand why it is done that way. Why does the dough spread? What makes the crumb too dense? Why can flour from the same batch behave differently from one day to the next? These may seem like isolated questions, but together they form the foundation of confident work and consistent bread quality.
Practice shows: understanding makes the difference
The two training sessions made one thing clear: learning is far more effective when every step is supported by a clear explanation. When bakers understand why each stage matters and how it affects the outcome, the skill is not just repeated but truly internalized. This is especially important for rural bakeries, where working conditions can vary, from room temperature to flour quality and starter activity. In such settings, staff need to do more than follow a recipe; they need to make informed decisions throughout the process.
Both venues proved effective in achieving this goal. At the same time, the center in Tsaghkunk was highlighted as a particularly promising site for future training. This creates an opportunity to continue such sessions on a regular basis and to use them as a platform for strengthening bakers’ skills and improving the quality of healthier bakery products.
It is through trainings like these that the foundation for real change is gradually built. They begin with simple but essential elements: well-executed mixing, stable temperature control, attention to the dough, and confident work. In baking, as in many other fields, quality is shaped by details, and that is often where meaningful progress begins.