Hands-On Sourdough Workshop with Arnie on East 7th Street

On East 7th Street in Manhattan’s East Village, a small hands-on sourdough workshop offers a fast track into traditional bread baking. Introduction to Homemade Sourdough Bread is taught by Arnie, The Bread Baker of Riverdale, and meets at 104 East 7th Street - New York, NY 10009. In a compact session designed for up to four guests, Arnie condenses a 36-hour process into a focused 2.5-hour class where you shape dough, feed a starter, and bake a loaf you take home. The room is centered on a worktable scattered with floured linen, proofing baskets and glass jars of bubbling starter. The class emphasizes technique: mixing ratios, tactile shaping, and how temperature alters fermentation. You’ll learn maintenance routines for a living starter and basic oven techniques so the loaf you bake leaves with an open crumb and a caramelized crust. The setup is deliberately intimate—small groups mean more one-on-one guidance and immediate feedback from a baker who teaches both beginners and experienced home bakers. Why this matters here: the East Village blends long-held culinary craft with a neighborhood appetite for hands-on learning. A studio like this connects visiting food lovers with local makers, offering skills you can use long after your trip. The class’s small size and the chance to leave with a starter and recipes make it practical: you don’t just watch—you bake. Key features of the experience include taught shaping and scoring techniques, a take-home starter and loaf, and concise recipes and instructions. Expect to smell flour, steam and caramelizing crusts; expect to use your hands. The class is also a social slice of the neighborhood—afterward you can linger on nearby streets for coffee or explore local markets. Practical details: arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled start time; participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult; late arrivals may not be admitted. Workshops may be canceled or rescheduled if minimum attendance is not met. The hands-on approach compresses traditional timelines safely; Arnie makes fermentation principles approachable so you leave confident to try recipes at home. This is an ideal stop for travelers who want tangible skills, a memorable food experience, and a doorway into New York’s maker scene. Whether you bake weekly or are trying sourdough for the first time, the class delivers technique, story, and a loaf that proves you learned something real. Classes run in English and accommodate ages ten and up, with a maximum of four guests to preserve hands-on time. Bring curiosity and a willingness to get messy; Arnie provides recipes, a starter jar, and a loaf to take away—practical souvenirs that start a habit, not just a photo. Reserve early—spots fill quickly on weekends and evenings. Arrive prepared to pay with card only.