Loaves & Libations: How to Host a Sourdough Party

There’s something beautifully slow and grounding about sourdough. After baking for about a year, I realized every time I posted a loaf, my DMs filled up with “teach me!”, so I decided to do exactly that.

One Sunday afternoon, I invited a handful of girlfriends over, popped some mocktails, and hosted Loaves & Libations: part girls’ day, part baking class, part excuse to eat carbs together. It turned into one of my favorite gatherings ever.

Whether you’re a seasoned baker or someone just looking for a creative reason to gather friends, here’s exactly how to host your own Loaves & Libations sourdough party, from prepping your starter and loaves to setting the table and sending everyone home with a jar of bubbly, happy starter.

What I prepared for Guests

Every guest went home with a little taste of the sourdough life (and something pretty for their kitchen windowsill):

• Active starter jars — I portioned 25–40 g of my own starter into mini glass jars (linked here) and labeled each one so they could start baking at home.
• Mini bouquets — A simple mix of seasonal flowers tied with twine — sweet, easy favors that doubled as table decor.
• Printed sourdough recipe menus — I used my own Canva template so everyone had a step-by-step guide to take home.
• Optional signage — Little flour-dusty table signs that said “Stretch, Fold, Sip” and “Feed Me Daily” for fun touches.

All of these pieces — the invite, menu, recipe card, and signage templates — are bundled in my Loaves & Libations Party Pack, and everything to order on Amazon is linked here.

The Menu

Since the party started mid-afternoon, I wanted everything to feel light and easy, a more “snack and sip” than “sit-down lunch.” Bread was obviously the star of the show, but I still wanted a few pretty bites and mocktails that felt special without me spending all morning cooking.

Here’s what I served:

• Fresh sourdough loaves – I baked two that morning so everyone could snack while we went through the steps. I sliced one with butter, flaky salt, and a drizzle of local honey.
• Charcuterie board – Meats, cheeses, olives, nuts, and fruit — basically the carb’s best friend.
• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie – everyone loves a sweet treat.

How I Structured the “Class”

Let’s get one thing straight — I am not a sourdough expert. I’m just a wannabe homemaker who got a little too emotionally attached to her starter and thought, why not turn this hobby into an event?

So, when I decided to host Loaves & Libations, I knew I couldn’t have everyone standing around for hours waiting for dough to rise. That’s a guaranteed way to lose friends. Instead, I prepped doughs at different stages of the process so we could move through each phase together without the awkward waiting periods or someone asking if we’re “almost done.”

Here’s how I set it up:

1. Feeding the starter – We talked through how to keep your starter alive (aka not murder it), and everyone got to feed theirs for the first time.
2. Mixing & autolyse – I explained the “why” behind resting dough and how hydration works — but in normal-people terms, not Great British Bake Off jargon.
3. Stretch-and-fold demo – Everyone got their hands in the dough that had already been resting, which was equal parts fun and chaotic.
4. Shaping & scoring – We ended with the pretty part: shaping boules and making those satisfying slashes on top.

It took a little planning to make sure I had doughs in every phase ready to go (plus enough starter to feed and gift), but it worked perfectly.

The Timeline: How to Prep for a Sourdough Party Without Losing Your Mind

Here’s the truth — the trickiest part of hosting a sourdough party isn’t the baking. It’s the timing. I wanted to show each stage of the process in real time — from feeding the starter to shaping and scoring — without my friends having to stand around for six hours while dough fermented on the counter.

That meant I had to plan my doughs like a little sourdough orchestra: one at the stretch-and-fold stage, one ready to shape, one prepped to bake, and enough starter bubbling away for everyone to take home.

Here’s exactly how I did it:

1 Before the Party – Dough Prep & Building Enough Starter

If you’re hosting 8 guests and want to send each home with about 30 g of starter, plus have enough for your own doughs and demos, you’ll need roughly 500 g of active starter total.

Between Now & The party you’re going to feed your starter 3 Times:

• Feed #1: Feed 50 g mature starter with 50 g water + 50 g flour (1:1:1). Let rise 4–6 hours.
• Feed #2: Take 150 g of the bubbly starter and feed it 150 g water + 150 g flour. (I would split this into 2 jars of 75:75:75 unless you have a HUGE jar) You’ll now have ~450 g active starter.
• Feed #3: Split that starter again and feed it 1:1:1 and you’ll have enough starter for your party favors + to get you started on your loaves.

Feed Your Starter in the morning to start your 2 bread loaves (if serving at the party) to bake in the morning of Party Day!

Day of the Party – Hosting Day!

I wrote this timeline based on doing a demo at 2:30 PM. you can adjust accordingly. I HIGHLY recommend setting timers for yourself titled by the dough you are working.

First Thing– Bake the loaves & prep favors.
Preheat your oven and Dutch oven to 500°F, bake both loaves (20 min covered, 15–20 min uncovered).

9:30 a.m. – Start Dough C (this will be ready to SHAPE at 2:30)

• 9:30 a.m. – Add water & salt
• 10:30, 11:00, 11:30 a.m. – Stretch-and-fold sets (3 rounds, 30 min apart).
• 11:30–2:30 p.m. – Bulk rest (aim for ~50% rise, airy).
• 2:30 p.m. – preshape, bench rest 20 while you do the other tutorials, final shape on this dough at the end.
• 2:50 pm- final Shape + Cold proof

12:30 p.m. – Start Dough B (this will be ready to Stretch & Fold at 2:30)

• 1:30 p.m. – Add water + salt
• 2:30. 3:00, 3:30 p.m. – Demo Stretch & Folds
• 3:30-6:30 – Bulk rest
• 6:30 PM- Preshape, bench rest (20 minutes)
• 6:50 PM- Final Shaping & put to cold proof

1:30 p.m. – Start Dough A (this will be ready to ADD SALT & WATER at 2:30)

• 2:30 p.m. – Add water + salt
• 3:30. 4:00, 4:30 p.m. – Do stretch & Folds
• 4:30-7:30 – Bulk rest
• 7:30 PM- Preshape, bench rest (20 minutes)
• 7:50 PM- Final Shaping & put to cold proof

2:30 PM – Start New Dough by Showing how to begin Autolyse as well as do a demo on feeding your starter.

2:30 PM: Show final Shaping & Putting in Bannetone after dough c has sat for 20 minutes.

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