With Dmitrii you cultivate rye and wheat starters from nothing, feed them so they double on schedule, and bake 13 breads on natural leaven across 17 video lessons, so your loaves stop coming out flat, dense, and one-note sour.
The internet told you sourdough was simple. Then reality set in, and it was never the oven that let you down.
You fed it on schedule, watched for bubbles, and by the fifth morning it just sat there, grey and still, smelling of nail polish, and you poured it down the drain again.
Your levain lifts a sad half-inch and stalls, so the dough underneath never gets the lift it needs, and you already know the crumb will be tight before the loaf even goes in.
It spreads into a pale disc on the tray, bakes into a tight gummy crumb, and hits your tongue with a sharp vinegar bite that drowns out any actual flavor of the grain.
Dmitrii treats the starter as the engine of every bake. Once you understand how it lives, feeds, and rises, flat and sour loaves stop being a mystery and become something you can fix on purpose.
Master the jar on your counter, and every loaf downstream falls into line.
The reason most sourdough fails is not the recipe, it is a gap in understanding what the starter actually is. Dmitrii closes that gap first.
What natural leaven really is, where the wild yeast and bacteria come from, and why understanding the living culture is the foundation every good loaf is built on.
The flours, the water, the jar, the scale, and how each choice shapes the way your starter behaves, so you set up for success before day one.
How to coax both a rye and a wheat starter to life from just flour and water, and read the signs that tell you the culture is truly awake.
The feeding rhythm that makes a starter double on schedule, and how to store it alive for months so it is ready whenever you want to bake.
Not a folder of recipes you follow once. A starter that lives on your counter and a way of baking you keep for good.
17 video lessons, 14 recipes, and 13 breads on natural leaven. Ranges are honest; the counts here are confirmed by the program list.
Where wild leaven comes from and why it works, plus the tools and ingredients you need before a single grain of flour is measured.
Coax rye and wheat starters to life from flour and water, feed them so they double on cue, and store them alive for months between bakes.
Shaped and baked straight on the stone, this whole-grain loaf rises tall with a deep crackling crust and a nutty, open crumb.
Dark and dense in the best way, this molded rye carries coriander and malt through a moist crumb that slices clean the next day.
Slashed and steamed to a shattering crust, the crumb inside stays chewy and open with the faint tang only wild leaven gives.
Wet, slack dough handled with confidence bakes into those big irregular holes and a thin blistered crust that begs for olive oil.
Earthy buckwheat lends a soft dark crumb and a gentle nuttiness, proof that natural leaven suits far more than plain wheat flour.
The showpiece country loaf, high-hydration and long-fermented, finished with an ear that lifts off the crust and a lacy open crumb.
Butter and egg folded into naturally leavened dough bake into a golden, pull-apart crumb so tender you forget there is no commercial yeast.
Soft, faintly sweet, and glossy on top, these enriched buns prove wild leaven can lift rich dough just as reliably as any packet.
Pillowy and sturdy at once, these hold a loaded patty without falling apart and carry a quiet depth store-bought buns never reach.
The soft sandwich loaf you actually want on hand, with a fine even crumb that toasts golden and holds up under any spread.
Two colored doughs laminated together bake into a striking marbled loaf, the kind of showpiece that turns heads before the first slice.
Boiled then baked to a glossy snap, these ring-shaped classics carry a chew and depth of flavor that only natural leaven delivers.
Rolled thin and baked hot, each round puffs into a clean pocket, soft enough to fold and sturdy enough to stuff.
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“A starter is not an ingredient you buy, it is something you keep alive.”
I am Dmitrii. I grew up around grain, harvested wheat on a combine and worked at a mill before I ever kept a jar of starter on the counter, then trained with Western bakers to sharpen the craft. That is why I teach the starter first and everything else after: once you understand the living thing on your counter, flat and sour loaves stop happening by accident. I keep a rye and a wheat starter going to this day, and in this course I hand you exactly how, so your jar outlives the week and every bread rises because you made it, not because you got lucky.
Every technique is a clear video you can pause and rewatch, with a downloadable guide to work from.
Cook it in your own kitchen, step by step, with the theory fresh in mind.
On Studio and Signature, send your work to the team and get specific fixes instead of guesses.
Learning solo and confident, want the team to catch your stalled starter, or want the three Signature bakes and lifetime access? There is a plan for each.
Every plan is a one-time payment with instant access and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Change your mind within 14 days of purchase and we will refund you.
Finish the lessons and homework on Studio or Signature and receive your certificate.
On Studio and Signature, the team reviews your work and answers questions for 12 months.
One year of access on Essentials and Studio. Lifetime access on Signature.
How long do I have access to the course?
On Essentials and Studio you have full access for 1 year from purchase, which is plenty of time to work through every lesson and keep a starter going. Only the Signature plan includes lifetime access to the course and all future updates.
I am a complete beginner and have never kept a starter. Can I do this?
Yes. That is exactly who this course is built for. Dmitrii starts from an empty jar and the philosophy of leaven, then walks you through cultivating, feeding, and storing your starter before any bread. All levels are welcome.
What equipment and ingredients do I need?
The opening lessons cover tools and ingredients before you bake anything. You mainly need flour, water, a jar, a scale, and a home oven. Nothing exotic is required to grow a starter and bake the core loaves.
What is the difference between the three plans, and do I get a certificate?
The core content is the same. Essentials is self-guided for 1 year with no certificate. Studio adds team feedback on your bakes, answers to your questions, and an electronic certificate, all for 1 year. Signature adds the three Signature bakes and lifetime access.
Should I take this or the Bread and Baking course?
Take this one if your goal is starter mastery, keeping a live starter alive for months and baking everything on natural leaven with zero commercial yeast. The broad Bread and Baking course owns the wider generalist repertoire; this course owns the depth of the starter.
What is your refund policy?
If the course is not the right fit, you can request a refund within 14 days of purchase. Just reach out to the LeChefio team and we will take care of it.
Grow a rye and wheat starter that survives past the week, feed it so it doubles on schedule, and bake 13 breads on natural leaven with Dmitrii, no commercial yeast anywhere in sight.