Free kitchen lessons from Chef Evangalene
Start with what is on your counter.
Did you just get a new sourdough starter? Have a jar of discard? Want to make focaccia or pizza with it tonight? Pick the real kitchen moment and I’ll point you to a useful free lesson—not a giant pile of tabs. Why would I do that to you, life already has enough bs.😊🍞
The ultimate sourdough guide
A free field guide based on years of experience for your starter, loaf, dinner, and high-desert kitchen. Because knowlege is power.
So tell me, what’s happening over there?
What is happening in your kitchen right now?
The journal is not a homework assignment. Choose one starting point, take the useful first move, and come back when you need the next lesson.
Find the exact free lesson
Search lesson titles when you need one exact thing.
Title-only search. Nothing appears until you type a word from the lesson title, so the journal stays clean until you ask it for something.
No published lesson title contains that yet. Try one exact word from a title, like “starter,” “pizza,” “discard,” or “tools.”
01
I just got a new starter at home (Congratulations 😁)
Help me begin with the jar so it’s not rocket science. 02I have sourdough discard (is it safe?)
Use it for something good today. 03I want to bake bread tonight (with my starter)
Learn how to make focaccia or pizza at home. 04I’m baking in ABQ (master dry air)
Read the dry air before the clock. 05I want to take a fresh pasta making class
Roll a real dinner with me.Already baking, but the dough or loaf is giving you a weird signal?Start with the dough and loaf diagnosis guide →
Starter field note
Your starter has one job today: show you it is alive.
01 · What to do when you get a new starter at home
What to do when you first get a starter.
Keep this first day simple. Your job is not to force a loaf; it is to learn what a healthy culture looks like in your own kitchen.
- Give it roomKeep it in a clean jar where you can see the level clearly.
- Mark the levelAfter feeding, mark the jar so the rise is easy to notice.
- Watch the cluesLook for bubbles, lift, and a fresh fermented smell—not just a time on the clock.
- Use it when activeBuild dough when the starter is clearly showing strength in your kitchen.
Starter lessons
Your starter questions, in one useful place.
Read the small field note first, then choose the exact question you have. These cards open their real Shopify article—not the bottom of the page.
01 · Start here · Free starter guide
Guide to Sourdough Starter: How It Works, How to Feed It, and Why It Matters
Learn what sourdough starter is, how it works, how to feed it, how to know when it is ready, and why starter matters so much for better sourdough...
Read this starter lesson →
02 · Feeding rhythm
Sourdough Starter Feeding Schedule for Beginners
Learn how often to feed sourdough starter, when to keep it on the counter or in the fridge, and how to build a simple beginner feeding routine.
Read this starter lesson →
03 · Counter, fridge, or dried
How to Store Sourdough Starter: Counter, Fridge, or Dried
How to store sourdough starter for daily, weekly, or occasional baking: choose counter or fridge care, wake it before baking, and save a dry backup.
Read this starter lesson →
04 · Albuquerque water
Can You Use Albuquerque Tap Water For Sourdough Starter? Free Beginners Help
A clear Albuquerque guide to sourdough-starter water: what chlorine means, why consistency matters, and Chef’s simple reset for beginners.
Read this starter lesson →
05 · Starter rescue
Why Is My Sourdough Starter Not Rising? Beginner Fixes from Eat Well ABQ
Is your sourdough starter flat, weak, or not bubbling? Learn why it happens and how to fix it with beginner-friendly sourdough tips from Eat Well...
Read this starter lesson →
06 · Know when it is ready
How to Know When Sourdough Is Fully Proofed
Read this starter lesson →02 · Put the jar to work
Have discard? Make the next meal easier.
Discard does not need to become another guilt jar in the refrigerator. Choose a useful thing you actually want to eat, then make it before the day gets away from you.
- Check the jarStart with the quick safety and smell cues in the discard lesson before you turn it into breakfast.
- Choose the mealDecide whether this jar is becoming pancakes, a crisp snack, or dinner before you start mixing.
- Use the right recipeSome recipes need active lift; others are built for unfed discard. Let the recipe’s plan lead.
Use your discard
A jar of discard can be breakfast, a crisp snack, or dinner.
Use your discard
Pick the thing you actually want to eat.
Start with the free discard guide, then choose the actual recipe lesson—pancakes, crackers, or pizza dough—so you know exactly where each link takes you.
01 · Free discard guide
What Is Sourdough Discard? How to Use Extra Starter
Learn what sourdough discard is, when to save it, when to throw it away, and how extra starter can be used in beginner-friendly recipes.
Open the discard lesson →
02 · Free discard recipe
Sourdough Discard Recipes That Are Actually Worth Making: Pancakes, Crackers & Pizza Dough
Chef Evangalene turns unfed starter into fluffy pancakes, crisp crackers, and same-day pizza dough—while showing when your jar needs feeding inst...
Open the discard recipe →
Bake tonight
Tonight’s choice: a generous pan of focaccia or a crisp sourdough pizza.
03 · Make dinner from the jar
Want focaccia or pizza tonight?
Both begin with sourdough, but they ask different things from the dough. Pick the meal first, then use the guide that tells you what to look for before the oven is hot.
- Pick the dinnerChoose a generous pan of focaccia or a crisp pizza before you decide how the dough should behave.
- Start with strengthUse a starter that is visibly active, airy, and rising—not one you are hoping will wake up mid-dough.
- Read before the ovenUse the dough’s lift, feel, and surface as your signal—not only a generic recipe clock.
Bake tonight
Dinner first. Dough plan second.
Choose the actual dinner you want, then open the full lesson that gets you from active starter to oven without a generic jump to the bottom.
Bake tonight
How to make High-Altitude Sourdough Pizza Dough for Albuquerque
Have a lively starter? Turn it into pizza tonight. Chef Evangalene walks through a 100% starter dough, same-day and overnight paths, and the cues...
Plan dinner →Bake tonight
Sourdough Discard Recipes That Are Actually Worth Making: Pancakes, Crackers & Pizza Dough
Chef Evangalene turns unfed starter into fluffy pancakes, crisp crackers, and same-day pizza dough—while showing when your jar needs feeding inst...
Plan dinner →
Bake tonight
Sourdough Focaccia for Albuquerque’s Dry Air: Same-Day and Overnight
Chef Evangalene’s same-day and overnight sourdough focaccia recipes for Albuquerque, with dry-air dough cues, pan guidance, and a pizza-night option
Plan dinner →
Albuquerque · 5,312 feet
In Albuquerque, dough is working in a real room—not a generic recipe.
04 · Albuquerque baking plan
At 5,312 feet, read the dough before you obey the recipe clock.
Dry air, elevation, room temperature, and the dough’s exposed surface change what happens next. Use the calculator for a thoughtful first adjustment, then trust the cues you can actually see.
Notice the surface. Is the dough drying before it has done the work you need?
Notice the pace. Is fermentation moving differently than a generic recipe expects?
Notice the room. Your Albuquerque kitchen is part of the bake.
Albuquerque path
High-altitude lessons for your actual kitchen.
Start with the question on your counter, make one smart adjustment, then keep the Chef guidance beside you as the bake changes.
Albuquerque baking
High-Altitude Baking Calculator for Albuquerque: Oven Temp, Time & Ingredient Adjustments
Read the altitude lesson →
Albuquerque baking
Baking Sourdough in Santa Fe vs. Albuquerque: What Changes?
Learn how sourdough baking can change between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, including fermentation timing, hydration, dry climate issues, and New Mex...
Read the altitude lesson →
Albuquerque baking
How to Add Green Chile to Sourdough Bread
Learn how to add green chile to sourdough bread without wrecking the dough. Chef Evangalene covers moisture, heat, salt, folding, cheese, and bak...
Read the altitude lesson →
Albuquerque baking
How High Altitude Affects Sourdough Baking in Albuquerque
Learn how high altitude and Albuquerque’s dry climate can affect sourdough fermentation, hydration, proofing, and dough feel — plus how Eat Well ...
Read the altitude lesson →
Fresh pasta confidence
Fresh pasta gets easier when the dough, sheet, and water all meet at the right moment.
05 · Fresh pasta at high altitude
Make a real pasta dinner with the tools you’ll actually use.
Start with the beginner pasta lesson, then use flour and tool guides only when they solve the next thing in front of you. You do not need a drawer full of gear; you need a rested dough, an even sheet, and a pan of water waiting.
- Rest the doughGive the dough time to relax before you roll, so it stops fighting every pass through the machine.
- Roll one sheetKeep the next sheet even and lightly supported instead of racing through every piece at once.
- Cook with a planHave the sauce and water ready before the pasta is finished rolling; fresh pasta moves fast at the end.
Fresh pasta, flour, and tools
Build pasta confidence—and buy only what earns its place.
Start with the dough, then find the local tool guide, the fresh-pasta storage lesson, and the Albuquerque flour guide when each one becomes useful.
01 · Start with pasta dough
How to make Fresh Pasta at home for Beginners + High Altitude
Chef Evangalene’s beginner lesson for making fresh pasta in Albuquerque: mix, rest, roll, dry, cook, and store egg pasta without overcomplicating...
Read this pasta lesson →
02 · Albuquerque tools
Where to Buy Sourdough Baking Tools in Albuquerque: Chef's Local Guide
Chef Evangalene's beginner-friendly guide to the sourdough baking tools worth buying, the Albuquerque shops to check, and the skills that make ev...
Read the local tool guide →
03 · Fresh-pasta storage
How to Store Fresh Pasta at Home For Beginners + ABQ Dry Air
A high-desert guide to keeping fresh pasta soft: cover it, work in small batches, and freeze perfect portions for later.
Read this pasta lesson →
04 · Flour in Albuquerque
Where and Why to Buy 00 and Unbleached Flour+ Places in Albuquerque
A Chef-led Albuquerque guide to buying 00 and unbleached flour without wasting money—compare price per pound, package size, freshness, and recipe...
Read this pasta lesson →06 · Bread choices and the honest health answer
Is sourdough better for you? Let’s talk about the bread—not the hype.
I do not want to hand you a health halo and call it education. These free lessons explain what fermentation changes, how long fresh sourdough actually lasts, and when sourdough versus regular bread makes sense for the person eating it.
Free bread-choice lessons
Three answers that should have been on the page all along.
These are the health, comparison, and shelf-life articles readers were already finding in the archive. Now they have a front door.
01 · Freshness and shelf life
How long does fresh sourdough bread last?
How long does fresh sourdough last? Learn the real quality windows for bread, rolls, cookies, cakes, and desserts—plus how to store, freeze, and ...
Read the bread answer →
02 · Sourdough vs. regular bread
Sourdough vs. Regular Bread: What’s the Difference?
Sourdough vs. regular bread, side by side: compare fermentation, yeast, ingredients, flavor, texture, digestion, and which loaf fits your routine.
Read the bread answer →
03 · Is sourdough better for you?
Is Sourdough Really Better for You?
Is sourdough better for you than regular bread? Get a balanced answer on fermentation, ingredients, flavor, digestion, gluten, blood sugar, and p...
Read the bread answer →07 · Albuquerque food and hands-on learning
The journal belongs to the place where the food is made.
A sourdough journal can answer the kitchen question and still lead somewhere human: breakfast in Albuquerque, a class with me, or a private baking event for your people.
Local guides and class planning
Keep the Albuquerque pieces in the story.
These links take readers from free education into the local food and learning experiences that make Eat Well ABQ more than a recipe archive.
01 · What class feels like
What to Expect from a Cooking Class in Albuquerque
Learn what to expect from a sourdough cooking class in Albuquerque, including what you’ll learn, what to bring, what you’ll make, and why hands-o...
Open the local guide →
02 · Food lovers in Albuquerque
Things to Do in Albuquerque for Food Lovers: A Hands-On Cooking Class at Eat Well ABQ
Planning things to do in Albuquerque for food lovers? Start with hands-on cooking at Eat Well ABQ, then explore markets, New Mexico flavor, wine,...
Open the local guide →
03 · Private baking events
Private Baking Events in Albuquerque: Birthdays, Date Nights & Group Classes
Plan a private baking event in Albuquerque with Eat Well ABQ. Explore birthday classes, date nights, friend gatherings, team events, sourdough cl...
Open the local guide →
04 · Balloon Fiesta breakfast
Where to Eat Breakfast During the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (2026 Guide)
Planning a Balloon Fiesta morning in Albuquerque? Chef Evangalene maps breakfast by route—from Frontier and Golden Crown to three Eat Well ABQ ba...
Open the local guide →The full free journal
Keep reading when the next real question shows up.
Every published lesson stays here. We show three at a time so the journal stays calm on a phone; the numbered pages hold the rest of your real Shopify archive.
Need one exact answer? The search bar lives up top, beside the five paths. This bottom section is the full menu—nothing gets hidden behind a broken category button.
The shelves above solve the immediate question. This is every published lesson, including the ones that do not belong in a starter, discard, dinner, altitude, bread-choice, pasta, or local path.
Showing 16–18 of 29 published lessons · page 6 of 10.
Read the dough and loaf
Starter foundations
Can You Use Albuquerque Tap Water For Sourdough Starter? Free Beginners Help
A clear Albuquerque guide to sourdough-starter water: what chlorine means, why consistency matters, and Chef’s simple reset for beginners.
Read the free lesson →
Albuquerque baking
Baking Sourdough in Santa Fe vs. Albuquerque: What Changes?
Learn how sourdough baking can change between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, including fermentation timing, hydration, dry climate issues, and New Mexico baking t...
Read the free lesson →From reading to doing
Some kitchen skills make more sense when you can feel the dough.
The journal gives you a useful first move. In class, I can show you the starter, pizza dough, pasta sheet, and timing cues your hands need to trust at home.
Hands-on with Chef
Come feel the dough, then take the confidence home.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
- Opens in a new window.