Head over to Dewey Hall on Friday, March 14th, for our fourth annual sourdough bread-baking competition! We are celebrating this art by allowing local home bakers to showcase their skills and offering attendees a fun culinary experience.

The origins of sourdough bread date back about 14,000 years, according to archeological evidence. The use of yeast in bread making, however, is relatively recent, dating to the past 150 years. Before that, a sourdough culture (aka starter) was the only leavening agent—and that traditional method has experienced a resurgence in home baking.

Whether you are a bread baker or a bread lover, this event is for you! Bakers will enter two full-size loaves of bread, one for tasting/judging and one to be raffled off. Attendees will be invited to sample the contestants' loaves along with complementary cheese boards from Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages. Attendees will also be able to win loaves of freshly baked sourdough bread and other prizes via a raffle (please bring cash for tickets, which benefit Dewey Hall).

The culinary judges will be Jean-François Bizalion of Bizalion's Fine Foods, Richard Bourdon of Berkshire Mountain Bakery, Sarah Reynolds North of Found Bread, and Mac McConnell of The Midwife and the Baker. Live music will be performed by the Michael Junkins Duo.

Dewey Memorial Hall was built in 1887 by The Sheffield Friendly Union, a community organization with the mission “to promote kindly feelings, cheerfulness, and intelligence.” This event is supported in part by Rubiner’s Cheesemongers, Great Barrington Bagel, and Decker and Beebe. Dewey Hall is producing this event with the help of committee chair Evelyn Battaglia (food writer/cookbook editor/Berkshire Edge Special Projects Editor) and volunteer Sherri Gorelick (avid home baker and 2024 contest winner!), who have offered their culinary expertise to the organizational team for this event.