Sourdough Painting at ASK Foundation
A Paintbrush Instead of a Paddle: Our Sourdough Painting Morning at ASK Foundation
How a pickleball club ended up in a bakery, and why we plan to go back.
On Friday, 16 October, BYC traded the court for a kitchen. We hosted a sourdough painting workshop with the ASK Foundation Baking Club in Chiang Mai. Guests painted their own designs on sourdough loaves, baked them, and took them home.
It was a small group and a slow morning. It was also one of the most useful mornings we have had this year, because it reminded us what our community is really for.
What happened that morning
The workshop ran from 9:00 to 11:30 AM in the ASK Bakes kitchen at ASK Foundation in San Sai. Each guest started with a shaped sourdough loaf, chilled so the surface stays firm enough to paint.
Here is how the morning went:
01 Learn the basics. The bakers explained how yeast and flour work together in sourdough.
02 Score and design. Guests drew their own idea or chose a featured pattern. We saw flowers, bold lines, and a few names.
03 Paint with food-safe colors. Gel food coloring, a fine brush, and a light touch. Dab, don't brush, or the flour comes off.
04 Bake. The loaves spent about 20 minutes in the oven while everyone cleaned up and talked.
05 Taste. We tried fresh sourdough with peanut butter, honey, and avocado.
06 Take it home. Each guest left with a warm loaf they made themselves.
Dab, don't brush
Flowers, bold lines, and a few names.
An open house we want to repeat
We plan to run this workshop as often as we can. It works as a small open house. You get to see what the bakers at the foundation do every week. And you get a quiet, creative morning for yourself.
Each session stays small, around 8 seats, so every guest gets hands-on help. Follow LINE @bycsports / WhatsApp 096 906 1725 to hear about the next date first
Thank you
Thank you to Khun Ken for giving us the chance to run this workshop. Thank you to Khun Fred of Far Away Fred for filming the morning for his YouTube channel. His video covers the foundation, the workshop, and conversations with the teen bakers about how they joined the club and where they want to go next.
And thank you to everyone who showed up with a brush and an open mind. We came to host a workshop. We left reminded why we built this community in the first place.
No one needed baking experience. The team guided everyone in Thai and English. Families and kids worked at the same table as first-timers and regulars from the club.
Why a pickleball club is painting bread
BYC started 4 years ago in Doi Saket as a pickleball club. Over time, we noticed something. People don't always come for the sport.
Some come for the people. Some want something new to try with their kids. Some just need a reason to leave the house on a Friday. Under all of it, people want to stay active and live a little more interestingly, beyond the four walls of a court.
That is why our new goal is inclusive sports, กีฬาเพื่อทุกคน, sport for everyone. If we mean everyone, the door has to open wider than a net. Pickleball is still at the center. But we are adding activities that welcome people of every age and skill level, including those who may never pick up a paddle.
If we mean "everyone", the door has to open wider than a net.
Today, BYC runs:
Beginner pickleball lessons and Saturday group intro sessions
Hill tribe pickleball and jungle coffee trek experiences
Joy Tribe tournament trips, every year since 2023
And now, hands-on workshops with local partners like ASK Foundation
The bakers behind the bread
The kitchen we used belongs to ASK Bakes, the baking club at ASK Foundation. ASK Foundation Thailand is a Christian non-profit that serves children and families in northern Thailand, with sites in Chiang Mai and Pai.
The baking club gives teens real training in a real kitchen:
They train under a Singaporean master baker.
They bake 30 to 40 sourdough and matcha loaves per batch.
They use 100% natural ingredients and slow fermentation.
They weigh and check every loaf before it leaves the kitchen.
The lead baker is 20 years old. She studies accounting at Maejo University and mentors the younger teens in the kitchen. That chain of older students teaching younger ones is a big part of how the club works.
The goal goes beyond bread. The club pairs vocational baking training with soft skills. Together, they give young people a steady way to earn an income, whether they return home or move somewhere new.
First-timers and club regulars at the same table.
Every loaf is weighed and checked before it leaves the kitchen.
ASK Bakes sourdough uses four ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. There is no added sugar and no dairy. Each loaf takes about 5 to 6 hours to make, most of it waiting while the dough ferments. That slow process gives the bread its flavor and texture.
BYC members visited the kitchen before we partnered. The equipment is modern, hygienic, and built to Singapore standards. This is serious bakery work, not a side project.
Our pickleball players helped too. Before the bread went on sale, expat members of the club tested it, bought it, and gave honest feedback to the bakers. Some of the changes you taste today came from those Saturday conversations at the court.
