Discover the Best Bread Making Classes Near Me
Nothing smells better than the wafting scent of freshly baked bread. For some, bread making is an elusive skill that seems too far out of reach. However, the process is actually fairly simple. Bread making is the process of combining ingredients like flour, yeast, and salt and kneading them into dough for bread. It’s a satisfying and delicious hobby.
To learn how to make bread, consider joining a bread making class. While taking a bread making class, you’ll learn how and when to ferment dough, how long to bake bread, and how to decorate the crust to create bread that resembles art. CourseHorse offers the best bread making classes in your area.
Why You Should Learn Bread Making
Bread making is a unique and enjoyable hobby that you can use to launch a career in baking. Beyond that, knowing how to make bread is also an incredibly useful skill that you can use to make delicious bread at home. Since most store-bought breads contain harmful preservatives and additives, making bread at home is a healthier option since you always know which ingredients are in the bread. Some additional benefits of learning how to make bread include:
- Having a fun and unique hobby: Bread making is a unique hobby that people find interesting. You can use your bread making skills as a way to set yourself apart.
- Joining a new community of people: By taking bread making class, you can meet others with similar interests and goals. You can join new clubs, groups, and events that are focused on making bread.
- Make friends: While taking your bread making class, you can make new friends.
- Enjoy homemade bread: One of the best things about learning to make bread is that you can enjoy the benefits of your labor.
- Start a small business: Everyone loves fresh bread. By learning to make bread, you can start up a small business and sell your fresh-made bread.
- Make gifts for friends and family: Your friends and family will be thrilled to receive fresh bread as gifts during the holidays.
At the very least, learning how to bake bread can help you to save money (since you won’t have to buy bread from the store) and give you an interesting and productive hobby to fill up your free time. CourseHorse offers great bread making classes in your area that will help you perfect the art of making bread.
5 Ways to Learn Bread Making
Learning to make bread is an incredibly rewarding hobby to pick up. However, if you have no cooking or baking experience, learning to make bread can be intimidating. Luckily, there are several ways for you to learn bread making, including the following:
- Take an in-person bread making class: When you take an in-person bread making class, you’ll get personalized feedback immediately. This is the fastest way to learn how to make professional-quality homemade bread.
- Live online classes: Another great option is to take a live online class. The instructor will be able to give you live tips, and you can ask questions as you follow along in the bread making process.
- Self-paced classes: You can find free classes online through resources like YouTube. Although this is a great option if you’re on a tight budget, you won’t get the immediate feedback that you’d get from an in-person or remote class.
- Culinary school: If you’re interested in beginning a career in bread making, consider attending a culinary school. This will teach you everything you need to know about bread making, baking, pastry making, and more.
- On-the-job training: Another good option is to apply to work at a bakery. You get hands-on training on how to make the bakery’s bread.
The best option to learn bread making is to take an in-person bread making class in your area. The classes are usually short, making it easy to fit the course into a busy schedule. In addition, you’ll get professional instruction and feedback, and you will make bread under the careful eyes of a professional bread maker.
In-Person Bread Making Classes
When you take an in-person bread making class, you’ll get hands-on help from a professional, helping you to quickly learn the skills you need to excel in your new hobby. To be a successful bread maker, you need to learn specific skills; an in-person class is the perfect way to learn.
On CourseHorse, you’ll find dozens of classes and schools that will help you learn the skills you need, no matter where you live. CourseHorse’s site helps students fin classes in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other big cities across the US.
In-Person Bread Making Classes in New York
Those living in New York can take an Intro to Sourdough class through The Brooklyn Kitchen. The class is open to all levels. The class claims that it “isn't an intimidating pro baker's course; it's a delicious overview of the simple steps that contribute to a perfect loaf,” which is what makes it perfect for beginners and those who want to perfect their sourdough loaves.
The class is taught by Arnie Adler, The Bread Baker of Riverdale, who operates a micro-bakery in this community. Students will learn the instructor's favorite bread techniques and how to set up their own bread making studio in the comfort of their home. The class has an average size of 20 people and is open to everyone 18 years and older.
The Brooklyn Kitchen also offers a Doughs class for anyone 18 and older. In the class, students will learn to craft different doughs and form them into bread, including dinner rolls, cream scones, and gougeres. However, the menu may differ and vary based on seasonality, ingredient availability, and the chef’s preference.
Those living near New York should also consider the Indian Bread class from Mukti’s Kitchen. Students will learn how to use masalas, which is the basis of Indian cooking. The spices that the students will learn about in the course will bring out the flavor in each dish. By the end of the class, students will become experts in spices and understand the nuances and secrets of keeping the spice’s aroma intact.
Before the class begins, you’ll be sent the recipes so you can practice both before and after the class. During the class, you’ll receive hands-on instruction as the teachers help students individually prepare their dishes from scratch using the best healthy ingredients, spices, and produce. You’ll share your meals at the end of the class and talk about the cooking experience.
New York City is well-known for its bagels, which is a great reason to take Atelier Sucre’s New York Bagels class. Students will learn how to make bagel dough and create authentic New York bagels. The students will also learn how to prepare their own bagel toppings and fillings and enjoy the bagels in the class. It’s the perfect class if you’re interested in learning how to make a classic New York bagel to share with friends and family.
In-Person Bread Making Classes in Los Angeles
On CourseHorse, you’ll also find classes listed in Los Angeles. One of the most popular classes is Bread Fundamentals from Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom. The two-hour class covers techniques to produce quick baked goods for everyday meals and special dinners. You’ll be able to sample the breads right out of the oven and pair the breads with jams and oils. The class covers four types of breads, including Pain de Ménage, Brioche Bread, Baguettes, and Focaccia Bread.
VPN Americas in LA offers a Regular Pizza Course that includes three sessions. You’ll start by learning the components of a good pizza and how to begin the preparation process. Next, you’ll begin the workshop period. In the workshop, you’ll have your own space for practice, and a VPN Certified Master Pizzaiolo will supervise you. You’ll prep the dough, form balls, and cook the pizza with the ingredients that you want to use.
After, you’ll make bread with the leftover pizza dough. In the next part of the course, you’ll take part in a cheese-making factory. And, finally, you’ll be examined with a written and practical test to see how well you’ve learned the skills. This full pizza-making class preps you to become a certified pizza maker and even begin a career in making pizzas.
Next, you can take VPN Americas’ Professional Pizza Course for even more intensive training that takes place over five sessions. This course is recommended for those who want to open a Neapolitan pizzeria and train their own staff. The first three days recap what you learned in the first class, and then add two more days of making pizzas while being supervised by a certified professional.
The Regular Pizza course is not a prerequisite, and you can take the Professional course on its own. VPN Americas recommends taking the Regular course if you’re interested in learning how to make professional pizza and taking the Professional course if you want to begin a pizza-making career.
In-Person Bread Making Classes in Chicago
There are several great bread making classes in Chicago as well. A great opinion is the Hands-On Artisanal Breads Boot Camp. While taking the boot camp, you’ll spend the entire day at The Chopping Block Lincoln Square. You’ll learn to make several types of bread, including:
- Herbed Sourdough Focaccia with Honey Ricotta Spread
- Sourdough Cheddar Scallion Twist
- Japanese Milk Bread (Shokupan)
- Honey Apple Challah Tea Ring
- Chocolate Hazelnut Morning Buns
- Soft Hawaiian Rolls
The class covers sweet and savory bread options to equip you with as many bread making skills as possible. You’ll learn to mix yeast dough, understand the function of ingredients, use a sourdough starter, learn the tangzhong method, knead and shape dough, and more.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden, you can take several cooking classes that focus on bread, including Hands-On Cooking: Indian Breads and Hands-on Cooking: Creative Breads. Both of these classes will focus on teaching you the skills you need to excel in making bread.
Other In-Person Bread Making Classes Near You
On CourseHorse’s site, you can search through several cities using keywords that will help you find the class you’re looking for. CourseHorse aims to help you find the best classes near you.
For example, there’s a great Holiday Breads class offered through The Good Food Project in Denver. The class teaches how to make bread like popovers, biscuits, gougeres, and rolls to create perfect holiday dishes.
Virtual Bread Making Classes
Although in-person classes give you the best opportunity to learn and grow from direct interactions with your teacher, another great option is to take a virtual bread making class. Virtual classes offer hands-on learning through a virtual space. So, although your instructor won’t come over and correct you, you can still ask live questions, receive live demonstrations, and get immediate feedback.
Another great benefit of virtual classes is that you can take the class from anywhere. Those living in Los Angeles can take a virtual class hosted from New York and still get the same great instruction. Here are some of the best online bread making classes.
If you’ve always wanted to learn how to make New York Bagels from a New Yorker, consider taking the New York Style Bagel Workshop. Since the class is remote, you’ll need to provide your own ingredients, so make sure you have flour, salt, yeast, water, brown sugar, and cornmeal. For toppings, you’ll need poppy seeds, sesame seeds, butter or plant butter, dried herbs, or other topping you like. In the class, you’ll learn how to make authentic New York bagels from the comfort of your home. According to the class listing, “You’ll mix, proof, shape, boil, and bake your own delicious New York City-worthy bagels, topped with classic sesame and poppy seeds, or filled with cinnamon and raisins.”
You can also take a Bagel Workshop (Virtual) from Home Cooking New York. You’ll be taught by a professional chef, Erica Wides, who will walk you through the entire bagel-making process over the two-hour class. You’ll learn to make a dozen hand-rolled bagels of assorted flavors. The instructor will contact you before the start of the class and provide you with a list of ingredients to fully participate.
Another great class is the Virtual Bread Baking 101 course from Eve Bergazyn. You'll learn how to make warm, crusty, and chewy breads from the comfort of your own. The class provides a full list of ingredients that you’ll need to purchase before the first class. You’ll also need several cooking tools, such as bowls, pans, sheet rays, and more.
Private Group Bread Making Classes
Companies and businesses can host private group bread making classes for their employees to facilitate team bonding and allow the team time to relax and learn new skills. CourseHorse offers several amazing team-building classes for groups.
Some great classes related to bread making include Virtual Grow Your Own Home Garden (Materials Included). This is a private, interactive workshop that is led by a professional instructor. The course will ship an herbal kit directly to each participant. You’ll receive seeds, including parsley, cilantro, tarragon, chives, and thyme. You’ll also get starter pots, planting markers, and pear discs. With these materials, you’ll learn how to plant and take care of your own miniature garden.
If your team is located in New York, consider booking the NYC In-Person: Japanese Vegan Cooking class. In this class, you’ll learn how to cook wholesome and filling Japanese foods that promote body wellness. The class teaches how to use ancient Japanese superfoods like miso and tofu as you make an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Here are the three dishes you’ll learn to make:
- Appetizer: Organic trumpet mushroom carpaccio with yuzu, truffle oil, shiso basil, sea salt and crusted almonds
- Entrée: Herbed creamy tofu ricotta lasagna with brown rice pasta
- Dessert: Organic apple rose tart with almond cream, banana, cinnamon and brown sugar
If you can’t find the class you’re looking for, reach out through the contact form of CourseHorse’s site to learn about the options available.
What Will I Need to Learn Bread Making?
There are hundreds of different types of bread from every culture. Before you begin learning to make bread, learn about the cultures and types of bread from each area of the world. Learning about the history of the bread can help you better emulate the form and techniques that are used to make bread.
In addition, the ingredients and tools needed to make bread will vary depending on the type of bread you’re learning to make. This is why it’s a great idea to begin learning to make bread by taking an in-person class that provides the materials.
The class will help you understand how to use the materials, which materials are required, and what ingredients are needed. By walking you through the process, you’ll be able to better understand the process when you begin replicating it at home.
Is it Difficult to Learn Bread Making?
If you have no cooking or baking experience, bread making may feel like a foreign skill. To make bread successful, you need to be patient and connected with the process. Once you get the foundational skill, you might find that making bread is easier than it looks.
The best way to get the basics of bread making is by taking an online or in-person class. Your instructor will make the bread making process feel easier and more approachable. Once you understand the basics, you’ll be able to make bread on your own without the initial challenges that you’d face without professional instruction.