Discover the Best Baking Classes in NYC
Baking is a centuries-old practice of using the oven to make homemade loaves of bread, bagels, pizza, and fresh pastries. Baking is a popular way of cooking today, with skilled bakers making homemade bread and pastries from the comfort of home. Baking is a wonderful creative outlet utilizing a wide variety of ingredients to make homemade baked goods to share with friends and family. While baking begins to maintain sustenance, home baking is a great way to maintain health and low-stress levels.
Why You Should Learn Baking in NYC
The advantage of learning baking is gaining an enjoyable hobby, and it’s an effective stress-relieving activity. Baking is also a way to connect with friends, family, and neighbors that enjoy the same activity. Learning baking skills is a marvelous opportunity to save money on catering at family gatherings. The joy of baking during the holidays is a beautiful way to connect with your guests by sharing tasty treats.
Another reason to learn baking skills is to gain access to employment opportunities in the culinary arts such as finding work as a pastry chef or caterer. Pastry chefs are in short supply in New York City, and the starting salary begins at $35,000 to $52,000 per year, according to Glassdoor. Learning more about baking opens the doors to other opportunities such as opening your bakery as a small business, and the bustling metropolis of New York City is known for small specialty shops. Baking is popular among communities, with bake sales at churches, schools, and community centers to bring people together. Baking makes for a flexible side hustle as a caterer or private chef.
In-Person Baking Classes & Schools in NYC
In-person baking classes in New York City are widely popular and offered by culinary schools and specialty shops. In-person baking classes help teach the basics of baking, like accurately measuring ingredients, making homemade dough, and what techniques are best for each baked good. For example, baking macaroons can be tricky because they are delicate cookies notorious for falling apart during the process if they aren’t handled with care. But, with CourseHorse’s wide variety of baking courses, you’re sure to have a head start. The advantages of in-person baking courses are that they offer guidance from experienced instructors with hands-on teaching techniques.
The first fun course offered by CourseHorse in the NYC area is Cake Decorating 101. The course provides insights into the foundation of cake decorating and piping techniques for designing shells, stars, zig-zag patterns, and rosettes. The first half of the course helps with tips and tricks on piping and decorating buttercream cakes. The course is taught by NY Cake Academy, beginning at $150 per person. The NY Cake Academy is a specialized school in cakes and cake decorating owned by famous French chef Joan Mansour. The course is located in the Chelsea area.
With the aforementioned delicate creations, the course Atelier Sucré teaches French Macaroons. The average class size is 10, and the course is beginner-friendly, with hands-on instructions on making macaroons gluten-free. Atelier Sucré is a culinary school specializing in French desserts and techniques. The ingredients and equipment are included in the booking price, at $80 per person. The course is located in the East Village of Manhattan.
Few foods invoke the feel and history of New York City as much as the humble bagel. BagelUp is a Midtown bakery and training center that aims to bring the history of New York’s iconic bagels to the forefront. In their Perfect Bagel Baking Workshop, participants will get hands-on experience creating bagel dough from scratch, shaping the dough into the perfect bagel shape and boiling and baking their bagels. Students will then have the opportunity to seed the bagel with a variety of toppings before they enjoy their fully baked creations at the end of the course. Students who complete the course will have a deeper understanding of why the bagel is such an iconic part of New York City’s food culture and they will have a recipe they can replicate at home.
Next, Home Cooking New York offers a course on Hand-Rolled Bagels and Soft Pretzels. The workshop offers demonstrative techniques for creating NYC-style bagels and yummy soft pretzels with provided toppings. The course includes a recipe packet to take home with you and a full sit-down meal to enjoy with classmates at the end of the course. The group size for this course is 10, and it welcomes all levels, from beginners to advanced chefs. Home Cooking is well-known for its hands-on approaches, styles of teaching, and helpful demonstrations, taught by expert instructors. The course is located in the Soho part of Manhattan, starting at $110 per person, with ingredients and equipment included in the price.
Another course provided by the NY Cake Academy is the Geode Cake course. The unique experience of making geode cake mimics rock formations, with slides cut from the cake to resemble “edible crystals” with colorful combinations to awe and wow. The course starts at $125 per person, with equipment provided. The course offers the chance to create marble patterns, carve edible crystals, and extra techniques to enjoy. Group sizes start at 12 for this course and welcome all levels of learners.
Baking cupcakes is an enjoyable all-around experience, and Butter Lane offers a course called Sweetheart Cupcakes. This course is perfect for anniversaries, holidays, and date nights for couples. This particular workshop is explicitly booked for couples, starting at $150. The course covers making your own icing and decorating cupcakes. Butter Lane, a specialty cupcake shop in the East Village, teaches the course. Each course brings its unique flair, and it’s sure to give you a head start in the culinary baking arts.
Virtual Baking Classes & Schools
The differences between online and in-person courses are the flexibility to attend classes from the comfort of your home and use your kitchen. However, being prepared is essential for success in these online baking classes because you have to supply your ingredients and equipment. On the bright side, the flexibility to attend from anywhere offers a beautiful advantage and saves time commuting to class in-person. Having baking basics on hand, like flour, sugar, and baking sheets, is highly recommended before attending online classes through CourseHorse. There are a wide variety of virtual baking classes and schools in the area of NYC.
Online baking courses are held through video conferencing software; Zoom is the preferred platform. The first available course is the Summer Pie Workshop, provided by Home Cooking New York. Knowing how to make pie is a beneficial skill, and this workshop provides hands-on instruction on making summer fruit pie with an all-butter crust. Having the ingredients on hand of butter, flour, fruit, and sugar is important to be prepared for the course. The workshop provides tips and tricks for baking all sorts of pies.
Teaching Table offers another virtual baking class called the Custard and Ice Cream workshop. The class provides instructions on making homemade ice cream, perfect for the summertime, and the process of making custard. While an ice cream maker might be helpful, the course also provides churning methods to accommodate students without an ice cream maker. The class will make frozen lemon custard and masala chai ice cream. Teaching Table inspires cooks and young families to learn baking techniques while eating healthy and in positive learning environments.
The Afternoon Tea workshop offered by Teaching Table also provides a fun opportunity to enjoy an authentic British tea time from home. The course is meant to provide an authentic tea party experience with being accessible to all levels of learners. The menu includes baking cream scones with clotted cream, homemade jam, lemon drizzle cake, tea sandwiches, and English tea. The course starts at $29 per person, with a class size of 15. The tea party experience is a fun experience for Mother’s Day or small groups.
Private Group Baking Classes in NYC
Wishing to book a party or group activity for your co-workers or team? CourseHorse offersprivate group baking classes for large and small groups alike. Perfect for company team-building exercises or private events, CourseHorse provides a wholesome experience for friends and co-workers. Some benefits of booking with CourseHorse include modifying group sizes and confirming bookings are sent within 24 hours. There are no booking fees, and multiple supported platforms are available through video or web conferencing.
There are various private group baking classes available in NYC. One workshop teaches how to makeVirtual Chocolate Éclairs & Cream Puffs through Zoom. The hour-and-a-half-hour course teaches participants how to make cream puffs, chocolate éclairs and vanilla pastry cream to fill these delicate treats. All ingredients and equipment are provided. This workshop is perfect for groups of 250 and costs $115 per person.
Another option for a group baking workshop is theVirtual Apple Cider Donuts Workshop. The workshop is an hour and a half with instructions on making homemade apple cider donuts with a flare for the autumn season. The ingredients and equipment are fully included. The workshop provides instruction on boiling, mixing and topping the apple cider donuts. There’s an additional option to also make an Apple Martini while waiting for the donuts to rise and bake.
