Discover the Best Baking Classes Near You
From mixing up bagels to cupcakes and homemade bread, baking classes offer many chances to create sumptuous confections using an oven and dough. Baking is an important skill to have while working in the culinary arts and nutrition. Baking roles in the culinary arts include careers such as a pastry chef or baking entrepreneur. Many small pastry shops have opened in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. Even hit television series like the Great British Baking Show and Cake Bosshave been created to capitalize on the popularity of baking.
Baking includes the creation of not only standard cakes and pastries but also homemade bread, bagels, pretzels, and even pizza. Baking involves mixing together ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, and baking powder. Working with high heat is an essential part of the baking process. Learning to bake can be the beginning of a great hobby or career in culinary arts.
Why You Should Learn Baking
Learning how to bake can be the beginning of a fun career, creative hobby, and stress reliever. During the pandemic, many learned creative hobbies such as baking to utilize their time at home. Baking not only relieves stress but creates community through baking clubs and classes. Baking is a great way to maintain personal nutrition for dietary needs and to save money on buying baked goods by making your own. Baking is an enjoyable sensory activity that engages the taste buds. In 2015, a survey performed by the baking company Cake Angels found that 80% of participants felt stress relief after they had started baking. Studies also suggest that creative pursuits can help with feeling more relaxed and happier and contribute to personal growth.
Baking clubs have also become more popular since the pandemic because they create community and harmony between friends and neighbors. According to Hershey Company, 34% of consumers began baking as a form of self-care and stress relief. Exchanging baking recipes has become popular during the pandemic as a way to socialize and collaborate creatively. Baking clubs can be found through websites like Meetup.com or local churches, schools, and colleges.
The labor demands for pastry chefs and bakers remain high. Working in the culinary arts can lead to opening a small pastry shop or cafe as a small business. Baking can also become a side hustle to sell cupcakes and cakes online. The average salary for a pastry chef is between $32,000 to $47,000 per year, according to Glassdoor. Keeping up with the latest baking trends allows for catering weddings, parties, and birthdays. Brainstorming new recipes allows for the expansion of cooking and baking skills in the kitchen.
Becoming a pastry chef requires some formal training but begins with a deep love of baking. Pastry chefs attend culinary school, gain hands-on experience with a master chef, and learn the flow of a professional kitchen. Culinary schools have specialized programs for baking and pastry chefs.
5 Ways to Learn Baking
Some of the best ways to learn how to bake are through live, hands-on courses offered through community services, like through colleges, schools, and cooking classes. Youtube is also a great source for a learning baker through watching demonstration videos and online tutorials on Pinterest, Facebook, and Yummly. Even live baking demonstrations can be found online, held on Zoom, by Meetup.com, or by Cozymeal. Other ways to learn baking online can be discovered through CocuSocial, which offers daily online class sessions.
Some of the basics can be learned through in-person classes offered by professional chefs and caterers at culinary schools. Local programs at community services offer basic baking courses and skills. Other ways to learn are apprenticeships through culinary programs and on-the-job training at bakeries. Even Facebook community groups have live online cooking classes that are free.
In-Person Baking Classes
Offered in-person baking courses in New York City are Cake Decorating 101 and Hand-Rolled Bagels and Soft Pretzels. The NY Cake Academy offers multiple baking courses like cake decorating, cookie making, and how to make homemade chocolate desserts. The NY Cake Academy was founded over 25 years ago by famous pastry chef Joan Mansour. The hand-rolled bagels and soft pretzels course is offered by Home Cooking, New York. Home Cooking focuses on a hands-on and personal approach to baking courses, with highly experienced instructors specializing in culinary arts.
Other courses offered in New York City include homemade pizza making taught by Taste Buds Kitchen. Voted for having the best kid-friendly baking classes, Taste Buds Kitchen takes a fun, accessible approach to family cooking and baking courses. No prior experience is necessary, and the Kitchen encourages team-building with friendly learning opportunities. Taste Buds Kitchen is located in Chelsea, New York.
Home Cooking also offers the course “Great British Bake Off” Classics sponsored by local pastry chefs to teach kids and young families how to bake. The course provides take-home recipes, instructions, and a hands-on demonstration style method of teaching. Classes are kept small at around 10 people, with the head chef leading the class. The dishes prepared are Victoria Sandwich Cake, Classic Swiss Rolls, Scones, and English Breakfast Tea. The course begins at $110 per person, and the school is located in Soho, Manhattan Village.
The other course offered is Cupcakes 101 for beginners, provided by Butter Lane cooking school. The course is offered by Butter Lane cupcake and baking shop in the East Village. Butter Lane is highly recommended for its cupcakes, cakes, and other sugary confections. The course will be fun for adults and families using French-style techniques.
In Los Angeles, many different in-person baking courses are available, from pizza-making to cupcakes and more. The courses available include making different types of homemade pizza, including your own tomato sauce, cheese pizza, alfredo, and Margherita pizza. Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom offers the first course on the Westside of Los Angeles. Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom is a top cooking school in the area, with hands-on teaching styles by a seasoned professional chef. The Classroom is equipped with high-end appliances, a well-designed kitchen, and offers a variety of baking courses.
Another course offered in Los Angeles is how to bake homemade artisan breads, taught by Cook LA Cooking School. The course offers helpful insights and lessons on making homemade breads, ranging from delicious glazed cinnamon rolls to scones and soft pretzels. The course is taught by LA Cooking School, which specializes in catering and culinary arts. The Cooking School also helps students with the business side of running a catering business, from creating a specialized menu to budgeting and accommodating special dietary needs. The Cooking School is located in Studio City, Los Angeles.
The third in-person baking course in Los Angeles is making homemade macaroons from scratch for the spring season, provided by Cakery by Syd. Back by popular demand, this baking course offers students the opportunity to make macarons by hand, including the tricky process of coloring cookies and how to fill these delicate confections. Cakery by Syd is a family-owned and operated small business. The shop offers the needed supplies for customers who wish to bake at home such as sprinkles, cookie cutters, cupcake toppers, and pans. The course is friendly for all levels but is most recommended for beginners. All supplies are included within the price of the course, starting at $50 per person.
In Chicago, Illinois, a variety of baking courses are available, including the Hands-on Artisanal Breads Boot Camp. The Chopping Block in Lincoln Square, Chicago, teaches the course. The Chopping Block is a premiere cooking school and gourmet shop that offers live demonstrations, hands-on baking courses and baking Boot Camps. The course covers a menu of sourdough cheddar twists, Japanese milk bread, tea rings, hazelnut morning buns, and soft Hawaiian rolls. The course covers mixing homemade dough, kneading, and baking on a pizza stone.
The Chopping Block holds several baking courses, including Hands-On Cake Decorating, starting at $170 per person. The course offers instructions on cake assembly, piping techniques, how to work with cake decorating tools, and how to make yummy buttercream frosting from scratch. A top pastry chef leads the course, which is great for students at the beginner and advanced levels. All tools, including the frosting and cakes, are provided, so it’s a great opportunity for students to focus on their decorating skills. Class sizes are limited to 20 people but fill up quickly.
The third live course taught by The Chopping Block is Hands-On Donut Boot Camp. The course covers a menu of strawberry crullers with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, cherry limeade donuts, banana pudding donuts, and s’mores donuts. The skills covered in the class are making the sweet batter, preparing the yeast dough, deep-frying, and preparing glazes and custards. The course also includes a free lunch and unlimited coffee, with a chance to take home your own donut creations.
Various fun in-person baking courses are also offered in Houston, Texas. The first course is Great British Baking, offered by Sur La Table in River Oaks. This hands-on course teaches valuable insights about conducting a British tea time, with sponge cake, scones, and hand pies. Sur La Table opened in 1972 as a culinary school and market. With a highly-regarded culinary program, the course is certain to be a fun success.
Another course Sur La Table offers is the Authentic New York Bagel Workshop, starting at $69 per person. The 3-hour hands-on workshop provides tips and tricks on how to make bagels from scratch, make the delicious dough, hand-shape bagels, and fry them properly without burning them. Professional chef instructors with smaller class sizes teach the course.
An interesting in-person baking course offered for cake decorating is Cake Decorating 101, taught by Ask Ms. Kay in the Greenspoint area of Houston. The course teaches instructions on decorating cakes and creating pretty borders and flowers, with accessible homemade recipes. Icing techniques are also covered for beginner bakers. The price includes all needed supplies, with bookings being offered at $45 per person.
In, there are several more baking courses available. From French pastries to birthday cakes, the courses offer insights into decorating techniques and different types of confections. The first course available is Fundamentals of Pastry, by The Kitchen Studio Cooking School. This course teaches several skill sets such as how to make Danish pastries, eclairs, sponge cakes, and tarts. The course is five weeks long, offered in the Frederick area. The Kitchen Studio Cooking School was founded in 2005 to make culinary courses accessible, fun, and informative for young families.
For cake enthusiasts, in-person baking courses for Birthday Cakes are taught by Milk Bar, in the Logan Circle area of DC. The course is meant to be full of nostalgia for childhood birthday parties, with cake decorating, funfetti cakes, and truffles. Everything can be taken home to be enjoyed after the course. The Milk Bar is a famous dessert brand and shop, with storefronts in multiple locations. The Milk Bar offers unique flavors of ice cream, desserts, and cakes, with experimental approaches to baking courses and innovative techniques.
Virtual Baking Classes
The positives of attending online baking classes are based on a flexible schedule, based on your own time, and from the comfort of your own kitchen. Saving time is a huge plus for attending virtual baking courses. However, virtual baking courses require students to purchase their own baking necessities such as ingredients and appliances. Virtual baking courses are offered through Zoom and Youtube. Some class sessions are even recorded and can be viewed later, allowing for the opportunity to better techniques outside of live classes.
Some online baking classes include how to make French Macarons Step-by Step and the Cinnamon Roll Workshop, taught by the Good Food Project of New York City. The French Macarons course is offered online in the spring. Both courses are available through Zoom, and the required supplies are a mixing bowl, measuring cups, spoons, a rolling pin, and access to an oven. The French macaroons course is a wonderful opportunity to make these delicate pastries from scratch.
These digital classes courses are available with a hands-on workshop teaching excellent recipes and time-tested techniques. Both courses are an excellent virtual experience with the convenience of online learning and working within your own home and kitchen. However, there are some disadvantages to virtual baking courses such as needing to buy your own supplies and ingredients. ON the other hand, the virtual component allows for easy learning on your schedule.
Private Group Baking Classes
Taking group baking classes is a great bonding experience for co-workers, teams and organizations alike. CourseHorse offers live online group classes with multiple supported online platforms, through Zoom and on-site at offices and private events for small and large groups alike. The best part of booking with CourseHorse is the flexibility to modify group sizes on bookings; confirmation is sent within 24 hours. There are no booking fees, and accommodations can be made for both live and online group classes.
Some group baking courses also cover the cost of ingredients and materials such as the Virtual Cookies Workshop course taught over Zoom through CourseHorse. The private, interactive workshop is suitable for a size of 60 and includes ingredients and supplies that are shipped right to the homes of participants. In this course, students will learn how to prepare and bake chocolate chip cookies and lemon crinkles. By the end of the 90-minute course, participants will have two dozen handmade cookies that they can share virtually with their colleagues and coworkers.
Another group baking course taught online is the Virtual Bagel Making Workshop, with provided materials and ingredients. The course is led on Zoom by a private chef instructor, with flour, yeast, honey, bagel seasoning ingredients, and gluten-free options. However, some materials are required such as a Dutch oven, mixer, spoon, mixing bowl, plastic wrap, and baking sheet. The course starts at $80 per person and is excellent for a group of up to fifty people.
What Will I Need to Learn Baking?
When it comes to the process of learning baking, many materials and ingredients are needed. Some of the must-have baking tools are measuring cups and spoons. These are important for the accurate measuring of ingredients and following recipes closely. Other needed materials include wooden spoons, spatulas, pastry brushes, whisks, and rolling pins. A set of knives are always helpful, along with baking pans and cooling racks.
Having decent baking sheets is essential because of air circulation in the oven, and having a decent stand-mixer is helpful with making cookie dough. Common baking ingredients include baking soda, sugar, flour, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Baking kits can be bought at a local grocery store to save time and money on gathering ingredients. Access to an oven is essential, and always ensure the safety of your hands with oven mitts.
Is It Difficult to Learn Baking?
While it can be challenging to learn baking, it’s a great hobby and stress relief if you are determined to learn the skill. Some obstacles to learning baking are gaining access to an oven, needed equipment, and the cost of ingredients. Sometimes, the difficulties of learning baking can also be related to following a recipe and worrying about measuring ingredients precisely for great results. The skill of learning how to bake is accessible for those devoted to learning. Discount ingredients can be found at the local dollar store, and so can baking equipment.
