Discover the Best Pastry Classes in NYC
Diets have included pastries since ancient Egyptian times. Ancient Greeks and Romans made pastries from almonds, flour, honey, seeds, and honey. Sugar introduced to European cooking led to a new wave of pastries, with several major countries taking center stage in the baking industry. The countries in this category include France, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. Many of the pastries we love today come from one of these countries and their early baking traditions.
A pastry is made by mixing flour, fat, and water and using it as a base or covering in baking. Pastries include choux, filo, rough pastry, viennoiserie, puff pastry, hot water crust, and shortcrust. The basic ingredients for all pastries are flour, water, and fat. Each pastry type uses a different technique to make the pastry unique. The taste can be enhanced by adding additional ingredients.
Pastry-making has become increasingly popular in home kitchens nationwide in the past few years. It has revived traditions that have lost popularity in the public eye over the last several decades, so you no longer have to settle for those day-old pastries on the supermarket shelf. You can now make your pastries at home.
Why You Should Learn to Make Pastries in NYC
Since baking pastries has gained popularity in the past few years, hobbyists have developed various techniques to make them perfect at home. Many people sought comfort during the pandemic by making bread and other pastries. Making a new hobby brought many people stress relief during difficult times. Adding varying ingredients to make unique combinations makes it easy to control the ingredients while making pastries at home. Not only does baking pastries relieve stress and bring community through a fun hobby, but it also provides a great way to maintain the nutritional value and save money on baked goods by making your own.
Your body can benefit more from homemade pastries than store-bought ones if tailored to your diet and preferences. Those with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease can use special gluten-free flour to enjoy the same pastries as everyone else without worrying about the preparation process. While shortening has historically been used in pastries, you have complete control over the fat you use. To make healthier options, pastry chefs use vegetable or coconut oil.
Depending on the type of pastries you decide to make, you can find rich and helpful communities across social media. You can also find several types of groups of professionals and amateur bakers willing to take you in and teach you their methods.
While for some making pastries may be a fun hobby to do at home in your spare time or a way to build a community for others. It may be a professional passion. Learning various pastry techniques can help you in pastry chef positions across the United States. On average, Pastry Chefs earn between $30,000 and $60,000 annually across the country. When looking for a job, you can find positions ranging from small pastry shops and cafes to large corporations like hotels and well-known restaurants.
In-Person Pastry Classes & Schools in NYC
You can learn to make pastries right in the heart of NYC. You can master baking techniques faster with an expert instructor to answer your questions. Taking in-person courses allows you to meet like-minded peers on their pastry journey.
Home Cooking New York in Manhattan offers several hands-on cooking classes for students to expand their culinary education. Those who want to learn to bake and make pastries can take the Baking bootcamp. In this intensive course, students will learn the ins and outs of making cakes, chocolate, confections, pies, tarts, and various types of bread. Students will leave the course with several recipes to use daily.
Students can take the Intro to French Pastries course at the Cocu Social Cooking Classes in Midtown. Students will make eclairs, cream puffs, cruller donuts, and beignets while learning traditional French pastry techniques. Students will watch detailed pastry demonstrations before attempting to make their own.
The Breakfast Pastry class at NY Cake Academy in Chelsea, New York, teaches students to make classic croissants and brioches. Students will spend the first session reviewing the recipe in this two-session course. They will make the dough and bake the pastries in the second session. NY Cake Academy has taught some of the most renowned cake decorators in New York and offers a one-stop shop for all your baking needs.
In the East Village, Atelier Suere offers a Homemade Beignet class. Atelier Suere is open to bakers of any skill level and provides a Simon Herfray commercial kitchen for students to learn. In this course, students learn to make the fried puff pastry, the beignet, a classic French pastry. Through this course, students will understand the process of making yeast dough, baking, and frying their pastries. Students will leave with their creations and the recipe they can continue to make at home.
Virtual Pastry Classes & Schools
In-person classes are great if you want to learn new skills and meet like-minded people. However, they aren't always available. You can make more pastries if you don't have to commute long. It is possible to learn all about pastries online through virtual classes. A virtual pastry class will allow you to take one anywhere in the country without leaving home.
To enroll in an online class, you will need to buy supplies. You can purchase all ingredients at your local grocery store after receiving a detailed supply list from your instructor. You may need to order online if some ingredients aren't available. Depending on how long it will take for supplies to arrive, you may need to plan ahead. Check out some of the online pastry classes offered by CourseHorse.
Virtual Croissant Making is a comprehensive banking course from Eve Bergazyn. Students will work through the entire process of folding, rolling, turning, and shaping croissants. Students must also gather their materials and ingredients when working in their kitchen. This virtual course meets in two sessions.
Home Cooking New York offers a Virtual Cream Puff Workshop. This course will cover traditional techniques. Students will make the pastry, pastry cream and a dark chocolate ganache.
Students who don't live in Chicago can still attend The Chopping Block for their online courses. One online class they offer is the Souffle Workshop. Students will learn the fundamental techniques of making souffle. They will select chocolate and follow along with the demonstration learning the techniques step by step.
Private Group Pastry Classes in NYC
Are you and your friends or co-workers interested in scheduling a pastry class for yourselves? Maybe you are looking for something fun to do for a birthday party or get-together. CourseHorse offers online and straight-to-your-door private pastry classes at your convenience.
As part of the Virtual Cinnamon Roll course, you will learn how to make the classic Swedish cinnamon roll. You will learn to make the yeast dough, fill the roll, slice the pastry, and bake it. Throughout the course, the instructor will give your group tips and tricks to simplify the recipe and prepare the rolls in advance so that you are not making everything the morning of so you can enjoy fresh breakfast pastries.
In addition, CourseHorse will send you a majority of the ingredients. Yeast, cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, gluten flour, brown sugar, sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract will be shipped to your group. To pick up eggs, butter, and cream cheese before the class begins, you will receive a gift card in the package to pick up these items fresh. A gluten-free option can be requested if needed.
CourseHorse will send you a gift card for gluten-free flour so you can purchase it from them with your gift card if participants want gluten-free.
You will need additional materials for the course. A large bowl, a stand mixer, a fork, a whisk, a cookie sheet, plastic wrap, a brownie pan, a rolling pin, and a spatula will be necessary for the course. Several of these items may already be on your kitchen shelf. Other participants may wish to bring their materials along with them.
The process for booking a private course with CourseHorse is simple. The minimum size for a private course is ten people; however, if you are unsure of the exact size, you can book with your best guess and add and subtract people until a week before the event. There are no hidden booking fees. Twenty-four hours before your reservation, you will receive your event confirmation. Cancelation fees may apply if you cancel the event. You can customize the course by adding a game or a second event for $150. It can be customized to fit the energy of the group with specialized games or additional events with materials included.
For virtual courses, CourseHorse recommends using Zoom to attend the course; however, they can accommodate other teleconferencing platforms like Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx if needed. Some courses can come to your office or home if desired.
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