Discover the Best Pie Making Classes in NYC
Pie is a single dish containing a crust that encases a filling, whether fruit, meat, or pudding. Pie making has been around for over a thousand years. Early versions often layered meat with gravy. Today pies take many forms and blend a wide variety of ingredients. Pie doughs can be flaky, puff, filo, or a shortcrust. The top of a pie is an art form. Pastry chefs may braid the edges, create a lattice or pinwheel design, or make a leaf print design. The sky's the limit when designing the edging or the top.
Pie fillings come with just as much variety. They can be filled with savory ingredients and layered with vegetables or meat in a liquid. Sweeter pies may require fresh fruit. Sometimes the entire filling is a blend of fruit and spices. Sometimes fruit is added to pudding or cream to make a decadent pie. Learning to bake a delicious savory or sweet from-scratch pie is a skill that always stays in style.
Learning pie making is a skill that takes many years to master. However, it’s a skill that your friends and family will heartily embrace.
Why You Should Learn Pie Making in NYC
When you learn pie making, you learn a skill that has been around for centuries and is growing in popularity today. The number of people making from-scratch pies decreased in the late 1900s through the early 2000s. In the last few years, from-scratch pie making has experienced a resurgence as people have embraced a healthier lifestyle, shunning overly processed foods like commercial pies and pastries.
Pie making brings people together. With the significant increase of food allergies, being able to customize pies allows more people to partake in the tasty treat. Homemade pies can easily be made gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and more. Finding a premade pie that removes a specific allergen is much more difficult. Very few companies specialize in vegan pies, for example.
Attending pie making classes in New York allows you to connect with other like-minded people. It can also lead to a part-time or full-time job as a pastry assistant or a pastry chef. New Yorkers love their pies. Many local shops cater to those individuals, offering slices or pie delivery. Join a fun community of pie makers and eaters by learning how to bake your perfect creations.
In-Person Pie Making Classes & Schools in NYC
Learning pie making alone using books and online tutorials can be laborious, frustrating, and demoralizing. Who do you consult when the pie doesn’t turn out how it should have? Instead, grab a group of friends, sign up for a class, and work with an expert who will answer all questions and more.
In-person classes provide all materials and ingredients. That way, you don’t have to invest in a top-of-the-line oven or the multiple tools needed. The class will also provide all ingredients. You don’t need to worry about having enough flour or butter. CourseHorse is a site that lists different in-person pie making classes in the NYC area. New classes are added regularly, so check back often if you don’t see what you want.
The Brooklyn Kitchen, located on 3rd Street in Brooklyn offers an introductory pastry class, they simply call, Pie. With an average class size of 20, you will get plenty of one-on-one and group instruction. This class focuses on how to make a buttery and flaky pie crust. The instructor will teach two different popular options. Participants will go home with pie dough, ready to bake at home. The class also makes a fruit pie together to enjoy before leaving. The Brooklyn Kitchen stands behind the belief that pies are for everyone, not only for the allergy free. They actively encourage and teach substitutions. Let them know in advance so that they can make accommodations.
Want to wow your friends and family at your next holiday celebration? Plum & Honey on 9th Street in Brooklyn offers a fall Thanksgiving Pies course. Appropriate for an intermediate to advanced level pie maker–though they do allow beginners, this class covers complex recipes. Participants learn how to make a deep chocolate pecan, pumpkin with a cheesecake swirl, and a bourbon apple pie. Imagine walking home from this class with a box of delicious pies to share with your family or friends. Or save them for yourself.
Learning to bake Thanksgiving pies in New York is also possible at Proud To Be Flaky Pie School, on the Upper East Side. This class sells out quickly, so add it when it’s available. They teach how to make a double-crust apple pie and a pumpkin pie. Say goodbye to soggy crusts after taking this class. As a bonus, participants can sample wine and cheese while the pies cook.
Plum & Honey also offers a general Pie Workshop course in Gowanus. In this class, participants can be as young as eight years old. The instructor covers different crusts and fillings, including a mixed berry and key lime pie. While the pies bake, students learn how to make caramel apple galettes. After this class, your pies will always look appealing. They teach how to make lattice pie crusts and Swiss meringue toppings. Your next party will admire your artistic pies.
Don’t forget, savory pies can be as delicious as sweet versions. Pie Corps in Brooklyn wants to convert you to a savory pie aficionado with their Seafood Pie class. If you like seafood, this class is for you! It combines monk fish, Poing Judith, and clams with Pernod and herbs to create a melt-in-your-mouth prize-winning main dish. That’s not the only item you’ll learn how to bake. While the pie is baking, you’ll learn how to bake Arugula, Onion & Parmesan Galettes, and Vanilla Bean & Brown Butter Apple Galettes. The class ends with sampling these spectacular creations and, possibly, a little wine. What could be better? This class is not to be missed.
These are a small sampling of all pie making classes in the NYC area. Explore the many classes CourseHorse has to offer by visiting their site. Registering for a class on the site is easy and takes just minutes. Soon you will be headed toward expert pie making status.
Virtual Pie Making Classes & Schools
New York City offers many in-person pie making classes. More often than not, individuals who wish to learn pie making can find an interesting or relevant course. But in-person classes aren’t for everyone.
If you are still looking for an in-person class you want to take, or commuting to a class location is too difficult, an online pie making class may be a better option. Many more options exist virtually; a class not offered locally may be offered online from a different city. Rather than travel to the city, you can take the class from anywhere, including the comfort of your home. Taking the class from home can be less expensive and time-consuming since it doesn’t require gas, wear and tear on a vehicle and parking fees, or public transportation fares.
Yet, online classes are not without costs. Generally, you will have to supply your materials and equipment in an online course. Some classes will mail ingredients to you. Check the course description. It will tell you exactly what you need to participate in each class fully.
With the promise of summer fruit just around the corner, now is an ideal time to take a Summer Pie Workshop virtual class offered by Home Cooking New York. This class averages ten people per class, which allows plenty of individualized attention from the instructor, and teaches how to make a flaky Double-Crust Summer Fruit Pie with an All-Butter Crust. The instructor spends extra time on developing the participants’ culinary skills.
If a fall apple pie is on your mind, Eve Bergazyn’s Virtual Apple Pie & Apple Martini class can satisfy the craving. The class covers how to make a perfect buttery crust to line the pan with, delicious apple filling to add to the prebaked crust, caramel sauce to drizzle over the finished product, and a complementary apple martini to sip while waiting for the pie to come out of the oven. The complete list of ingredients can be found under the course description. You’ll warm others with your delightful apple cinnamon creation when the weather turns cold.
Making pies from scratch is making a comeback. So are tarts. Tarts, like pies, contain some type of filling–fruit or custard–in a pastry crust. But they don’t have a top crust and may be smaller than a pie. Learn how to make pies and tarts by signing up for the Virtual Cook Along: Pies and Tarts class The Chopping Block Lincoln Square offers. This class typically makes Blueberry-Lemon Hand Pies with a Cream Cheese Pastry and a Chocolate-Raspberry Ganache Tart with Hot Butter Pastry Crust. Of course, no chocolate tart would be complete without fresh whipped cream. The class covers making it so you can balance their decadent desert with an airy topping.
Online courses sell out quickly. If the course you want to take is sold out, add your name to a wishlist. Once the course is offered again, you will be among the first to know.
Private Group Pie Making Classes in NYC
Do you want a creative and fun team-building event for your business or organization? Consider scheduling a private group pie making class in NYC that will be the talk around the water cooler for a long time to come. CourseHorse has live online group classes that they can deliver to your group.
Groups can schedule an apple pie making private group class, learning how to make the classic pie from scratch. The price for this class includes up to 10 people. However, additional seats can be purchased after booking the class. Under the course description, all required ingredients and supplies are listed, so each participant can fully participate in the course. Participants will need ingredients like flour and tools like a rolling pin and a pie plate.
Looking for another classic fall pie? Another option for a group event is taking a virtual pumpkin pie private group workshop class. This class includes materials for all students. The chef instructor will go over how to make a flaky crust, a fresh pumpkin pie filling, and a complementary bourbon whipped cream. Individuals with gluten allergies will learn how to make their versions gluten-free, though they must purchase their gluten-free flour. All participants must supply rolling pins, parchment paper, pie plates, cookie sheets, and more.
Even if CourseHorse does not have the class you’d like to schedule listed publicly right now, they can provide it for a group. Reach out through the contact form on their website to learn about the options available.
Booking with CourseHorse is straightforward. They have no hidden fees or booking fees. Online courses can run over multiple different platforms. They will send confirmation of your course within 24 hours. Plus, they are flexible: organizers can change the group size after booking.
