Baking School

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 9: All about pâte brisée. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Buttery and flaky, pâte brisée is basically your quintessential pie crust with a fancy French name. It is an unsweetened, versatile shortcrust that is great for both sweet and savory fillings. The key to producing its signature, tender flakes is in the handling, as well as — you guessed it — butter!

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 10: All about puff pastry. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Crispy, light as air, and puffed as all get-out, puff pastry is in a class of its own. With its fantastic texture and the endless ways it can be used for both sweet and savory pastries, this dough reigns supreme in the pastry kitchen.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 11: All about yeast and baking. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments When we mention the word “yeast,” how many of you instantly think of the daunting tasks of kneading, proofing, and rising? Best leave it to the professionals, right? Wrong!

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 12: All about basic yeast breads. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments A loaf of homemade bread is a beautiful thing. Soft, springy, and fresh — it’s perfect for slathering with some nut butter or turning into amazing sandwiches. Bread baking is a craft for sure, but something you certainly can (and should try to) do at home.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 13: All about rich yeast breads and sweet breads. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Buttery brioche, mouth-watering cinnamon buns, and pillowy-soft challah — rich yeasted breads are what Sunday brunches and lazy mornings were made for. As opposed to lean doughs (like sandwich bread), rich doughs contain much higher amounts of sugar, eggs, and dairy.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 14: All about sourdough breads. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Different from most other breads that start with commercially packaged yeast, sourdough bread uses naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in the environment. This wild yeast creates a bread with superior texture and complex flavor — sometimes mildly sour from the bacteria or lactobacilli captured in the starters.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 15: All about croissants. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Anyone else dream of waking up to warm, flaky croissants in the morning? Their crispy shells and a whisper of steam from between the buttery layers calling you out from slumber? There truly is nothing better than a fresh-from-the oven croissant.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 16: All about sugar and baking. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Wouldn’t you agree that the most characteristic trait of baked goods, desserts, and pastries is their sweetness? From delectable desserts to breakfast pastries, almost everything that comes out of the pastry kitchen contains sugar, in one form or another.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 17: A master class in cookies. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments What’s there not to love about cookies? They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, flavors, and textures. Plus, you can pop one, two, or a half-dozen in your mouth whenever you please! Cookies are fun, playful, and approachable. No matter your skill level, nearly everyone can make at least one type of cookie.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 18: All about essential dessert sauces. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments From carefully measuring ingredients to the way we gently fold our delicate egg whites, much about pastry has a lot to do with attention to detail. These practices should not be lost by the time we get to the presentation.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 19: All about layer cakes. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Let’s face it. Layer cakes will always steal the show. Heavenly cake layers slathered in fluffy frosting — who could turn down a slice? There are endless combinations of layer cake delights.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 20: All about cake decorating. Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Dream of sky-high bakery-style cakes, cupcakes, and other decorative treats? You know, cakes with super-smooth buttercream, cupcakes with intricate frosting, and cookies with delicately piped details and sugar garnishes? Or even those treats with a rustic, “homemade” finish and handfuls of colorful sprinkles?

Have you ever dreamed of going to pastry school — in Paris, perhaps? Do you lust after show-stopping layer cakes? Do you desire the secrets of perfect chewy cookies? Are you contemplating the mysteries of a sourdough starter, or just wish you were a more adept and confident bread baker? Now is your moment, because Baking School is coming to The Kitchn! It’s a free 20-day program to become a better baker.

The Kitchn’s Baking School Graduation: Your final project! Join The Kitchn’s Baking School: Sign up and see all The Kitchn’s Baking School assignments Congratulations! You have completed The Kitchn’s Baking School! What an exhilarating, sugar-filled month it has been. Surely your fridge and freezer are packed with sweet goodies, or you’ve made some awesome new friends and are now the best neighbor ever after having shared all your amazing creations over the weeks.

So you’re signed up for Baking School, and you have your syllabus in hand. Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to meet your instructors! Tessa Huff is your lead Baking School instructor, so let’s take a moment to get acquainted. You may know her already from her work here at The Kitchn or at her blog, Style Sweet CA. I started baking at the UC Davis coffee house while I was working on my B.A. in communication.

Do you dream of pastry? Do you love all baked goodies, but wish you could just once and for all perfect your layer cakes and chocolate chip cookies? Ever wonder just what all the fuss is about puff pastry? Welcome to The Kitchn Baking School — a 20-day program in the style of our immensely popular Cooking School. Baking School starts October 5 — sign up today!