Bake from Scratch

Led by Bake from Scratch editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman, this crash course will give you the confidence you need to bake yeasted breads at home. We’ll cover the ins and outs of baking with yeast, including what types to use when, blooming, proofing, tests to ensure you have proper gluten structure, and overnight fermentation. Recipes include milk bread using the tangzhong method, a “do-it-all” dough that will take you from sweet to savory, quick croissants, and Southern laminated biscuits.

Led by Bake from Scratch editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman and cookbook author Zoë François, this weekend of cake-baking will equip you with techniques and tips to bake better layer cakes, Bundt cakes, vertical cakes, and stunning one-layer cakes. From the layers to the frosting, we’ll cover properly creaming butter and sugar to build volume, baking even layers, tips for cooling and assembly, and, of course, decorating. You’ll also walk away knowing how to make American, Italian, and German buttercreams.

Join us May 28–June 5 to follow in the footsteps of our July/August 2022 Italian issue of Bake from Scratch. This hands-on retreat will give you inside access to Italian kitchens, where you’ll learn from home bakers and immerse yourself in the deep culinary culture of Italy. We’ll start and end this retreat in Milan, with time spent in the Piemonte, along the Italian Riviera, and in beautiful Tuscany. All accommodations will be provided in five-star hotels. Due to the nature of baking in home kitchens, the two baking experiences will take place in small groups of six.

Led by editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman and cookbook author and Bake from Scratch contributing editor Jessie Sheehan, this weekend retreat will equip you for seasonal summer baking. Saturday’s class will begin at Birmingham’s fabulous Market at Pepper Place, where we’ll purchase peak summer produce for market-inspired recipes such as tomato tarte Tatin, peach frangipane galette, summer quick jams, and blueberry brioche custard tarts.

There’s no better time to experience Paris and Burgundy than during fall, when the air is crisp, the light is magical, and cozy foods are returning to menus. This eight-night baking retreat will give you plenty of time to explore Paris and the medieval town of Beaune in Burgundy. In Paris, classes are held at La Cuisine Paris, which is located along the Seine and a quick walk from our group hotel. In Beaune, classes are held at The Cook’s Atelier, where you’ll learn from mother-daughter duo Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini.

Led by Brian Hart Hoffman and cookbook author Erin Jeanne McDowell, this retreat will feature cozy fall baking at its finest. You’ll learn how to make an Invisible Apple Cake, Pumpkin Spice Roulade, Pear and Vanilla Scones, and a showstopping lattice pie.

Led by Bake from Scratch editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman, this weekend retreat will get you ready for holiday baking. From giftable decorated cookies to a yeasted bread wreath, these recipes will be your go-tos for entertaining family and friends. We’ll also tackle the pièce de résistance, bûche de Noël, which makes a stunning holiday centerpiece.

The holiday magic of Paris and Strasbourg await. On this seven-night baking retreat, you’ll refine your baking skills with classes at La Cuisine Paris, plus have plenty of time to do your holiday shopping, explore the festive streets of Paris, and stroll the holiday markets in Strasbourg. For those who have previously attended our holiday baking retreats in Paris, we will not repeat recipe curriculum.