What type of baking courses you should take will depend on what you want to learn about baking and how you plan to use it. Baking classes at a local hobby or craft store, community college, or vocational school may be suitable for you if you want to expand your baking knowledge for home use. These classes cover the proper pans to use, baking temperatures, recipes, and other baking tips and tools. If you want to work professionally in the baking field, a culinary school or baking certificate program might be a better option for baking classes. Baking courses in these types of programs cover topics similar to those covered in vocational school, but they also cover commercial baking, baking equipment, pricing, customer service, basic accounting, and bakery management.
A continuing education course or baking classes at a similar facility will usually provide a wealth of information if you want to improve your skills as a home baker. These baking classes usually cover how to properly mix your batter or dough, which ingredients to use, what temperature to bake certain items at, and what baking materials to use. After taking courses like these, you’ll be in a much better position to start researching baking specifics in depth and comprehending more advanced concepts.
If you want to work as a pastry chef or own a bakery, you should consider going to a culinary school or a university with a culinary program. You will learn more about the business side of baking in addition to basic baking information. These programs may include classes on how to run a commercial kitchen, order ingredients, keep ingredient stock from spoiling, and bake large portions properly.
Many colleges offer pastry and baking certificate courses, even if your goal isn’t to become a professional baker. These courses provide more in-depth information than what you’d find at a hobby store, but they don’t cover the commercial baking industry in depth. Look for courses that go over the different types of ingredients in greater detail, as well as the science of baking. Baking classes should also cover a variety of baking equipment and techniques, even if they aren’t commonly used in many types of baking. This knowledge may also assist you in becoming a better home baker.