ADVANCED BAKING COURSE (INTENSIVE)
Fancy yourself a confident baker but want to learn more? Then join us on our advanced baking course to build on and develop your existing baking skills.
Building on what you may have worked on in our Ultimate Baking Course, this course introduces new techniques, tips, tricks and recipes that will take your confidence and competence to the next level.
To get the best out of this course you should already understand and have experience in baking. Although most good baking simply takes a bit of practice, there are some techniques that are best learnt from someone who can guide you. Therefore, if you are a less experienced or novice baker, we would recommend taking our Ultimate Baking Course first.
Even though this four day intensive advanced baking course has the same content as our eight weekly evening sessions, it is in a slightly different order, considering the full days. We take you through making and using shortcrust pastry, hot water crust pastry, choux pastry, puff pastry, croissant/Danish dough, brioche dough, strudel pastry, filo pastry and how to create fancy breads, cakes and biscuits.
The course will be a mix of hands-on and interactive demonstrations. At the start of each session, you will be welcomed with breakfast before rolling up your sleeves to start baking. After this, we’ll break for lunch before diving back into the baking, with plenty of opportunities to taste what you’re cooking along the way. After each class, you will take home what you have made, so be sure to bring along a container to every lesson.
We are happy for students to pay for this course in up to three instalments, with the final payment made at least one week before the course starts. If you would like to do this, then please call us to book your place.
In this intensive advanced baking course, you will learn:
Day 1:
Shortcrust & hot water crust pastry
You will learn to make the following:
- a Bakewell tart – you will learn to lattice pastry
- a seasonal savoury tart using olive oil pastry
- hand raised pies – shaping and using hot water crust pastry
Choux pastry
You will learn to make the following:
- Paris Brest (a choux ring with praline cream)
- gougères
- mini profiteroles with savoury fillings
- beignets
- croquembouche (profiterole mountain) with spun sugar
Day 2:
Puff pastry and Danish pastries
You will learn to make the following:
- a pithivier
- millefeuille
- danish pastries – fruit and custard fillings
Strudel & filo
You will learn to make the following:
- apple/cherry strudel
- baklava
- spanakopita
Day 3:
Brioche
You will learn to make the following:
- brioche a tete
- rum baba
- brioche filled with mushrooms
- tarte tropézienne (brioche filled with vanilla cream)
Biscuits
You will learn to make the following:
- florentines
- speculoos
- brandy snaps
- shortbread
- jammy dodgers
- cheese biscuits
Day 4:
Fancy breads
You will learn to make the following:
- semlor (Swedish cardamom buns)
- pretzels – learn to plait bread
- tea cake
- burger buns – using an enriched dough
Cakes
You will learn to make the following:
- Jaffa cakes
- Battenberg cakes
- dacquoise
We try to accommodate dietary requirements as best we can and do our best to provide alternatives where possible. However, some classes are simply not designed to accommodate special dietary requirements, for example, we can not make entire baking classes gluten free or make croissants without butter.
If you have any questions about what we can provide, please call us before making your booking on 0207 631 4590. Please put a note in the “dietary requirements” box at the checkout if you have any requirements or allergies at all, even if you do not think it it is relevent!
We do not have individual hobs for every person but rather a group of hobs at one end of the kitchen. In most classes you will be working in small groups to create the recipes. As a whole class you will make everything listed on the website but the only way we can cover the huge variety of dishes listed is by dividing the class into smaller groups. When there are key skills that need to be learned by the whole class, the teacher will pause the group and gather everyone together to explain/show it so by the end of the class everyone understands how each dish was made.
We are happy for anyone of any age to attend. If they are very young, an adult needs to work with them, in which case we would only charge for one space. We aren’t a creche service though so no dump-and-runs while you go shopping! Teenagers may like to join our Summer Cooking Camp where they will be with other kids the same age.
Sustainability has always been part of our ethos which is why we made the decision not to print recipes for students to take home with them, except when printed recipes are specifically requested. Instead, we email the recipes to students shortly after the class.
You may transfer to an alternative class if you give us notice not less than 21 days before the date of the class. In this case, we will rebook you on to your selected class or issue a voucher valid for one year from date of issue. Transfers or issuing of a voucher will be subject to an administration fee of £15. Confirmed bookings are not eligible for refunds or cancellations under any circumstances. If you cannot attend a class you may send someone else in your place, just let us know the name of the attendee in advance of the class, where possible.
At the end of most classes you will sit down around the Cookery School table and enjoy the food that you have made. Any food that is leftover from this is kept for staff lunches so nothing goes to waste
The exception to this is that you are welcome to take home the chicken that you de-bone in the meat & poultry class provided you bring a chiller bag with you and we provide you with a freezer block. Additionally, many of the items in our baking classes and courses are low risk and safe to take home so you will need a carrier bag of some sort.
We have very little waste as we order based on the number of people in the class. We generally do not allow people to take food home because we have found that many people come into central London, do a class at Cookery School and then go off to the theatre, cinema, clubbing or shopping. During that time the food that left Cookery School in good condition, deteriorates and can cause illness.
Absolutely! If you have been cooking a bit already at home then you are welcome to skip the Beginners course.
Our six week professional cooking course, Cook’s Certificate, is the only accredited course we run. You will receive a Cook’s Level 3 Training certificate from OCN London at the end of this course.
If you would like a certificate of attendance from any other class or course, we are happy to provide one. Just make a note of this in the ‘notes’ section at the checkout.
You do not need to bring anything with you to most classes. However, if you are taking the Ultimate Meat & Poultry Class you should bring a chiller bag for your de-boned chicken and for any baking class or course, please bring a carrier bag to take home some of the items you make.
Please make sure you are wearing closed toe shoes.
Not at all! The majority of our students come alone. We pride ourselves on having friendly staff and our kitchen is very un-intimidating and relaxed so you don’t need to feel scared of attending alone.
Induction hobs use electromagnetic technology which may interfere with cardiac pacemakers or electrical implants, such as insulin pumps. We use induction hobs in our kitchen so recommend that if you use a cardiac pacemaker or electrical implant you remain a safe distance from the hobs.
Upcoming Courses
- At Cookery School London
near Oxford Circus