Ready to dive into the satisfyingly delicious art of baking? Join expert Zoë François in this comprehensive beginner’s class, where she'll teach you the basics of making delicious baked goods at home. Explore a range of key tools, equipment and techniques to make a variety of pastries and desserts from scratch, including biscuits, pies, cakes, quick breads, cookies and more. Plus, Zoë will walk you through each step and share her tips and tricks along the way, so that you can start baking with confidence!
Startup Library: Baking & Pastry
Everything you need to start baking with confidence.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Shelby Rose from
Brilliant Basics
I'm really impressed with this course. Zoe goes over everything you need to make basic pie crusts, biscuits (scones), cookies, muffins and cakes. She explains the difference between each and and how to mix them up differently to get the desired result. I've learned a lot from this course and I can't wait to start experimenting in the kitchen. Another great one from Craftsy. I hope we get more in the future.
Date published: 2021-12-29
Overview
About
Chef Zoë François—Artisan Bread in Minutes—is a best-selling author, coauthor of several bread cookbooks, and a renowned blogger. She’s a seasoned baking instructor and frequent contributor to The Cooking Channel, Fine Cooking magazine, and Disney Channel.
01: Setup: Getting Started Baking
Ground yourself in the fundamentals of baking as Zoë discusses the high-level considerations of time management, space setup (mise en place), and precision.
8 min
02: Setup: Essential Tools & Equipment
Get set up for baking success! Follow along as Zoë goes over the tools, equipment and ingredients you'll need to get started baking.
6 min
03: Setup: Essential Ingredients
After you've covered tools and equipment, explore a variety of essential baking ingredients. Find out how to shop and store them properly.
9 min
04: What You Need: Biscuits & Pies
Explore cold fat batters and doughs used to make biscuits, pies and more as Zoë discusses the ingredients, tools and equipment you'll need to work with them.
2 min
05: Method: Working With Cold Fat
Zoë shows you how to cut butter three different ways: with a food processor, with a pastry cutter and by hand. After that, get tips for gently handling dough for professional-quality results every time.
12 min
06: Make It: Biscuits
Once you've mastered the fundamental techniques, put them into practice by making buttermilk biscuits! Zoë teaches you how to make the dough, roll it out, then cut and bake it to tender, flaky perfection.
14 min
07: Make It: Pie Dough
Practice your cold fat skills by making a versatile dough that you can use for all kinds of pies. Discover Zoë's trick for creating a tender and flaky crust. Plus, learn how to make a double-crust pie, and easily seal and crimp the edges for a classic homestyle look.
30 min
08: What You Need: Cookies & Tarts
Get familiar with the ingredients, tools and equipment you'll need to successfully work with room-temperature fat doughs, used to make cookies and tarts.
3 min
09: Method: Working With Room Temperature Fat
Zoë shares quick tricks for bringing ingredients to room temperature, then shows you how to cream butter and sugar with three different tools: spoon or spatula, hand mixer and stand mixer.
14 min
10: Make It: Cookies & Tart Dough
Follow along as Zoë demonstrates how to make drop cookies, rolled cookies, stamped cookies, plus two tart variations, all from one versatile dough!
31 min
11: What You Need: Muffins & Quick Breads
Continue your baking journey and learn about the ingredients and tools you'll need to make a variety of quick breads and muffins.
2 min
12: Method: Muffin & Quick Bread Techniques
Zoë shows you how to line your pans to prevent sticking, before explaining how to mix wet into dry ingredients. You'll see how to proportion your batter for even baking every time.
6 min
13: Make It: Muffins & Quick Breads
Put your creaming, folding and portioning skills into practice by making tender and delicious blueberry muffins. Find out when to use fresh vs. frozen fruit, and how to prevent the fruit's color from bleeding into your batter. Zoë also shares a few tips that will make the quick-bread variation a success.
13 min
14: What You Need: Cakes
You can have your cake and eat it, too! Discover the ingredients, tools and equipment you'll need to start baking cakes.
3 min
15: Method: Cake Techniques
Master three key cake-making techniques: whipping egg whites, folding ingredients into meringue, and folding ingredients into creamed butter.
19 min
16: Make It: One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Put your cake-making skills to use as you learn to make a super-easy chocolate cake or cupcake batter. Zoë reveals why using oil helps to keep your batter moist.
7 min
17: Make It: Vanilla Pound Cake
In this lesson, you'll make an all-purpose cake batter that you can bake in a traditional loaf or Bundt pan. Learn how to create great flavor, as well as the dense crumb, a signature of pound and Bundt cakes.
15 min
18: Make It: Angel Food Cake
Uncover the secrets to making a super-light angel food cake. It's easier than you may think, especially with Zoë’s smart techniques! Find out how to whip eggs whites with two types of sugars, before gently folding them into your flour. Then see how to invert your cake after it bakes to keep in all the air that you worked so hard to create!
13 min
19: Method: Frosting Techniques
In this final lesson, Zoë shows you how to make an easy American buttercream frosting. You'll learn to frost cupcakes as well as a simple layer cake using an offset spatula; no piping required!
15 min
