Baking & Batter

At the heart of all great baking is one key ingredient: gluten. You’ll learn how this remarkable protein network behaves differently depending on whether you’re making bread, pastry, or batter, and how to work with it (or around it) to get the results you want.

Over just four weeks, you’ll build a toolkit of core techniques that underpin most baked goods, giving you the foundation to experiment at home long after the course ends.

• Week 1 – Introduction to baking science – understanding flour, gluten, and the role of fat and liquid. We’ll bake a simple bread together and discuss what makes a great bake.
• Week 2 – Bread baking – from basic white loaf to enriched doughs. Discover the principles of proving and knocking back and explore how different flours change the result.
• Week 3 – Shortcrust and rough puff pastry – learning to ‘rub in’ without overworking the dough. We’ll make classic pastry cases and discuss the fat-to-flour ratio and what it means for texture.
• Week 4- Batter masterclass – from pancakes and Yorkshire puddings to tempura. Explore why resting batter matters and how to control the ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
• Week 5 – Choux pastry – tackling one of baking’s trickier doughs. We’ll make lovely puffs, discussing how steam creates the hollow structure that’s so satisfying to fill.