Taking an online cooking class is the perfect way to up your skill set for all types of cooking, including baking! We encourage any home baker to take an online baking course if they want to learn some new kitchen skills from the comfort of home.
Our mission at Daisy Flour is to help bakers level up their skills with amazing reviews, guides, and recommendations. Here we’ve curated a list of courses perfect for aspiring bakers out there who want to learn new baking skills with online courses.
But first, let’s explore some of the reasons why taking an online baking class is a great idea for aspiring and professional bakers alike.
Why Take Online Baking Classes?
There are many reasons why taking an online baking class is an excellent idea for any kind of baker.
Advantages of Learning Baking Online
Convenience and Flexibility
The biggest benefit of taking any online cooking class is the flexibility and convenience of online learning. With an online course, you can learn from the comfort of your home at any time that works for you. Perfect for those leading busy lives who can’t study the culinary arts full time at in-person courses.
Access to Expert Instructors
An online baking course can also give you access to lessons from world-renowned bakers and pastry chefs. Many well-respected industry leaders have created online content for you to choose from, giving you techniques and tips from some of the best in the world without breaking the bank.
Wide Range of Course Options
Online baking courses are also great because they can cater to all kinds of interests. You can find a basic baking starter course to learn your very first cake baking skills or go for something more intermediate, like learning complex pastry techniques, if you’re already a professional. You can choose to take a course only on bread or a course only on cake decorating. No matter what you’re looking to learn, there is likely a course out there that covers the technique or baking style you’re looking for.
Cost Effectiveness
We also love online baking courses because of their affordability. If you do not have the budget to study full-time to be a pastry chef, online courses can be a wonderful alternative to full-time pastry classes. You’ll have access to amazing instructors and knowledge in a much more cost-effective way.
Top Recommendations: Best Online Baking Classes
Ready to learn? These are our top picks for the best online baking classes available today!
Best Overall Baking Class: The Butter Book
If you’re looking for an online baking course covering a wide range of recipes and techniques, look no further than The Butter Book. The Butter Book is a well-loved resource for amateur and professional bakers alike. They are the best of the best when it comes to pastry skills, helping any baker round out their skill set.
Course Overview and Highlights
- Founded by The French Pastry School, The Butter Book is a platform with hundreds of baking skills and recipe videos from professional pastry chefs.
- Recipes include chef-instructed videos with detailed steps, tips, and skill breakdowns.
- The Butter Book makes videos for essential baking skills, including baking fundamentals, equipment basics, and the science behind baking.
- The platform includes a reference glossary for information on ingredients, equipment, and pastry techniques.
- Videos are hosted on a platform, meaning no class schedule and times. You can watch and learn videos at your own time and pace.
- The Butter Book also has an online community group, so bakers can share creations, ask questions, and more.
Instructor Credentials and Expertise
The Butter Book was created by Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., and Jacquy Pfeiffer, two pastry chefs who founded The French Pastry School in Chicago. All videos are chef instructed, giving you step-by-step instructions from qualified bakers.
Pricing and Enrollment Details
The Butter Book costs $24.99 a month to use the platform, or you can pay $199.99 for year-long access.
Best for Professional Pastry Chefs: Dominique Ansel Pastry Fundamentals Masterclass
If you want to learn from the best of the best, this course is for you. Masterclass has a pastry fundamentals course taught by world-renowned pastry chef Dominique Ansel. In this course, you’ll explore 17 lessons that cover complex techniques and recipes useful for any pastry chef.
Course Overview and Highlights
- Masterclass features 17 videos covering topics including baking techniques and classic pastry recipes for desserts like fruit tarts, cakes, croissants, etc.
- The Masterclass includes access to a 50-page cookbook as a companion guide to the course.
- Video instructions feature in-depth instructions and look at techniques, letting you follow along as Dominique cooks.
- Techniques here are rooted in high-end French pastry making, making it a challenging course for beginners and a great course for more intermediate bakers.
- Courses exist as videos, meaning you can watch and follow along any place, any time, perfect for busy schedules.
Instructor Credentials and Expertise
The course instructor for this Masterclass is world-renowned pastry chef Dominique Ansel. A winner of the James Beard Award, Dominique is also known as the inventor of the famous Cronut.
Pricing and Enrollment Details
To access the course, you must subscribe to the Masterclass platform, with a membership starting at $13 per month.
Best Value Baking Class: Baker Bettie’s Better Baking School
If you’re a baker looking for baking courses at little to no cost, we highly recommend Baker Bettie’s online courses at the Better Baking School. This online platform offers free and paid baking courses, perfect for amateur bakers looking to build baking fundamentals.
Course Overview and Highlights
- The Better Baking School platform has a free Fundamentals of Baking course on its platform! This will give a baker all the basics they need to build beginner skills.
- The first half of the fundamentals course will cover the tools and terms bakers need to understand before they start, including types of baking equipment, baking terminology, and recipe reading.
- Then, the course dives into how ingredients work in baking and what they do within recipes. Bakers will get to better understand the science of baking, something beginners don’t often find online.
- Better Baking School also offers paid courses (priced at $79 per course) for skills like yeast bread essentials, macron baking, and more.
- Lessons come in the form of detailed videos that can be done at your own pace. No scheduled lessons at specific times.
Instructor Credentials and Expertise
The instructor behind these videos is Kristin “Baker Bettie” Hoffman. She is a professionally trained chef and instructor who wants to share the foundational baking technique in an easy, accessible way. Other instructors for the courses include professional pastry chefs and bakery owners.
Pricing and Enrollment Details
The foundational baking course on Better Baking School is free to take; all you have to do is enroll to start. Other courses are priced at $79 per course.
How to Choose the Right Online Baking Class
When looking for the right online baking course for you, there are a few key factors to keep in mind. Be sure to consider the following as you shop for the course that is right for you.
Factors to Consider When Selecting a Baking Class
Skill Level and Learning Objectives
The first thing you’ll want to consider is what exactly it is you want to learn based on your skill level and learning objectives. Are you a beginner baker looking for a lesson in basic baking foundations? Or are you a professional baker looking to learn complex bread baking techniques?
Figure out what you want to learn, and go from there. This way, you can choose a class that caters to your skills.
Course Duration and Schedule
You’ll also want to keep the course’s length and schedule in mind when picking an online class for you. While some online courses may only take a few hours on your own time, others can be scheduled and spread out over weeks and specific times.
Take a look at your schedule to figure out what kind of class and learning schedule works for you as a student. This will help you ensure you can stay committed.
Course Materials and Resources
Knowing the materials and resources you’ll need to succeed in an online course is also important. When researching, try to find details on the course to see if they offer learning materials or if you’ll need to source kitchen tools yourself.
Student Reviews and Testimonials
It’s also important to look at student reviews and testimonies when researching any baking course. This is the best way to understand the course’s quality, the instructor’s teaching style, and whether it’s right for you.
Start an Online Course Today!
There are many benefits to taking an online baking class when trying to improve baking skills. Online courses offer an easy, accessible, and affordable way to evolve from an amateur baker to a professional one. We highly recommend online baking classes to any aspiring baker out there.
At Daisy Flour, we know the benefits online resources can bring to bakers who are teaching themselves new skills and techniques at home. Our website is filled with different recommendations, reviews, and guides to help you improve as a baker. Click here to explore more of our helpful baking content!
