Last Updated on: Jun 22, 2021
Baking has experienced a huge resurgence in popularity over the last few years. We can thank more time at home and a batch of charming British baking shows for the bevy of baked goods appearing on kitchen counters everywhere. At-home bakers are flexing their skills to create the best biscuits, cakes, cookies, and bread. While our waistlines may not be thankful, baking has proved (bread pun!) to be a stress-busting hobby for many of us.
What if you didn't learn to bake in your grandmother's kitchen, though? Or what if you've mastered the basics and are ready to take your baking to the next tier? There are plenty of online resources ready to help you master a flan and perfect your tarts. We've combed the internet to find the best online baking courses for 2020. We looked at the course material, how the site delivers the course information, and what other online baking students had to say about it. Then we narrowed the options down to the ten that are most worth your time. Take a look at our results below and find a course you can't wait to bite into.
What We'll Cover
- The Art of Baking (Yuppie Chef) (Best overall!)
- How to Bake: Baking Basics — 6 Classic Bakes (Udemy)(Best midrange!)
- Know Yo' Dough — Baking Tools, Tips, and Techniques (Skillshare)(Best value!)
- Paul Bradford Presents: Cakeflix (Cakeflix)
- #1 Sourdough Bread Baking 101 (Udemy)
- Easy & Versatile Baking: The One Yeast Dough You Need to Know (Skillshare)
- Gluten-Free Baking Courses (Gluten-Free Baking Company)
- #2 Bake Artisan Sourdough Bread Like a Professional (Udemy)
- Perfect French Macarons #1 - Simple to Sensational (Udemy)
- Become a Great Baker #1: Mastering the Tarte Tatin (Udemy)
The Art of Baking (Yuppie Chef) (Best overall!)
Price: Free
There is so much packed into this course it's pretty amazing that you get it all for free. Food blogger Sarah Graham takes online students through her six-part course. She not only helps them create beautiful baked goods, but also understand the tools, techniques, and baking science behind getting the best results. The course covers a variety of baked items, too, including bread, cakes, cookies, and pastry. This is a course for those who want to get serious about their baking. There is enough material to please experienced bakers, but newbies will be able to follow along just fine, too.
- Covers a variety of baked goods so you have a full recipe box of baked delights
- Go beyond following a recipe to teach students how to use the right tools and techniques for their bakes
- You'll have access to all the course materials for life
- Some casual students may not love the online quizzes which test your knowledge retention from the lessons
How to Bake: Baking Basics — 6 Classic Bakes (Udemy)(Best midrange!)
Price: $19.99
For under $20, you get a lot of high-quality baking instruction from this Udemy course. Rachel Reynolds teaches the course, and she has some tasty baking credentials. Her bakery, Blueberry Hill, supplied cakes to big-name stores like Harrods and Selfridges. During the course, Rachel helps her students master six basic bakes. The recipes she covers include the classic Victoria sponge cake, French meringues, and luscious chocolate brownies. You'll get all the recipes to keep for life, plus three bonus recipes where you can put your new baking skills to work when the course ends. Once completing the course, even novice bakers will have enough skills in their baking repertoire to wow any crowd.
- Great for novice bakers who want to expand their skills quickly
- An hour and a half of baking instruction on demand
- Recipe print-outs for everything you learn in class along with three bonus recipes to try on your own
- Experienced bakers may find it a bit too basic
Know Yo' Dough — Baking Tools, Tips, and Techniques (Skillshare)(Best value!)
Price: Free with a 14-day trial, then $19 a month
At the heart of most good bakes is a good dough. Baker and blogger Becky Sue teaches this Skillshare course where baking students learn to perfect three very important types of dough. Start with a shortbread cookie dough, then move onto quick bread scones before perfecting fluffy dinner rolls. This is about more than mastering three types of dough, though. You'll also understand what it takes to make a great dough and some science behind making good dough taste great. This is an ideal class for bakers looking to go beyond following a recipe and really perfecting baking as a science.
- Great for mastering the art of baking bread, which can sometimes be intimidating for bakers
- Gives you a lot of dough basics that will help with future bakes
- Instruction is super friendly and feels approachable for those new to online baking courses
- Three dough recipes in a short amount of time could overwhelm those who haven't had much time in the kitchen yet
Paul Bradford Presents: Cakeflix (Cakeflix)
Price: Free for seven days, then plans start at about $5 a month
If cake is your thing, then Cakeflix is a must-have on your watch list. Like Netflix for cakes, Cakeflix has more than 1200 cake tutorials ready for you to stream when and where you want them. It's a great resource for those moving beyond the title of "amateur home baker" and ready to take their skills pro. The website even offers information about pricing your cakes for sale. It's an ideal tool for learning advanced cake techniques you'd normally only see in the bakery shop window. With regular live shows and more than 105 presenters posting content, it's unlikely you are going to run out of cake content anytime soon.
- Hundreds of videos about perfecting your cake making skills and advanced decorating techniques
- There are options to pay for individual lessons if you are looking for help specific on a specific technique this can help you avoid ongoing subscription fees
- New videos added weekly, so there is always fresh cake content
- Those interested in all aspects of baking may find the cake-centered content overwhelming
#1 Sourdough Bread Baking 101 (Udemy)
Price: $29.99
This super popular Udemy course has over 18,000 students and 4.5 stars. With those kinds of stats, you know teacher Teresa Greenway is doing something right. During the 1.5-hour course, you'll learn some history about bread baking along with a whole lot of information about tools and techniques to make the perfect loaf. By the end of the course, you'll have your own fresh, warm loaf of sourdough bread to bite into. This is an ideal course for those who want to take the mystery out of bread making. You'll learn new skills you can then use to become a master-level sourdough artisan.
- Simple, direct course offers a lot of instruction suitable for beginner bakers
- You'll learn different methods for proofing dough
- Instructions on how to make your own sourdough starter
- If you already have a favorite sourdough recipe, then this isn't the baking course for you
Easy & Versatile Baking: The One Yeast Dough You Need to Know (Skillshare)
Price: Free with a 14-day trial, then $19 a month:
Chef and recipe developer Julia Turshen shares her favorite yeasted dough recipe in this Skillshare course. She takes the mystery (and intimidation) out of using yeast and explains to students how to prepare and use this simple recipe. With this foundational dough, you'll be able to make everything from cinnamon rolls to savory bread and so much more. Along with her recipe for the yeasted dough, Julie teaches how to properly combine, mix, and knead ingredients to get the best results.
- Helps new bakers overcome their fear of using yeast and dough
- Taught by a professional baker who has worked with Gwyneth Paltrow and written for Vogue
- Gives you ideas about the next steps to take with your new dough skills
- Only teaches you one recipe, so not as robust as other options
Gluten-Free Baking Courses (Gluten-Free Baking Company)
Price: Not listed
Tired of sacrificing taste and texture for gluten-free baked goods? Sacrifice no longer. The Gluten-Free Baking Company's online baking courses are ideal for learning how to create incredible baked goods that skip the gluten but not the taste. Instructor Heather Crosby teaches the basics of baking gluten-free treats like bread and cookies. Now you can get the joy of baking without the bloated belly afterward. Students will learn recipes that will taste so nice, even your gluten-eating friends will want a piece.
- Specifically targeted to those bakers with dietary restrictions
- Helps at-home bakers overcome the stigma of gluten-free baking being tasteless and dull
- Bonus recipes to try at home once the course is over
- Courses don't allow open enrollment, so you'll need to sign up for their waitlist
- Only bread and cookie courses currently available
#2 Bake Artisan Sourdough Bread Like a Professional (Udemy)
Price: $99.99
Another sourdough course from Teresa Greenway? Yes, and this one is also worth your time. Teresa takes the basic skills taught in the first course and steps them up a level. She shows students of this online baking course how to create stunning loaves of old-world bakery bread. Learn how to bake on a hearth, ferment your bread, and why you should autolyse. Teresa even throws in some challenging bread recipes that will cement your status as star baker. By the end, you'll have the skills to tackle any sourdough loaf.
- Over three hours of video instruction on mixing, kneading, shaping, and baking the perfect loaf
- Ways to take your sourdough skills to the next level
- Taught by an expert on sourdough so you are learning from the best in the baking business
- This is a pretty technical course, so don't jump into it if you haven't already done basic sourdough recipes
Perfect French Macarons #1 - Simple to Sensational (Udemy)
Price: $29.99
Imagine going from zero baking skills to whipping out the perfect shiny macarons for your friends. This Udemy course will help you do just that. It takes the mystery out of this visually perfect French treat and makes them feel approachable. The course goes beyond showing you how to make a single macaron. It gives students information on building intricate, towering desserts with their new-found skills. Three and a half hours of instruction might seem like a lot for learning a single dessert. However, the instructor packs the time with technical information you can bring to other areas of your baking.
- Teaches the craft of making the perfect macarons in a variety of colors and flavors
- Learn how to make an impressive macaron tower or package your treats up for sale
- Suitable for novice bakers as well as experts who haven't perfected this delicate cookie
- The course requires quite a bit of equipment, including pastry bags and tips, so there may be an additional cost for some students
Become a Great Baker #1: Mastering the Tarte Tatin (Udemy)
Price: $29.99
Get ready to brag about your Tarte Tatin skills. This Udemy course provides more than four hours of on-demand instruction so you can learn the baking skill of creating the perfect tart. The course teaches you tart-essential skills like caramelizing fruit, how to work with puff pastry, and the critical baking methods. By the end, you'll have everything you need to whip out applause-worthy tarts every time. While it's a course for a specific baked treat, there are a lot of skill-building opportunities here for bakers of all skill levels.
- Teaches students how to make six different types of tarts, including large and individual sizes
- Learn how to make sugar decorations so your tarts look as pretty as possible
- Developed by Cake Nuvo, an online baking school beloved by home bakers
- Novice bakers might find later recipes during the course to be a bit too challenging
Baking is basically art you can eat, so what's not to love? These courses should help you fine-tune your baking skills whether you are just getting started or already consider yourself to be a star baker. With so many great online baking courses to choose from, you are sure to find one that fits your skills and your budget. And when you have those skills, think of all the tasty treats you'll be able to share with your friends and family. That's the best payoff of all. Happy baking!
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