Art of International Bread Baking
Over eight weeks, you will bake your way through an array of breads with global origins at our New York campus. Develop a fundamental understanding of the chemistry, ingredients, and hands-on techniques you need to achieve consistently excellent results.
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Build an impressive bread repertoire
A freshly baked loaf of bread is more than one of life’s simple pleasures; it can be the opening act to an inspired meal, and it stands as a centuries old cultural symbol. Completing the Art of International Bread Baking, based out of The International Culinary Center’s New York City campus, will give you the knowledge and tools you need to craft traditional loaves from around the globe, following tried and true artisanal bread baking techniques that have been passed down through the ages.
Working under the guidance of your chef-instructors, in a specially outfitted kitchen, you’ll make many diverse breads, such as crusty ciabatta and crunchy grissini from Italy, croissants and baguettes from France, and Swedish limpa and Danishes from Scandinavia. You’ll see how ingredients, time, humidity, and temperature come together to create the unique crust and crumb of each bread—and how to control these elements to achieve specific results.
Working with varied mixing techniques, pre-ferments, and leaveners will give you a deep understanding of bread baking chemistry, and learning how to measure such factors as desired dough temperature and friction factor will give you additional tools to help you manage your results. You’ll also learn how to shape dough with precision, turning out uniform loaves of braided challah, batard, and round boules, to name a few. To broaden your perspective and appreciation, technical information will be augmented with information on the origins and cultural history of the breads you’ve made.
High-volume production for real-world preparation
In the Art of International Baking, you’ll learn more than technique. The program has been structured to simulate the demands of a professional kitchen or bakery. (In fact, students in the day program bake the bread that is served to diners in The International Culinary Center’s restaurant, L’Ecole). Your class will be divided into small groups, each of which is responsible for completing a set number of breads each day. You’ll work as a member of a team to accomplish the day’s assignments, which will help you develop the time management, planning, and communication skills that will serve you well in your career. Each class ends with an evaluation in which the day’s breads are tasted and analyzed, so you can develop a framework for assessing quality and get useful feedback that can be carried into the next day’s production.
Above and beyond the basics
To round out your education, the curriculum includes a study of specialized topics related to current culinary trends. With an eye toward nutrition and dietary restrictions, you’ll use alternative flours to create gluten-free breads and make hearty, healthy breads using seeds and whole grains.
