Learn to bake bread on a one-day class
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
A day at a bakery school takes you from flour and yeast to a counter of finished loaves, mixing, shaping and baking alongside a teacher. Beginners' classes in the UK and US run from a few hours to a full day, and at least one sends you home with loaves, recipes and dough to bake again in your own oven.
Gentle£100 to £500 / $130 to $650An afternoonIndoorsWith othersUK and US
What a bread class is like
Most beginners' classes are hands-on from the start. At Bread Ahead in London the full-day Bread Bakery Workshop covers ciabatta, soda bread, focaccia and a white country loaf, and is described as suitable for all levels of experience. The School of Artisan Food's Introduction to British Breads is labelled Beginner and covers dough preparation, shaping and baking, from a cottage loaf to crumpets and muffins on the griddle.
In the US, King Arthur Baking School's four-hour Baguettes class works through a preferment, shaping and slashing, and steaming in a home oven, with no more than 16 people. At Zingerman's BAKE! in Ann Arbor, the challah class focuses on braiding, and you leave with the two loaves you baked, the recipes and dough for one more loaf at home.
Where to take a class
| Where | Class | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Bread Ahead, Borough Market or Wembley, London | Bread Bakery Workshop: full day, 10am to 4.30pm, lunch included | £240 |
| The School of Artisan Food, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire | Introduction to British Breads: one day, 9am to 4.30pm, buffet lunch included | £215 |
| The School of Artisan Food, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire | Naan Breads and Pittas: half day | £125 |
| King Arthur Baking School, Norwich, Vermont or Skagit Valley, Washington | Baguettes: four hours, in person | $150 |
| BAKE! at Zingerman's Bakehouse, Ann Arbor, Michigan | Hurray for Challah: four hours, in person, adults 17 and up | $140 |
Popular dates sell out; the School of Artisan Food's Introduction to British Breads was showing as sold out, with a waiting list, when checked. For classes nearer home in the UK, the Real Bread Campaign's map has a filter for bread making classes and courses.
How to start
- Find a class near you: a bakery school, a cookery school, or the "bread making classes / courses" filter on the Real Bread Campaign's map.
- Read the class description for the level, the breads you will make, and whether lunch, an apron or take-home bread is included.
- Bake the same recipe again at home within a week or two, while the shaping is still fresh in your hands.
Where to go
- Real Bread Campaign: Real Bread Map (filter for bread making classes / courses) UK
- Bread Ahead, London: Bread Bakery Workshop UK
- The School of Artisan Food, Nottinghamshire: breads and baking short courses UK
- King Arthur Baking School (Vermont and Washington) US
- BAKE! at Zingerman's Bakehouse, Ann Arbor: classes US
We opened these links on 11 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Two ways to plan it.
Plan it yourself Free
The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
Show the links
Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need any experience to go on a bread making class?
No. Bread Ahead says its Bread Bakery Workshop suits all levels of experience, and the School of Artisan Food marks its Introduction to British Breads as Beginner.
How much does a bread making course cost?
As last listed, from £125 for a half-day class to £240 for a full day in the UK, and $140 to $150 for a four-hour class at the US schools above.
Do you take the bread home from a baking class?
Sometimes. Zingerman's BAKE! sends you home with your two challah loaves, the recipes and extra dough. Other schools do not say, so check the class page.
How long is a bread making class?
From about three and a half hours for a half-day class to a full day of six and a half to seven and a half hours, often with lunch.
Where this comes from: Real Bread Campaign (Sustain), Real Bread Map; Bread Ahead, Bread Bakery Workshop; The School of Artisan Food, Breads and baking short courses; The School of Artisan Food, Introduction to British Breads; King Arthur Baking School; King Arthur Baking School, Baguettes; BAKE! at Zingerman's Bakehouse, Hurray for Challah. Opened 11 November 2026.
Read next
Geoff Collis traded the flight deck for a bakery bench in Melbourne's north-east
How an airline pilot learned to bake during the pandemic, went back to flying, then chose the bakery for good, and how to bake your first loaf this week or turn a baking habit into something bigger.