18 Week Bread and Pastry Professional Training
18 Weeks: August 6-December 14, 2012 (full)
NEW! 8 Week Evening Bread and Viennoiserie Professional Program
These courses are limited to sixteen students. Admissions are made on a rolling basis. Apply early!
Curriculum:
Bread & Pastry Professional Training Program
Our highly concentrated, focused curriculum features a high level of hands-on practice, deliberately small classes and the opportunity to intern in a production-oriented environment after graduation ( you must apply for this internship at SFBI). Below we summarize the curriculum for each week of training to give you a better picture of the breadth and depth of the learning you will experience as a student in the Bread & Pastry Professional Training Program.
Week 1 – During the first week of training at the San Francisco Baking Institute you will be introduced to the baking and pastry profession. You will be introduced to the functions of bakery equipment, learn general baking terminology, learn baker’s math and learn in depth about the main ingredients of bread. Students will roll up their sleeves and be introduced to the processes of dough mixing, fermentation, shaping and baking. You will practice beginner shaping techniques and begin to learn what characteristics are desirable in a properly baked loaf of artisan bread.
Week 2 –This week, students will continue learning about the fundamentals of bread making and the science behind the baking process. A variety of preferments will be used to show the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Students will learn in detail the relationship between mixing and fermentation. Students will also begin using alternative types of flour such as whole wheat and rye. More advanced shaping techniques will be covered.
Week 3 – Sourdough, sweet dough and the retarding process are the main topics of this week. Students will learn about sourdough, including topics such as how to start a starter, how to maintain a consistent culture, and how to manipulate the starter to obtain specific characteristics in bread. The retarding process will also be covered and students will retard a variety of breads. Students will mix some basic enriched doughs and learn how ingredients like sugar, fat and dairy affect the baking process.
Week 4 –During week four, students will learn about mixing with conventional whole grains. A wide variety of breads will be mixed using commercially yeasted pre ferments as well as sourdough starters. Students will begin to use grains such as wheat and rye in the pre ferments. Students will also make doughs containing a wide variety of seed soakers, dried fruit and toppings.
Week 5 –Week five will cover heirloom grains and wood fire oven baking. Students will make breads using grains such as Teff, Sorghum, Millet and Quinoa as well as heirloom wheats such as Kamut, Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt. Students will use the concpts learned in whole grains and apply them to baking with a new and interesting group of whole grains. Students will also learn the major concepts involved regarding the wood fire oven baking process. Students will bake a portion of the bread made this week in a wood fire oven.
Week 6 – During this week, students will be introduced to German baking practices. During this week students will cover baking high percentage German rye breads, as well as a variety of German rolls including lye dipped pretzels. During this week, students will also learn about good bakery sanitation practices.
Week 7 – During week seven, students will review the major concepts learned during the bread portion of the course. Also this week will provide the opportunity to revisit any formulas or concepts which need review.
Week 8 – This first week of viennoiserie will introduce students to the process of mixing, fermentation and make-up of non-laminated viennoiseries. Students will learn about and produce a large selection of products using different types of brioche dough, and they will also learn the processes and make-up of specialty items such as gibassier, panettone, stollen and pan d'oro. A selection of simple fillings will be made to add to pastries such as almond cream and pastry cream. Various preferments and fermentation techniques will be covered to show how to achieve complex flavor with an extended shelf life. At the end of this week, students will be introduced to a foundation of lamination technique.
Week 9 – During the second week of viennoiserie, students will practice lamination techniques to produce croissant, Danish and laminated brioche. Various preferments are used to explore their effects on each product. A wide variety of products are made to show the versatility of laminated doughs. Students will also learn to make different types of fillings, such as cream cheese filling, lemon filling and apple filling. The selection of finished products includes traditional, chocolate, and ham and cheese croissants, fruit and cream filled Danishes, Kouign Amann and sweet coffee cakes. Various fermentation and retarding techniques will be covered to show how to manipulate flavor and production schedules.
Week 10 – The first two days of week 10 is spent reviewing non-laminated and laminated viennoiserie techniques. The class will discuss the practical exams which are held during the last three days of this week. For the exam days, students will have a list of final products to present on each day, and they will be required to plan their own production schedules in advance.
Week 11 - As a segue from Viennoiserie, students will learn fundamental pastry doughs this week. They will produce items based on non-yeasted laminated dough (puff pastry), pie dough, assorted tart doughs and pâte à choux. Products will include pithivier, jalousie, Napoleon, vol au vent, allumettes, various pies, crostata, quiche, fresh fruit tarts, baked pear tarts, crèmeux tarts, lemon bars, éclairs, chouquettes and Gâteau St. Honoré. Through these items students will also begin to expand their knowledge of different creams.
Week 12 – Moving away from sheeted doughs, students will gain deeper understanding of ingredient functionality specific to pastry as we cover multiple mixing methods for basic cookies, quickbreads and cakes this week. Products include various classic American cookies, Rocher meringues, brownies, biscotti, tuiles, cream scones, butter scones, madeleines, financiers, muffins, coffeecake and poundcake. This week will also incorporate a brief practical exam to allow students to assess their progress in pastry skills.
Week 13 – The focus of this week is on cake bases, creams, fillings and cake assembly including basic decorative piping skills. Mixing methods will include creaming, high-ratio, and multiple egg foam (sponge) methods. Cake bases include angel food, chiffon, chocolate buttermilk, Sacher cake, génoise, biscuit Viennois and dacquoise. Creams and fillings will include French, Italian and Swiss buttercream, lemon curd, chantilly, crème mousseline, cream cheese icing and ganache. Split, fill, mask and ice cakes including Black Forest, Le Fraisier, Opera, Lemon Raspberry and Chocolate Hazelnut.
Week 14 – We continue building upon cake assembly and decorating skills with a focus on designing and creating a tiered wedding cake. Students will work with rolled fondant, gumpaste, pastillage and royal icing to decorate their cakes. We will also begin building up components needed to produce mousse cakes, including gelée inserts, glazes, cake and cookie bases and decorative elements.
Week 15 – This week is devoted to the technique and theory behind mousse mixing methods and mousse cake assembly. We will make a variety of fruit and chocolate mousses to build items including Lemon Blackberry Mousse Cake, Whiskey Hazelnut Dome, White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake, Fresh Fruit Charlotte and Dark Chocolate Passionfruit Pyramids. Students will also produce a range of chocolate décor with which to garnish their entremets.
Week 16 – This week is devoted to chocolate and confections. Students will learn to temper chocolate to create an array of molded as well as hand-dipped truffles and other bonbons. We will also make aerated confections including marshmallows and nougat, and non-aerated candies such as brittle, toffee, caramel and pâte de fruit.
Week 17 – The focus this week will be on traditional and contemporary plated desserts, drawing on much knowledge from the previous several weeks as well as learning the technical aspects of ice cream, gelato and sorbet. Students will work with baked custards, sauces, frozen items, tuile and sugar garnishes, poached and roasted fruit, foams and cakes. We will also practice plating and discuss conceptualizing desserts, including balancing temperature, texture, visual appeal and designing a seasonal and practical dessert menu.
Week 18 – This week, the focus will be to produce items for a Grand Buffet that will be displayed during the graduation ceremony. Students will work independently and in small groups to produce a huge display of their achievement during their past 18 weeks. The work will be displayed up until the Graduation Ceremony at which point it is enjoyed by family and friends and disappears quickly!