Week by week, learn to master a breadth of delicious recipes from the classic enriched white loaf, to beautiful bigas breads like focaccia and ciabatta.
Specialist Course
Intermediate
Certification
Our 10-week Basics to Baker course will cover all the fundamentals of bread making, teaching you foundational bread-making skills all the way through to more advanced techniques, such as sourdough and croissants.
This course is ideal for anyone who loves to cook and is looking to master basic to advanced bread-making skills to last a lifetime. On completion, students will have a thorough understanding of yeasted doughs, naturally leavened breads, shaping and baking.
Week by week, you’ll learn to bake a breadth of delicious recipes, from the classic enriched white loaf to beautiful bigas breads, like focaccia and ciabatta. You’ll cover sourdough, flatbreads, pizzas, bagels, rye, and the notoriously tricky babka, to name just a few.
As with all Leiths Online Cookery School courses, you’ll enjoy the best of in-person learning at home through a unique digital experience. With bespoke teacher input and tailored feedback alongside in-depth, step-by-step tuition throughout, you'll gain an education beyond what books can provide. The course is also supported by invaluable culinary theory, powering the perfect rise every time, as well as interactive class connectivity so you can enjoy the learning experience with like-minded cooks.
This 10 week course will teach you the fundamentals of bread making, from foundational bread making skills to more advanced techniques such as sourdough and croissants.
Each week, you unlock a new video-based lessons with your class that take you step-by-step through the process of cooking a variety of recipes. Our unique hands-on method of learning means you’ll be cooking from day one, with no need to read pages of theory in advance.
By joining the course, you will have access to the following through the Workshop app:
In addition to the core aspects of the course, you will also get:
A ‘kit list’ of ingredients will be made available to you at the beginning of each session so that you can plan ahead. If you’re unable to find specific ingredients, advice on alternatives can be provided on request.
Average cooking time: 4 to 12 per week
You’ll be guided through essential bread theory and equipment. Alongside this you’ll make a starter, an enriched white loaf and use wholemeal flour for bread rolls.
You’ll be learning how to use your bread dough to make authentic pan pizza and spiced flatbreads.
Discover how to perfect the classic New York style bagels. Using a larger quantity of dough, you will learn how to shape, blanche, top and bake this chewy bread staple.
You’ll learn how to work with a heavily enriched dough to create a sweet soft Chelsea bun filled with custard.
You’ll be making an Italian biga to develop flavour in your focaccia.
You’ll be making a nutritiously dense Vollkornbrot with a distinct chew and rye flavour.
Another highly enriched dough to then master a chocolate, halva and orange babka.
You’ll be bulk fermenting and using a biga to make classic ciabatta loaves.
Master the complexities of a wild yeasted sourdough loaf, alongside practising the shaping, scoring and baking process.
You’ll be learning how to make laminated doughs, resulting in warm, buttery croissants and delicate pain au chocolat for a perfect breakfast pastry.
You’ll be guided through essential bread theory and equipment. Alongside this you’ll make a starter, an enriched white loaf and use wholemeal flour for bread rolls.
You’ll be learning how to use your bread dough to make authentic pan pizza and spiced flatbreads.
Discover how to perfect the classic New York style bagels. Using a larger quantity of dough, you will learn how to shape, blanche, top and bake this chewy bread staple.
You’ll learn how to work with a heavily enriched dough to create a sweet soft Chelsea bun filled with custard.
You’ll be making an Italian biga to develop flavour in your focaccia.
You’ll be making a nutritiously dense Vollkornbrot with a distinct chew and rye flavour.
Another highly enriched dough to then master a chocolate, halva and orange babka.
You’ll be bulk fermenting and using a biga to make classic ciabatta loaves.
Master the complexities of a wild yeasted sourdough loaf, alongside practising the shaping, scoring and baking process.
You’ll be learning how to make laminated doughs, resulting in warm, buttery croissants and delicate pain au chocolat for a perfect breakfast pastry.
Once you've met all the requirements to complete this course, you'll receive a verified Certificate of Completion.
Take a look at what previous students have said about their experience with Leiths Online, with reviews ranging from young cooks celebrating the start of their journey, to professional chefs successfully advancing their culinary skills.
Leiths Online Cookery School is a winning partnership between Leiths School of Food & Wine - the esteemed cookery school - and education technology pioneers, Workshop.
From its London school, Leiths has been equipping aspiring cooks with the skills to flourish in the food world since 1975. Through Workshop's unique hands-on learning experiences, Leiths is bringing the best of in-person teaching directly into people's kitchens around the world.
Putting the learner first is a founding philosophy common to both organisations. High-quality content delivered by top educators in the cookery world, tailored expert feedback and a close community network make it a joy to learn with Leiths Online.
Before enrolling, feel free to request a tour of the course below and you'll see how Leiths Online reimagines the learning experience.
Discover how easy it is to learn with Leiths Online Cookery School by trying this FREE taster session from the Basics to Baker course.
In this 'Wholemeal Rolls' session, Leiths' Chef, Hannah, will guide you through precise techniques for making, kneading, shaping and proving your dough.
You’ll be able to log into the Workshop app and access your class group discussion shortly before your start date so that you can chat away and get acquainted!
Shortly before your course start date, you will be invited to introduce yourself to the rest of your class via messaging on the Workshop app.
Each week, your class will unlock a new unit encouraging you all to cook the same dishes within the same week. At the end of every session, you will be asked to upload a photo of your dish, which your class and mentor will be able to view, like and provide feedback on.
Your class will be moving forward at a pace of 1 unit per week, however after each unit is unlocked you have the freedom to complete each session entirely at your own pace. You will also have the ability to schedule your sessions for times that suit your lifestyle.
This course has been carefully designed to make sure the advantages of real-world learning experiences are still embraced online. You will therefore be taken through the subject matter week-by-week to give you the chance to digest what you’ve learnt whilst progressing at a steady pace alongside your classmates. Unlike a real-world course though, you will also have the opportunity to revisit sessions and practice whenever and wherever you like!
Yes, we’ll send you a full equipment list after you have purchased the course. Make sure to keep an eye on your emails (including your spam folder) for this!
You can contact your mentor directly through the app at any time, and will receive a response within 48 hours. Your mentor will also be able to grade and comment on your photo uploads with any feedback they may have.
All Leiths Online courses are 18+ or require parental consent for those between 13-18. The exceptions are our Teens courses, which are exclusively for 13-18-year-olds.
The accreditation weekends at Leiths school in London have a wine element to them and are only for those aged 18 and over.
If you book your place over 30 days before your course start date, you can cancel your booking and claim a full refund within 30 days of your purchase.
If you book your place within 30 days of the course start date, you can claim a full refund within 14 days of your purchase.
You’ll have access to your course dashboard for a total time of 6 months after your start date.
Units (including video sessions and supporting materials) will become available week-by-week as your class progresses through the course.
There’s no need to worry if you have a family holiday booked or have to miss a week or two during the course. You’ll have access to your course dashboard, and the ability to contact your Leiths mentor, for 6 months from your course start date. This means you’ll have plenty of time to catch up if you need to.
Your class will be moving forward at a pace of 1 unit per week, however after each unit is unlocked you have the freedom to complete each session entirely at your own pace. You will also have the ability to schedule your sessions for times that suit your lifestyle.
This course has been carefully designed to make sure the advantages of real-world learning experiences are still embraced online. You will therefore be taken through the subject matter week-by-week to give you the chance to digest what you’ve learnt whilst progressing at a steady pace alongside your classmates. Unlike a real-world course though, you will also have the opportunity to revisit sessions and practice whenever and wherever you like!
We strongly encourage every student to finish their course within the allocated access period, as this ensures you stay on track and make the most of your learning experience. However, if you believe you need additional time, we are able to offer 3-month extensions at a cost of £100.
We review every case individually so if you need to request an extension please reach out to us at support@workshop.ws.
Please be aware that with a course extension, you will receive less regular contact time from your mentor as the usual course access period will have expired. To receive a certificate, you will still be required to photo uploads and complete any assessments if applicable.
