Why Take Baking & Pastry Courses
When COVID-19 put the world on lockdown, baking staples were almost as scarce as toilet paper. According to Nielsen Data reported by Commercial Baking magazine, baking yeast sales increased by a staggering 457%, baking powder by 178% and flour increased 155%, over the previous year ending March 28, 2019. The people of the world clearly “kneaded their dough” at the time. This trend, towards delicious, artisan-quality, hand-made baked goods and pastries continues. There is an evident and growing enthusiasm for all things baking and pastry.
Bakers on the Rise
Since the pandemic, and perhaps in part due to an expanded fondness for “real food” and “artisanal quality,” there’s been a rise (pun intended) in the demand for locally produced artisan baked goods across the country. Market Research Future reports that the artisan bakery industry is expected to grow from $5.34 Billion in 2024 to $7.777 Billion by 2032. They suggest that a driver for this growth is “… the expanding consumer desire for more delicious and genuinely produced bread.”
Demand for Qualified Bakers and Patissiers
With such an explosive demand in quality baked goods, cakes, candies and pastries, many are considering career changes. Others are looking at the business opportunities for bakers, cake decorators, patissiers, and confectioners. You might even be searching for “baking and pastry programs near me.” The question then is, what does it take to become a professional baker or patissier? And, is it worth the time and money to earn a Baking & Pastry degree or certificate?
We’ll explore, in this brief article, what you can expect to learn in the Baking & Pastry program at Laney College. Whichever baking or pastry career path you choose, at $46 per unit, Laney College is truly an affordable option. World-class, trained culinary professionals teach every course. The commercial facilities provide a professional brigade kitchen experience. The skills required to graduate the program provide an effective entry into a thriving career as a baker, confectioner or patissier. These skills can all be applied in your own business or to excel as a professional in commercial kitchens around the globe.
A certificate or degree in these programs creates pathways to employment as a baker, pastry chef, owner or even a food industry trend setter.
Learn Baking Fundamentals
Even the most experienced home baker can learn a thing or two about baking fundamentals. The Baking and Pastry Program at Laney College prepares students for a future in the restaurant and hospitality industry. A certificate or degree in these programs creates pathways to employment as a baker, pastry chef, or bakery owner. You might even become a food industry trend setter. The A.S. or Associate of Science degree track supports a transition to a four-year college for further study and advanced work in the industry.
The Certificate program in Baking & Pastry takes four semesters, over two years, and prepares you for entry level opportunities in commercial bakeries, restaurants, and kitchens. In these courses you learn how to create pies and doughs with varying fillings, as well as how to deal with common faults in pies, for a flawless presentation. You’ll get to know the difference between a biscuit and a scone and how to create basic cookies using the “creaming method.” If you’ve ever wondered how to create a classic Pâte à Choux, this would be the course for you!
World Class Culinary Instruction
As a world-class Culinary Arts program, you will, of course, learn the basics and fundamentals employed by commercial kitchens and restaurants around the world, including standards of cleanliness and safety in the kitchen (and kitchen laboratories). What’s more, you’ll pick up many of the much coveted commercial knife skills. In the Laney College Culinary Arts programs, you get a true taste of what it’s like to work in a commercial kitchen including teamwork, communication, uniforms, and the importance of punctuality. You’ll have an opportunity to develop these traits in these courses and as you work in the commercial kitchen labs. Students can expect to measure and understand basic mathematics. Laney College offers the support and classes for students whose math skills might need some reinforcement. This is a benefit many cooking schools or culinary institutes don’t provide.
From tarts, tartlets and cheesecake to pâte sucrée, pâte brisée, and pâte à choux, at Laney you’ll find a world of classical baking skills, techniques for the production of exquisite baked goods, pastries, and remarkable desserts.
Learn Classical Baking Techniques
In addition to cakes, pastries and candy making, the programs at Laney provide a history and practical training in the most fundamental baked good, bread. With basic principles, you will learn formulas for measurement, mixing techniques, the baking process, and all about gluten development. You’ll get to know types of yeast, yeast dough production, and how to control fermentation. If artisan baking is your focus, you’ll better understand the definition of “artisan.” And, you’ll develop familiarity with other common industry terminology. Courses provide opportunities to learn and explore the various types of flour, lean and rich doughs, pre-ferments, sourdoughs, formulas and autolyse, and fermentation processes.
Know All Types of Dough
Breads come with staggering variety and you’ll learn to prepare a variety of breads in each category. In commercial kitchen labs, similar to kitchens of restaurants, bakeries, hotels, and institutions around the world, you’ll learn to prepare lean yeast doughs, like ciabatta and baguette; sourdoughs, with starters from apple, potato and rye; sponge and pre-ferment breads; Danish dough for coffee cakes, sticky buns and Danish pastries, and rich doughs like challah, panettone, stollen, brioche, and babka.
There’s no holiday gathering without bread to bring us together. These traditions aren’t lost in the baking programs at Laney College Culinary. You’ll get hands-on experience in both soft crusted and crisp crusted bread as well as opportunities to bake holiday breads, braided loaves, rolls, and laminated dough. After these courses you’ll have your choice of holiday meal invitations.
… you’ll also be able to evaluate specialty ingredients for use in cake baking and decoration, as well as cake fillings and cake finishes.
The Business of Cakes and Cake Decorating
Marie Antoinette might not have actually said it, but once you’ve earned a Baking & Pastry certificate or degree, you’ll certainly want to “let them eat cake!” In the courses at Laney, you’ll learn more than just cake baking techniques. You’ll get the history of cake, including ingredients and the folklore of cake from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, America, Asia and Mexico.
Mastery in Chemistry and Science of Cakes
When it’s time to get down to business, baking and decorating cakes, you’ll gain mastery in the chemistry and science of cake baking. Baking and Pastry students develop an understanding of fats used for cake-baking and decorating as well as sweeteners, leaveners, and flours. The science and classification of cakes will give you a richer understanding of the types of cakes and their differences. With a firm understanding of cake types, cake ingredients and their qualities for cake baking applications, you’ll also be able to evaluate specialty ingredients for use in cake baking and decoration, as well as cake fillings and cake finishes.
Learn Professional Cake Decorating Techniques
The wonderful world of cakes and pastries doesn’t stop at the oven. In addition to cake classifications and the variety of cake fillings, you’ll learn about finishing cakes, the icing, or ganache, or poured fondant, on the cake, if you will… Whether it’s Italian, French, Swiss, marzipan, cream cheese or airbrush, there’s a nearly infinite variety of ways to top your cake. Your skills in cake finishing will, once your coursework is completed, undoubtedly, take the cake.
You’ll not only learn about finishes, but how to make paper cones for piping and identify specialized cake decorating tools. You’ll be able to assemble and decorate a cake, cover it in rolled fondant, and write the fondest happy birthday wishes atop your whipped egg white angel food cake with a cornet you made yourself. With consistency being a key to successful culinary ventures, including baking and pastry, you’ll learn to tort and fill cakes efficiently and consistently, from crumb coats to combed and textured sides.
International Pastry 
No world-class pastry and baking program would be without an international pastry class. The program at Laney Culinary is no exception. With chef-instructors trained internationally, you’ll learn the techniques, history, and recipes for pastries with a global perspective. It’s a comprehensive experience in the baked goods and pastries that have sweetened lives around the globe for centuries.
Candy Making and the Confiserie
If a worldly perspective on cakes and pastries isn’t quite enough, the Laney Culinary program also offers study and practical experience in candy making and confiserie (that’s French for confectionaries, sweets, and candy). You’ll study the history, origins, and manufacturing of chocolate and get familiar with confiserie candies. Additionally, courses also feature useful insights into preparing, pricing, and packaging confections. Using the specialty equipment for the manufacture of candy and confections will become second nature as you prepare these delightful candies and confections in a commercial kitchen.
All this will prepare you to excel as a patissier in fine-dining establishments or to create your own masterpieces as a baker or confectioner.
Plated Desserts
The last dish to be enjoyed at a meal shouldn’t be the last thing you’ll consider. This is why the Laney Baking & Pastry Program teaches more than just breads, pastries, cakes, and candies. Lessons also include the art of plated and frozen desserts. In addition to effective preparation and presentation, you’ll learn about the qualities of commercial ice cream and how to prepare sorbets and sherbets. These classes provide invaluable, transferable skills with a practical understanding of visual presentation, plating, preparation, and terminology. All this prepares you to excel as a patissier in fine-dining establishments or to create your own masterpieces as a baker or confectioner.
Restaurant and Bakery Operations
While you’re working in commercial kitchen labs, you’ll also be gaining insights into how commercial, scratch, and brigade kitchens operate. These skills include professional work habits and how to accommodate dietary restrictions and specialized preparations. The course work and learning objectives prepare you for entry into the rewarding world of restaurants and hospitality. They also provide the confidence and skills required to thrive and explore your own culinary creativity.
The program, through the course of your study, will give you real opportunities to dazzle and inspire actual customers. Events and gatherings around the Laney campus often feature student culinary creations.
Training also includes work at the Laney Bistro. This campus restaurant offers a refined, international dining experience to the community several evenings a week. Laney Bistro dinner services provide real opportunities to test your culinary learning. Your visually stunning, flavorful, and thoughtful culinary creations will be on display, just as they would be as a working culinary professional.
A Future Proof Culinary Career
The growing interest in quality, artisan baked goods, pastries, and candies will continue. Career opportunities, for those with the training and experience to meet the growing demand, will abound. The continued availability of employment is almost guaranteed as just about everyone eats baked goods daily. A certificate or degree in Baking and Pastry from Laney College Culinary Arts could almost assuredly future proof your career. In the event of another pandemic lock down, you might be considered an essential worker and see no loss of work. Otherwise, you can dazzle your neighbors with the delightful aroma of fresh baked goods wafting from your home kitchen. Either way, you’ll be eating well and enjoying your time as a baking and pastry professional with a Laney Culinary certificate or degree.
Learn more about the Baking & Pastry and Restaurant & Hospitality programs at Laney College by visiting Laney.edu/Culinary_Arts.