Zingerman's Baking and Cooking Classes in Ann Arbor

Every baker should know how to make a pie crust. You never stood on a chair to help Grandma bake a pie? You don’t get many second chances in life, but here’s your opportunity to learn how she did it.

In this hands-on class, we’ll deliver the techniques of how to make a pie crust the Zingerman's Bakehouse way—creating a flaky crust with butter, and another crust using lard and butter (no shortening allowed!). We'll teach you how to make the dough by hand and successfully roll it out, show you what "par-baking" and "blind-baking" a crust means, and also how to crimp the edges to make your pies look beautiful. Pie flavors for this class vary by season (April-Sept: Blueberry and Lemon Chess; Oct-Mar: Apple and Pecan). Roll up your sleeves and join in the fun so you can tell all your friends you learned how to make a pie crust.

For some history on the American pie classics, apple and pecan, head to our blog and read: "Baking Apple Pies A Plenty for the Holidays" and "The All-American Pecan Pie."

You'll leave the BAKE! class with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them and make pie crust at home, and the two pies you made in class.

In-person: We'll end the in-person class with a pie tasting and you'll go home with some great coupons.

What our guests have to say about this class:

I thought I knew plenty about pie crust and was hoping for more confidence and consistency. I learned more than I could've ever imagined. Encouraging, no-judgment environment, knowledgable teachers, great value. —Josh B.

I am so much more confident and I can't wait to try these crusts at home. First time in 100 years that I made a crust that fit the pan, was delicious, and didn't come from a box. —Lee Anne S.

Have long feared the pie, even though I made okay ones. Techniques=confidence=more pies. My friends will thank you. —Susan L.

It's no secret we love rye around here! In this hands-on class, we'll teach you to make three varieties of rye bread that Zingerman’s Bakehouse is famous for: our Onion Rye and Pumpernickel, as well as Vorterkaker, a Norwegian 100% rye. Each bread has its own unique personality that you’re sure to love. Our Onion Rye is brimming with flavor thanks to fresh, caramelized onions and lots of poppy seeds baked inside and on top. Our old-world-style Pumpernickel bread is dark, moist, and also full of flavor. Both these ryes are made with the same detailed process and organic rye sour as its cousin, our famous Jewish Rye bread. And Vorterkaker? You’ve never baked a bread like this before. It’s a traditional rye baked into a flat disc and flavored with fennel and anise seeds.

All of the rockin’ rye varieties we’ll make in class are moist and full of flavor, thanks in no small part to our organic rye sour starter. We also use what we call “old” in our recipe. It’s simply rye bread from a previous day mixed with water to make a mush. It adds to the texture of the bread and spiritually connects today to yesterday, recognizing the circularity of our lives. We use more rye flour and less yeast than other bakeries, bake our loaves on a stone hearth, and mist the crust with water right out of the oven. That quick steam makes the thin crust shiny and crispy. 

No matter which rye bread you like best, your sandwiches will be sending you thank-you notes!

You'll leave the BAKE! class with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, and all the rye breads you made in class.

In-Person: We'll end class with a rye bread tasting and you'll also go home with some great coupons.

Virtual (2-day): On Day 1, we'll meet for an hour to mix our rye sour, before fermenting it overnight, and answer any questions you may have. On Day 2 we'll mix our doughs and then shape, proof, and bake all 3 rye breads.

There are so many wonderful flatbreads from around the world. In this hands-on class, we'll first mix up and griddle some Mexican Corn Tortillas and Moroccan M’Smen, a versatile, flavor-forward, laminated flatbread; then, move on to make Whole Wheat Pita, and finish with a demo of Indian Naan. You'll get plenty of practice mixing, kneading, shaping, and rolling out your doughs. We'll finish them on a griddle and in the oven, and discuss how to use a baking stone. Open up your mind and your recipe box to the world of flatbreads! You'll be a flatbread fanatic before you know it!

You’ll leave BAKE! with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, and all the flatbreads you made in class.

In-Person: We'll end class with a flatbread tasting and you'll go home with some great coupons.

Join us for one of our best hands-on classes for new bakers, where you'll learn how to make traditional French baguettes the Zingerman's Bakehouse way. Most commercial bread in stores labeled “baguette”, are soft and bland, bearing no resemblance to the traditional French bread that Parisian bakers first developed around 1920. When a law went into effect forbidding them from starting to work before 4 am, they began baking the long thin loaves that are synonymous with French baking today.

In this class, we'll teach you to make our traditional French baguette recipe—starting with a flavorful poolish (bakers call it a pre-ferment, it’s like a starter) and mixing up our bread dough. We'll then go over the techniques of hand rolling and shaping the dough into baguettes, which we'll proof and then bake to a crispy golden brown. Imagine serving breakfast to out-of-town guests and bringing out a perfect baguette that they swear must have been airlifted from Paris.

You'll leave the BAKE! class with our French baguette recipe, the knowledge to recreate it at home, and the baked French baguettes you made in class as well as the dough you will make.

In-Person Class: We'll end class with a tasting and you'll also leave with some great coupons.

Virtual Class: We will send out a video two days before class showing how to make a poolish the day before class.

What our guests have to say about this class:

I came in never having tried making bread and I feel I'm leaving with the knowledge to try and create some on my own. —Nate R.

Everyone should know how to make baguettes like this. I've been trying to make good baguettes for awhile. This has opened my mind. —John D.

Taking your baking classes has given me the confidence to bake more frequently, trying new recipes to prepare for friends and family. —Lisa S.

Is “More Cheese Please!” a ready refrain of yours when getting fired up to bake? Do sweet and savory baked treats oozing with cheesy deliciousness trigger feelings of euphoria, make you happy, lighten your mood as only cheese can do? (Recent scientific research has found that cheese does indeed have the power to make us feel good!) If so, then this hands-on class is for you! 

We’ll teach you how to make three tasty recipes where cheese reigns supreme: Cheesy Pepper Crackers to pair with your favorite cheese and charcuterie board; the Bakehouse’s Cornish-style Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pasty with a flaky all-butter crust for a handy supper; and for dessert or afternoon tea, a rich Raspberry Ricotta Cake. Along the way you’ll learn a variety of techniques and get plenty of hands-on practice mixing, rolling, and baking up your cheesy creations.

You’ll leave the BAKE! class with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, and dinner for four, including 3 dozen crackers, 4 pasties, and a 9-inch cake.  

In-Person: We'll end class with a tasting of what we made and you'll go home with some great coupons.