Zingerman's Baking and Cooking Classes in Ann Arbor

BAKE! is Zingerman's hands-on teaching bakery in Ann Arbor, MI, tucked between Zingerman's Bakehouse and Zingerman's Creamery.

We offer dozens of different bread, pastry, and cake hands-on baking classes and cooking classes both in our teaching kitchens and online for virtual classes. We also offer the ability to customize your experience with private classes, both in-person or virtual.

All of us at Zingerman's Bakehouse know the joy and excitement of baking something really good and sharing it with friends when it's hot out of the oven. Our baking and cooking classes will leave you with that same joy, the food you made, and the inspiration and skills to continue your baking journey.

Our in-person classes (except for family classes & kids camps) are designed for adults aged 17 and up. Virtual classes (except for virtual kids classes) are designed for adults as well, however, households are welcome to participate together, so kids can join in the fun, too.

We want to encourage a love of cooking and baking early, so we also offer a variety of classes designed for kids that include multi-day camps for kids and teens, and more. Head to the kids’ classes and private classes pages for more information.

Upcoming BAKE! Classes

March

29

2024

Easter Baking

1:00 pm
To
5:00 pm EDT

Hop on over for some sensational springtime baking. In this hands-on class, we'll start with every bunny’s favorite cake—carrot, of course! We’ll make Carrot Cupcakes from scratch that are loaded with freshly grated carrots (for incredible moistness and a fresh sweetness), toasted walnuts, and aromatic spices. They’re delicious on their own, but we’ll take them over the top with a generous amount of irresistible cream cheese frosting. 

Next, we’ll make soft, yeasted Hot Cross Buns made with oatmeal, raisins, currants, and candied orange peel, all topped with an icing cross. It’s a good thing we’re making a dozen of these traditional Easter treats, because it’s hard to eat just one!

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

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

For some storied history of hot cross buns, head to our blog and read: "Hot Cross Buns: The Easter Treat with a Big Story."

Virtual Class
$85.00
5 spots left

April

4

2024

Dinner Series: More Cheese Please!

1:00 pm
To
5:00 pm EDT

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.

In-Person Class
$135.00
5 spots left

April

5

2024

Two Jewish Jewels

1:00 pm
To
5:00 pm EDT

Join us for this hands-on class, as we make two of our favorite Jewish jewels in the Bakehouse's crown. 

First, a loaf rooted in age-old Jewish tradition and laden with symbolism: Challah, a soft bread enriched with eggs, oil, and honey that was first made by Ashkenazi Jews in 15th-century Central Europe. We'll teach you to make your own rich challah dough from scratch and then how to shape your loaf into a traditional six-stranded braid. The braiding of challah was originally an adaptation from a local Teutonic solstice bread and its strands—resembling arms intertwined—came to symbolize love as well as truth, peace, creation, freedom, harmony, family connection, unity, and justice.

The next Jewish jewel we'll make is one of the Bakehouse's best-selling Jewish pastries: Rugelach (Yiddish for "little twists"). These royally delicious cookies are made with a crispy, flaky, cream cheese pastry, sprinkled in cinnamon sugar, and rolled around a sweet filling. Together, we'll make the Bakehouse's cream cheese pastry from scratch, roll it around our favorite walnut and currant filling and then bake our rugelach to crispy, flaky, perfection. 

If you've not yet tried one of these traditional Jewish jewels, now is the time.

You'll leave the BAKE! class with our recipes, the knowledge to create them at home, and the challah and rugelach you made in class.

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

For more challah history, head to our blog and read: "Hurray for Holiday Challah!"

In-Person Class
$135.00
3 spots left

April

6

2024

Celebrate Chocolate

1:30 pm
To
5:30 pm EDT

Calling all chocolate lovers! Let's bake some of our favorite treats that will satisfy your need for a chocolate fix: Hot Cocoa coffee cake and chocolate ganache-filled S’Mores tart topped with meringue. In this hands-on class, we'll teach you a variety of vital baking techniques and versatile components, too! 

You'll leave the BAKE! class with our recipes, the knowledge to recreate them at home, and the Hot Cocoa cake and S'mores tart you made in class.

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

Virtual: You'll need a stand mixer with a whip attachment or a hand-held mixer to make the meringue topping for the S'mores tart. A torch for toasting the meringue is helpfully delicious but not required. 

What our guests have to say about this class:

This was an ambitious class! We accomplished a great deal without feeling rushed or pressured to finish—the class moved along at a comfortable pace. My knowledge of baking methods and techniques continues to grow and I continue to be amazed by the level of instruction. —Dara K.

I knew absolutely nothing about baking before coming to this class and was quite nervous about being thrown into it, but the instructor did a wonderful job demonstrating everything in a totally understandable way. I feel far more confident! —William J.

In-Person Class
$135.00
3 spots left

April

7

2024

Cinn-ful Cinnamon Rolls

8:00 am
To
12:00 pm EDT

Join us for one of our most popular hands-on classes! Your family and house guests won't soon forget waking up to the aroma of butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar from freshly baked sweet rolls. Learn how it's done! In this hands-on class, we'll teach you the basic techniques of creating a sweet dough. You'll get plenty of hands-on practice in class with mixing, kneading, hand-shaping, and proofing yeasted doughs. 

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

In-Person: We'll end class with a tasting of what we made and you'll leave with sweet dough to bake at home later as well as some great coupons. If you're traveling more than an hour to attend, you may want to bring a cooler and ice pack to class with you for storing your bake-at-home sweet dough on the ride home.

Virtual (2-day): On Day 1, we'll make our sweet dough, before refrigerating it overnight. On Day 2, we'll teach you to make and bake three delicious treats both sweet and savory.

 

What our guests have to say about this class:

I've been baking for years and have worked in a bakery—I just love learning new tricks I might not know. —Barb S.

The cinnamon rolls were as light as pillows and the taste was pure heaven. —Joyce S.

Such a nice experience! I don't have much baking experience and I loved every minute of it! —Jolie S.

This was my best class yet, out of probably a dozen. I love the versatility of what I can do with the dough. —Beth S.

Include

In-Person Class
$135.00
3 spots left