Baking Classes Bread Making Sourdough Pizza & Focaccia

Mayfield Farm Bakery

Harlow, Essex

4.4(717)·From £135.00·5h

Giovanni's Neapolitan pizza workshop at Mayfield Farm Bakery teaches the authentic techniques of wood-fired oven baking, from hand-working 24-hour leavened dough to creating perfect Italian focaccia and garlic bread. Based on a working farm in Harlow, Essex, this family-run bakery has been crafting traditional breads and pastries since 2010, combining time-honoured methods with modern expertise.

The bakery school specialises in bread making fundamentals, with courses covering everything from basic white dough techniques to advanced sourdough fermentation. Their beginner workshops focus on essential skills like hand kneading and proving, teaching students to shape classic bakery favourites including bloomers, cobs, and plaits, alongside specialty options like their signature Stilton and raisin loaf. The sourdough programme goes beyond basic bread making, showing students how to create starter cultures from scratch and transform scraps into crackers, breadsticks, and scones.

Each five-hour workshop follows a hands-on approach in the working bakery environment, with students learning ingredient chemistry and fermentation science alongside practical techniques. The pizza course includes instruction on proper dough handling and wood-fired oven management, whilst bread workshops cover shaping methods for both traditional and specialty loaves. All courses include ingredients, equipment, recipe sheets, and lunch, with students taking home substantial quantities of their creations - typically four to five loaves per bread workshop or multiple pizzas and focaccia from the Italian sessions.

These comprehensive workshops suit beginners seeking solid foundational skills and those who have experimented with baking but want to understand the science behind consistent results.

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