Artisan I: Professional Baking with Craig Ponsford

Class open to Professional Bakers and Serious Amateur Bakers

Artisan 1 is the first in a three part series designed to educate the professional artisan bread baker. This rigorous two day course focuses on the fundamentals of bread baking as it applies to the professional and lays the foundation upon which the next courses will build. The first day will include a lecture on flour & milling in addition to an in-depth dive into what is truly going on in the mixing bowl. The second day will production focused with a large amount of products made.

Topics covered in the course:

• Baking terminology

• Essential ingredients

• Fundamentals of bread formulation

• Using preferments inoculated with commercial yeast

• Mixing techniques

• Fermentation styles

• Shaping principals

• Scoring and baking

Day One: Tuesday June 7th, 8am – 4pm
Day Two: Wednesday June 8th, 8am – 4pm

Breakfast and lunch will be served both days.

COVID-19 Protocol

All course attendees and guests of the Artisan Baking Center and Keith Giusto Bakery Supply are subject to the current COVID-19 Health Orders and Guidance as set forth by the County of Sonoma in regards to face covering requirements or proof of vaccination. Course instructors may also wish to request certain health and safety standards for their courses. Attendees will receive such requirements and current standards in a pre-class email 48 hours prior to the class date.

Please stay home if you’re experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. Email us at [email protected] if this occurs. 

For Californians you can get your digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record here.

Instructor Bio

Craig Ponsford graduated from the California Culinary Academy with top honors and opened Artisan Bakers with his family in Sonoma California in 1992. In 1996 his breads won the Gold medal at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris. He then went on to coach the US Team to victory in 1999. He has coached each U.S. team since and served as U.S. judge at the 2002 and 2005 Coupe du Monde and 2007 Louis LeSaffe Cup held in Argentina.  He currently is an instructor at the Artisan Baking Center in Petaluma, California and has his own bakery/innovation center, Ponsford’s Place, in his home town of San Rafael. Craig was an early member of the Bread Baker’s Guild of America and has volunteered as the guild’s chairman for the past eight years. In his teaching at various culinary institutions and in his international consulting for product development and systems optimization he emphasizes quality of ingredients, techniques and product.

Categories: Baking Class, Intermediate, Professional