“My 13 year old daughter and I took Sam’s bread baking class as a mother-daughter activity. We had no idea we would enjoy it so much and learn such interesting things about the science behind dough! Bread making (especially bagels!) has become something my daughter and I continue to bond over long after the last class."
— Audrey, Philly
Fundamentals of Bread
A five class course
We combine hands-on practice with book learning to build a strong, bread-baking foundation. As we bake our way through baguettes, challah, whole-grain sourdough, and bagels, our class will become a more than a place to get information. It becomes a baking community. You can't get the same learning experience in a one-off bread class.
During every two-hour class we will bake finished loaves and we will send you home with fresh dough that you can bake at home. Materials are included in the price of the class as well as the Backyard Bread workbook with recipes and tips.
Price: $220 for 5 classes, materials and Companion Book included
Jewish Education
Hands on learning for daily life and festivals
Since returning to Western Massachusetts. Sam has specialized in Jewish baking classes and programming. The Hebrew school kids learn to bake a different bread every week, and for challah week they make sixty challahs which get frozen for Saturday kiddush. When Purim comes around, familes come and make six hundred hamentaschen to be served at the synagogue Purim party. Local Elementary Schools do field trips to the synagogue to learn more about Judaism and Sam grinds wheat, makes pita, and makes hummus from scratch with the kids before they go into the sanctuary to meet the Rabbi and see a Torah scroll (often for the first time). This baking and teaching blends the lines of bakery-education-community.
The organizations that Sam regularly works for include: Congregation B’nai Israel and Abundance Farm, The Jewish Community of Amherst, and Circles for Jewish Living.
Custom Bread Workshops
For work or for fun, designed for you
We can design bread classes for any event, party, or get together. Once we know the goal of the event and who is coming, we put our teacher hats on and start lesson planning. We have designed customized workshops for:
Birthday parties
A high school chemistry class
An inter-generational community housing get-together
A fundraiser
A work party
Hebrew School special events
At these events we have taught sourdough, challah, bagels, rye, wood-fired pizza, and more. You dream up a bread and we can teach it!
Our Teaching Philosophy
Great baking, excellent teaching. We care as much about our teaching skills as we do our baking skills.
We expect varying abilities in the skill level, physicality, and learning speed of our students.
Bread builds community and that's why we do this.