Learn How To Bake Like A Pro With 2024‘s Top 14 Best Online Baking Classes [Free + Paid]

Baking is often just considered a fun hobby, but the truth is – it’s not easy! A lot of thought, effort, and skill goes into producing delicious baking.

Luckily, there are many interactive online baking classes that you can take from your own kitchen to up your baking game at home.

Whether you are new to baking or an experienced baker who wants to refine their skills, the following list will point you to some of the very best online baking classes available.

Talented pastry chefs, bread makers, and bakers have compiled their expertise into fun, informative, and delicious courses.

Before you know it your house will be filled with the comforting smell of sourdough bread or the sweet aroma of chocolate brownies. We only wish we could be there to taste test your culinary creations!

Top 14 Best Online Baking Classes 2024

---

1. Bake Like A Pro With Joanne Chang (MasterClass)

There are some topics where I think  the MasterClass format isn’t very effective, but baking is certainly not one of them. And with the introduction of MasterClass Sessions, it’s like a private class for home cooks honing their skills to appear on America’s Test Kitchen. 

Even better, you get to learn from James Beard Award winner Joanne Chang. She’ll give you an intro to baking you’d expect from a cooking school and then walk you through the recipes that make this the best online baking class we found.

At the end of this 30 day session, you’ll have mastered Joanne’s recipes for sticky buns, vanilla vanilla cake, chewy chocolate chip cookies and double-crust apple pie. Not only that, she’ll walk you through developing your own custom cookie and showstopper layer cake recipes. 

Don’t just follow recipes, create your own. 

And with a MasterClass subscription, you get access to all 200 courses and upcoming classes. So bakers can broaden their bread-making skills as Apollonia Poilane Teaches Bread Baking, dessert lovers can follow Dominique Ansel Teaches French Pastry Fundamentals and aspiring chefs can round out their menu with Wolfgang Puck Teaches Cooking. 

• James Beard Award Winning Instructor
• Beginner-friendly
• Progressive curriculum & instructor feedback in this new MasterClass Session format 
• Shar ideas and get feedback from other bakers in your community

2. Easy & Versatile Baking: The One Yeast Dough You Need to Know (Skillshare)

Do you really love baking but are feeling a little lost in the kitchen? Then this Skillshare course can provide you with the guidance you need to feel more confident! The 4 lessons are jam-packed with step-by-step baking tips for home bakers and will only take you 28 minutes to work through.

Author, chef, recipe developer and baker, Julia Turshen teaches this popular and informative course. Maybe you haven’t heard of her (yet) but she’s the co-author on best-selling cookbooks with Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Dana Cowin.

She delivers tons of useful tips but keeps things light, fun, and fluffy (which is what your Raspberry Jam Buns will look after you take this course).

Students get a thoughtful overview of the fundamentals including the proper technique to combine ingredients, a primer for getting your yeast dough to rise, and step-by-step instructions for the optimal kneading technique. You’ll top it all off by preparing a signature yeast-roll recipe the whole family will love.

Being hosted on Skillshare, users can take advantage of a 1-month FREE trial which gives complete access to this course and 29,000 others.

• Great foundational course
• Beginner-friendly
• Highly popular course – 6,500+ students!
• Student projects can be viewed on the webpage – great for inspiration!

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

3. Skill Success: Sourdough Baking Mastery – Artisan Bread And Pastry (SkillSuccess)

In this baking course, you will learn to bake delicious Sourdough Breads and Pastries by a French Artisan Baker in the comfort of your own home. All recipes will be completed with your very own Sourdough Starter which you will learn to make completely from scratch!

In 46 video lessons, you learn the Sourdough techniques and methods to bake bread and pastries in the following delicious recipes:

• Bagels
• Sourdough Bread
• Rye Bread
• Rustic Baguettes
• Croissants
• Sourdough Starter

Included in this course is also a free E-book PDF containing all recipe ingredients and instructions for quick and easy reference.

• Beginner-friendly!
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on desktop or mobile
• Highly affordable

4. Skillshare: Know Yo Dough: Baking Tools, Tips, and Techniques (Skillshare)

Have you ever run into problems with your dough while baking? Reliably making good dough is an integral part of being a good baker. In this Skillshare course, instructor Becky Sue Wilberding of BakingTheGoods.com will introduce you to three great recipes that will make you a dough pro!

Students will gain valuable insight on how to perfect your dough by making lemon poppyseed shortbread cookies, maple walnut scones, and lemon herb dinner rolls. Each of these recipes requires a different kind of dough, so it’s great practice for an aspiring baker!

The first of the 14 lessons in this 1-hour long course will discuss the importance of using quality ingredients while baking (hint, you can taste the difference). Becky will also share her top 10 baking tools with you.

A baker of any skill level can take this course on Skillshare. All you need is one hour to spare and the willingness to get to know yo dough! Again, this course is FREE to try on Skillshare!

• Popular course: 1,154 students
• Can be accessed for free during the trial period on Skillshare
• Focuses on dough techniques
• Beginner friendly, but useful to all levels

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

5. Udemy: #1 Sourdough Bread Baking 101 (Udemy)

Do you love the taste of sourdough bread? Do you want to learn how to make it yourself – from scratch? Here is your chance to learn from the best! Sourdough expert and founder of Northwest Sourdough, Teresa Greenway, will have you whipping up crispy, holey sourdough loaves in no time.

This course is for beginners who have no prior sourdough experience, and don’t let the idea of making your own sourdough starter deter you. Throughout 42 video lessons, Teresa will teach you the basics like how to make and care for your starter, how to mix and fold the dough, and how to shape, score, and bake the dough.

She will also give you handy tips on what basic baking equipment you’ll need and fill you in on why it’s really important to weigh your ingredients. Sourdough is a science, but after this 2-hour course, sourdough won’t seem so scary anymore!

• Full lifetime access to the course
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on mobile or TV
• Popular class – 12,887 students!
• High rating – 4.5 stars!

Visit Udemy.com

6. Udemy: How to Bake: Baking Basics – 6 Classic Bakes (Udemy)

Are you looking to expand your baking repertoire and add some new recipes to your cookbook? This Udemy course will teach you the skills you need to tackle six classic baking recipes that every baker should know.

Learn how to bake Victoria sponge cake, carrot cake, chocolate brownies, butter biscuits, French meringues, and an exciting bonus recipe provided by instructor and professional baker, Rachel Reynolds. Over the course of 8 short lessons, Rachel will walk you through all of the aforementioned recipes.

This course is meant for a novice baker who is experienced in the kitchen but wants to gain more confidence. The students found that this course was easy to follow along with the recipes and that they picked up some helpful baking tips.

We guarantee this great 1.5 hour-long online baking course will leave you feeling awesome about your new skills and leave your kitchen smelling oh, so good!

• High 4.6-star rating!
• Access to 6 great recipes
• Low time commitment
• High beginner/Intermediate level
• Lifetime access to course material
• Certificate of completion

Visit Udemy.com

7. Gluten-Free Baking Academy: Gluten-Free Baking Courses (Gluten-Free Baking Academy)

You might have figured it out already, but this course is designed for those of you who follow a gluten-free diet or who bake for someone else that does. Gluten-free has sadly become almost synonymous with flavor-free. But the recipes you learn in this course will help change that flawed perception!

The Gluten-Free Baking Academy offers two-course options: Cookies 101 and Bread Baking. In Cookies 101 you will get access to 13 recipes that you will learn over the course of 13 lessons. The recipes include peanut-butter cookies, shortbread cookies, florentines, and more which is all self-paced.

Bread Baking is actually a 4-week long guided course and it covers topics like flatbreads, quick breads, yeasted bread, and sourdough bread. This will open a whole new world of possibilities as far as GF bread options go!

This is the best online baking course for someone that is vegan or has dietary sensitivities. All the recipes in both courses are actually completely free of eggs, dairy, and highly processed starches of flours.

Come join gluten-free baking expert Heather Crosby to learn how to keep the flavor alive while tossing out all the stuff that makes you feel bad!

• Takes dietary needs into account
• Access to lots of great recipes
• The only course on the list that provides gluten-free and vegan options

Visit Glutenfreebakingacademy.com

8. Skill Success: Beginner Baking Course: Artisan Pastry And Desserts (Skill Success)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to bake delicious pastries and desserts but didn’t know where to start? Then this is the course for you. Learn everything you need to know about getting started from a French Artisan Baker, Marceau Dauboin, who has taught students from across the globe.

You will learn the techniques and methods to bake artisan level pastries and desserts in the following delicious recipes:

• Chocolate Brownies
• Apple Tart (Pâte Sablée)
• Doughnuts (Chocolate and Cinnamon)
• Stroopwafels
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Tarte Tatin (Puff Pastry)

Included in this course is a free original ebook containing all pastry recipe ingredients and instructions for quick and easy reference

• Beginner-friendly!
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on desktop or mobile
• Highly affordable

9. Cakeflix (Cakeflix)

Cakeflix is basically like a library for cake ideas. With a subscription, you can get access to literally hundreds (957 to be exact) of cake tutorials and other cool features like regular live shows and a cake of the month competition.

This is a great option for a somewhat experienced baker who is looking for some creative ideas and guidance when baking. You get to choose between easy, intermediate, and advanced options depending on what your baking skill level is.

If you don’t feel like committing to a full subscription, don’t worry. You can also buy individual tutorials. When you click on a tutorial that you are interested in you will get presented with a bunch of information.

This information includes the skill level required to make the recipe; the number of videos in the tutorial; the approximate time it will take to decorate; example photos of the completed cake; a detailed overview of the steps involved; and who the instructor is.

Cakeflix will give you tons of ideas on how to incorporate different themes such as animals, music, flowers, and sports into your cake design. You will also have access to decorating tips and techniques such as floral techniques and wedding styles.

• Access to hundreds of designs
• Suitable for all levels
• Great resource for finding creative cake decoration ideas
• Can buy a subscription or individual tutorials depending on your needs

Visit Cakeflix.com

10. Skillshare: Easy & Versatile Baking: The One Yeast Dough You Need to Know (Skillshare)

Yeast dough is finicky, tricky, and really easy to mess up. This quick 28-minute long course will save you a lot of misery in the kitchen. And it is one of the best online baking courses if you want to learn how to make a successful yeast dough.

Recipe developer and chef Julia Turshen will teach you how to make the perfect dough, using her raspberry jam buns recipe as a model. In 6 lessons she will give you the low down on working with yeast and making a high-quality dough.

You will be left with some delicious raspberry jam buns and a lot of useful knowledge about working with yeast in the kitchen. And next time you see a recipe that includes yeast, you won’t groan with dismay.

This course is meant for beginners, but anyone who has a yeast phobia can take this short course. Being able to work with yeast dough is a great skill that any aspiring baker should have!

If you want to learn more about this platform, you can see my full Skillshare review!

• Popular course! 2,541 students
• Can be accessed for free with a 2-month free trial on Skillshare
• Low time commitment
• Beginner-friendly!
• Special focus on yeast dough

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

11. Udemy: Become a Great Baker #1: Mastering the Tarte Tatin (Udemy)

If you think a Tarte Tatin sounds fancy and French, you’re not wrong! But if you think that you can’t make one yourself, then you are wrong. This Udemy course will cover all aspects of the Tarte Tatin from start to finish. No previous baking or cake decorating experience is necessary.

To make a Tarte Tatin you will need a few basic baking utensils such as cake pans and a rolling pin. For some of the decorations, you will also need a stencil and a silicone mat. If you are serious about baking then these are things that you should have in your kitchen anyway.

Award-winning pastry chef Irit Ishai will guide you through 27 lessons and 4 hours of course material. She’ll start by introducing you to what a Tarte Tatin is and then break down the skills you will need to assemble one successfully.

These skills include: making caramel and caramelizing; assembling the tart; making puff pastry treats; creating tuile and sugar decorations; baking the tarts, and plating and serving the tarts. Challenge yourself to step into your fancy chef shoes and make this delectable classic pastry!

• Full lifetime access to the course
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on mobile or TV
• Very high 4.8-star rating!

Visit Udemy.com

12. Skill Success: Sourdough Cooking Essentials – The Artisan Baking Course (Skill Success)

Have you ever wanted to learn how to use your own sourdough starter to cook and bake delicious artisan recipes but didn’t know where to start?

This Artisan Course is designed to be the easiest way for you to learn how to elevate your cooking with a naturally fermented sourdough starter which you will learn how to make completely from scratch!

You will learn the techniques and methods to bake and cook artisan level sourdough dishes in the following delicious recipes:

• Sourdough Pizzas
• Tortilla Burritos
• Artisan Hot Dogs
• Gourmet Burgers
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread and BLTs
• Handmade Pastas

Included in this course is also a Free Original E-book containing all recipe Ingredients and Instructions for quick and easy reference.

• Beginner-friendly!
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on desktop or mobile
• Highly affordable

13. Udemy: #2 Bake Artisan Sourdough Bread Like a Professional (Udemy)

Teresa Greenway goes deep into sourdough-land in this comprehensive Udemy course. With 85 lessons totaling four and a half hours of learning material, the beginner or intermediate baker will gain tons of Sourdough savvy and amazing techniques.

Get ready to delve into topics like mixing and shaping dough; handling sticky, wet dough; how to get a crispy, blistered crust and large holey crumb; developing dough without kneading; why measurements are vital; making your own starter; pre-ferments and mother dough; and slashing and scoring the dough.

Expert bakers could also use this course as a refresher if they are wanting to brush up on their sourdough skills. Teresa will teach you about a bunch of different types of sourdough such as Alaskan sourdough, Ciabatta and Tyra loaf, blistered crust sourdough and march madness sourdough.

She even takes things to the next level by including a sourdough dessert! You will learn how to make a delicious sourdough chocolate cake and a sourdough ginger cake. Talk about upping your sourdough game!

• Popular course – 5,711 students
• High 4.7-star rating!
• Full lifetime access to the course
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on mobile or TV

Visit Udemy.com

14. Udemy: Perfect French Macarons #1 – Simple to Sensational (Udemy)

Who doesn’t love Macarons? Seriously. And who wouldn’t love to be able to whip up a beautiful batch of macarons in their home kitchen? This course taught by pastry chef Irit Ishai will give you the skills to be able to do just that!

You don’t need any baking or cake decorating experience in order to take the course. Irit will walk you through all of the steps that go into making the perfect macaron. To make learning this tricky recipe easy, over 3 hours of learning material is broken up into 33 brief and informative video lessons.

The course covers the following topics: making perfect macaron shells; mastering macaron filling recipes; assembling the macarons; macaron towers, displays and gift boxes; creating unique, plated desserts using macarons.

So you won’t just be taught how to bake a beautiful macaron, you will also get coaching on the art of displaying your macarons in a way that’s sure to impress! This is definitely one of the best online baking classes!

• Popular! 2,383 students
• A high 4.7-star rating
• Full lifetime access to the course
• Certificate of completion
• Downloadable resources
• Access on mobile or TV

Visit Udemy.com

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this guide will help you to master the art of baking and making art that you can eat!

For more online courses, you can start here! You can also see my other post on free online cooking classes to further your kitchen skills!