Learn to make delicious artisan style breads at home using easy commercial yeast, and without having to use sourdough which alleviates the challenges some find maintaining a 'starter'. Your tutor, Steve Koschella, teaches sourdough bread baking with excellent reviews from students, and has adapted many of the same techniques and methods as used in the best sourdough breads, using commercial yeast to achieve comparable results. Learn how to mix bread doughs by hand, or to use your stand mixer or bread machine to simplify the process to make beautiful crusty loaves and soft sandwich breads simply and easily. You will mix and prepare your dough ready for final shaping and baking at home. Full instructions, all ingredients and several recipes included. A range of baking utensils will be available for sale on the day. You will need to bring along some materials.
Introduction to Artisan Bread Baking
Course Description
Learn how to bake delicious artisan-style breads at home, without the need for sourdough starters or complex techniques.
This hands-on workshop introduces you to easy and effective methods using commercial yeast to create crusty loaves, soft sandwich breads, focaccia, pizza bases and more.
Guided by experienced tutor Steve Koschella, who regularly receives excellent reviews for his WEA sourdough classes, you’ll learn how to adapt traditional artisan techniques to simplify the bread-making process without compromising on flavour or quality.
You’ll be guided through mixing and handling dough by hand and shown how to use a stand mixer or bread machine to make bread-making even easier.
You’ll prepare your own dough in class, ready to shape and bake at home, and sample a range of pre-baked breads fresh from the oven.
With all ingredients supplied, several tried-and-tested recipes, and optional baking utensils available for purchase on the day, you’ll leave confident and inspired to continue your bread-making journey at home.
Course Structure
The class opens with a warm welcome and course overview, followed by a live demonstration of baking with pre-prepared doughs.
Students will then mix their own dough by hand using provided ingredients and guidance from Steve.
While the dough rests, key principles of artisan bread-making are introduced, with breaks for hands-on "stretch and fold" practice.
After a short break, Steve demonstrates dough shaping techniques and provides a tasting session of baked breads.
The session wraps up with Q&A, recipe explanation, and information about tools available for purchase.
Students will leave with their own dough, full instructions, and recipes to bake at home.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will:
- Understand the principles of artisan bread baking using commercial yeast
- Learn to mix and handle bread dough by hand
- Gain knowledge of how to use a stand mixer or bread machine for artisan baking
- Recognise the differences and similarities between sourdough and slow-fermented yeast breads
- Learn the stretch and fold technique for developing dough structure
- Be able to prepare dough for baking at home
- Sample a variety of artisan breads and identify different styles
- Take home full instructions, ingredients, and several bread recipes for future use.
Course Requirements
Please bring the following items:
- Medium sized mixing bowl (approximately 25cm)
- Sturdy “Danish Whisk”, wooden spoon, fork or spatula for mixing
- Digital scale with a “tare” function
- 500ml measuring jug
- Plastic wrap or plastic bag to cover dough in the bowl for proofing
- Cloth for cleaning up.
In hot weather it is recommended to also bring an insulated bag or cooler box with ice packs for transporting your dough home.
A comprehensive range of baking utensils and aids will be available for purchase on the day. A price list is available in advance on request.
Your Tutor is Steve Koschella
Steve Koschella has been teaching at WEA since 2022.
Formerly employed in the baking industry, Steve became interested in sourdough during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. He developed his skills and after a few months began selling his bread locally. He soon developed an in-home course to teach his skills to others, and now teaches face-to-face courses at WEA.
Steve’s sourdough baking courses have become very popular and he enjoys excellent ratings from his students.
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