Two ways to take a class from Pastry Craft:

Sign up for a Public Class

Laurie teaches in venues around Seattle and the Eastside. Looking for a class? Choose from a variety of Pastry Craft's public classes.

Schedule a Private Pastry Class

Looking for a private class? Pastry Craft can accommodate students for 1-on-1 lessons, private parties, family baking lessons and corporate events. Classes for 1-6 students are held in the Pastry Craft home kitchen, just 25 minutes north of Downtown Seattle. Larger groups may schedule classes in your home or the location of your choice. For corporate events, Pastry Craft will arrange event space for your class. All classes are hands-on, but can be presented in a demonstration format.

Would you like to schedule a private class? It's easy! First, choose from the classes below. (Don’t see what you’re looking for? Ask Pastry Craft for additional class topics or to create a custom class just for you.) Next, email Pastry Craft to schedule a class. We'll respond promptly and you'll be on your way to learning baking and pastry! (Check out class rates here.)

All About Pie Artisan Breads - Ciabatta and Pizza Baking with Books Brittles and Barks Cake 101: How to Bake a Cake Cake 102: The Well-Built Cake Cookies Three Ways Croissant and Brioche (2-day class)

Frozen Desserts: Sorbet, Granita and Ice Cream Get Flaky with Scones and Biscuits Gluten Free Naturally Handmade Chocolate Truffles Petite French Cakes Simple Fruit Strictly Savory

All About Pie Make your best pie ever! Join Chef Laurie for a fun and educational pie making class. Take the challenge out of pie crust with a little knowledge, a few handling instructions and quality ingredients. Learn the keys to making tender, flaky, and flavorful pie crust that is also simple to roll out. Each student will build a small seasonal which they will bake and take home. We’ll also taste seasonal pies, discuss seasonal Pacific Northwest fruits, and have time to troubleshoot your pie problems. For every season, pie is the answer.

Artisan Breads - Ciabatta and Pizza
Ciabatta is a go-to hearth bread when baking at home. It's easy to get a near-artisan bakery result in your own oven with just a few simple techniques. Ciabatta (Italian for slipper) is a traditional bread with a substantial crust and a full flavor due to the starter that's made the day before. We'll start the mix at the beginning of class and while the dough proofs, we'll have time for lecture and discussion about bread and its properties. Come with your questions! You'll go home with a few loaves and a load of information that will help you get started making artisan bread at home. (This class is 4 hours.)

Baking with Books
Not all cookbooks are created equal! Chef Laurie combines two of her passions baking and books with tastes of recipes from select books for a class to both inform and delight. Learn about Laurie’s favorite baking and pastry authors, her book picks for comprehensive baking books (recipes for everything), books that explore the science behind baking, books that have great recipes and beautiful prose, and books that treat you to great eye candy. A perfect class for your book club. Laurie will demonstrate select recipes from the books to (or make this a hands-on class) enjoy in class.

Brittles and Barks
Take the mystery out of candy making at home! Learn the chocolate tempering process with a variety of chocolates. Chef Laurie will guide you through the simple technique and a little science, so that you can make beautiful chocolate barks garnished with dried fruits and nuts. Then take the fear out of cooking sugar to make beautiful nut brittles. Classic recipes are: Dark Chocolate, Pecan and Dried Cherry Bark, White Chocolate and Candy Cane Bark (seasonal) and Almond Brittle with Orange and Rosemary. Packaged beautifully, brittles and barks are perfect gifts for any time of the year.

Cake 101: How to Bake a Cake
Ever followed a cake recipe's instructions and wondered why the author has asked you to mix the cake in that particular way? In this class, we'll discuss the various techniques to mixing cakes and the results of those mixing techniques. You will learn the basics of pound cake, genoise, and chiffon cake along with tips for baking them for optimum height and crumb. Some learning, a little science and a lot of fun will have you creating beautiful cakes in one lesson. (Combine this class with Cake 102 for a 2-day cake-making extravaganza.)

Cake 102: The Well-Built Cake
Learn the simple basics of frostings, icings and fillings and then build a simple and delicious layered cake. This is not a cake decorating class, but a class to show simple ways to make beautiful cakes with quality ingredients. Work with ganache, glazes, mousse fillings and buttercreams. Learn the simple steps of constructing a layered cake that looks as good as it tastes! (Combine this class with Cake 101 for a 2-day cake-making extravaganza.)

Cookies Three Ways
People often ask, “How did you do that?” when they see a complicated-looking decorative pastry. TThis class takes the mystery out of a tender French cookie made with two simple doughs. Learn the simple steps of making chocolate and vanilla sablé cookies into beautiful spirals, checkerboards and stripes. And then use the leftover dough to make a fourth cookie! One great recipe, simple dough mixing and a little handwork will have your guests asking, “How did you do that?”

Croissant and Brioche (2-day class)
The French know how to do it! Learn to make these two pastries in an in-depth 2-day class. The first day we'll prepare the croissant and brioche doughs and spend some time discussing mixing techniques of yeasted doughs. The second day we'll shape and bake, creating croissants, pain au chocolat and beautiful brioche rolls.

Frozen Desserts: Sorbet, Granita and Ice Cream
Frozen desserts are some of the easiest and most versatile treats you can make at home. From sweet and fruity sorbets, to icy crystals of granita, to smooth and creamy ice cream, these desserts can be used at any meal or occasion. You will learn the basics of making each of these frozen treats. Then we'll explore simple ways of adjusting them for your tastes using the same basic recipes. Learn how to adjust the sugar content to cut back on sugar. We'll also discuss infusing your sorbet, granita or ice cream with interesting flavors – things you can easily do in your own home.

Get Flaky with Scones and Biscuits
You will be surprised how easy it is to make perfect scones and biscuits. In this class, Chef Laurie will demonstrate the ins and outs of perfect scones and biscuits. Using the cut-in method, you will create two types of scones – one sweet, the other savory (such as Apricot-Almond Scones and Cheese and Herb Scones), as well as Buttermilk Biscuits. You will learn about quality ingredients (including using whole grain flours) and simple techniques to make the most tender, flaky biscuits and scones ever. Leave class with loads of information and your fresh baked scones and biscuits.

Gluten Free Naturally
Not all classic pastries contain gluten. In this class, explore cookies and cakes that are naturally gluten free – no substitute flours needed. Without adjusting recipes, you’ll discover how easy it is to make these beautiful and classic pastries that also just happen to be gluten free. Learn classic pastry techniques and get lots of hand work as you mix, shape and bake Dark Chocolate Walnut Cookies, Coconut Tuiles, and Italian Amaretti. In addition, Chef Laurie will demonstrate Chocolate Roulade Cake with Vanilla Bean Buttercream and Orange-Almond Cake. This is the perfect class for expanding your gluten free repertoire or just to have something on hand for gluten-sensitive guests.

Handmade Chocolate Truffles
Learn the secrets to making heavenly and rich chocolate truffles filled with a variety of chocolate ganache. Chef Laurie demonstrates how to make silky, smooth ganache, as well as the chocolate tempering process. Learn to roll, dip and finish three kinds of truffles to make classic confections. There will be lots of discussion about chocolate types and brands. Choose three truffles: Dark Chocolate and Ginger Truffles, Dark and Stormy Truffles (with dark rum and ginger), Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles, Milk Chocolate and Fresh Mint Truffles, Milk Chocolate and Earl Grey Tea Truffles, and White Chocolate, Orange and Coconut Truffles. At the end of class, package your truffles to make beautiful gifts.

Petite French Cakes
Madelines, financier, tigres – little cakes with fancy names, but simple to make. These little morsels are the perfect quick and easy dessert or special snack, but they are elegant too. Three little tender cakes - different shapes and sizes. Put them together for a tea, with coffee for guests or an afternoon snack. Their delicate flavor and texture make them irresistible.

Simple Fruit
Join Chef Laurie for her favorite subject – fruit! Washington is graced with beautiful fruits starting in May with rhubarb and ending in October with apples and pears. In deep winter, citrus abounds, along with pineapple and mango. Cooking fruit deepens flavor and changes texture, making it a delicious and often healthful way of eating fruits. Discover the simple techniques to poach, roast, braise, and sauté a variety of fruits. Recipes vary according to season. In winter, learn to make Red Wine Poached Pears with Dark Chocolate Ganache, Poached Apples with Consommé, Rum and Brown Sugar Braised Pineapple, and Citrus Sauté with Thyme over Almond Cake. Summertime classes will feature Vanilla Roasted Strawberries (or Rhubarb), Stone Fruit Sauté with Thyme over Almond Cake, and Smoky Bing Cherries with Bittersweet Chocolate.

Strictly Savory
The Pacific Northwest's abundance of fruits, vegetables and herbs makes savory desserts flavorful and seasonal. Savory desserts can be as simple as adding a few herbs to a sweet dessert or turning winter root vegetables into something irresistible. Discover seasonal and local products, including the great cheese artisans in our area. Adding savory components to your desserts can open up a world of flavors and add versatility to your desserts so that you can create throughout the seasons.

Back to top