Pastry & Dessert for Beginners - The Essential Baking Course

Learn to make chocolate brownies by mixing dark chocolate, butter, cocoa, sugar, eggs, and salt, with mature starter or baking powder, plus parchment and a 3x20 cm pan.

Zero the scale and measure 170 g chocolate and 150 g butter. Chop chocolate into squares, melt with butter on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Master chocolate brownie batter by preheating to 180 degrees Celsius, whisking sugar, salt, eggs, and cocoa powder into a smooth batter, with starter or baking powder as rising agent.

Line a 30 by 20 cm pan with parchment, scrape the bowl, spread the brownie batter evenly, and bake on a medium rack at 180 degrees Celsius for 35–40 minutes.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, cool for 10-15 minutes, then sprinkle dark chocolate shavings to melt on top. Cut into eight pieces for a spongy yet dense texture.

learn to make a butter-rich short crust apple tart and lemon filling with ten apples (five puree, five topping) in a 30 cm pan, with optional starter.

Learn to craft pâte sablée dough by weighing flour and water, incorporating butter, salt, optional sugar and starter, then rest in fridge and preheat the oven for future baking.

Prepare a pâte sablée, chill the dough, roll and press it into a 30 cm tart with a removable bottom, then bake at 180°C for 30 minutes, checking for bubbles.

Peel and cut five large apples, then cube them and toss with lemon juice to prevent browning as you prepare an apple puree for a tart filling.

Create a smooth apple puree by sauteing cubed apples with butter and lemon juice, simmering covered for 10 minutes, then mashing and cooling before adding apple slices for the tart.

Slice apples from quarters to sixteenths, squeeze lemon juice to prevent browning, then soften in butter with a splash of water before baking the tart at 180 C.

Spread apple puree on the base, arrange apple slices around the rim in a floral pattern using thick wedges first and smaller slices toward the center, then bake.

Bake the tart at 180°C for 30 minutes, then grill on high for 5–10 minutes to brown and caramelize the apples; watch closely and remove when ready.

Master the final apple tart by achieving a caramelized finish, cooling, and slicing into beautiful portions; discover fruit swaps like strawberries or apricots to balance sweetness.

Learn to make six medium doughnuts with an ingredient list, two toppings—cinnamon sugar and chocolate glaze—and frying guidance using 600 g oil, with starter or baking powder as rising agents.

Measure 300 g cake flour and 50 g water; add eggs and melt 60 g butter, then mix in sugar, salt, and sour starter or baking powder; rest 15 minutes.

Develop gluten in donuts through three sets of stretch and folds with 15-minute rests, shape dough into a bowl, rest again, and complete three-hour proof (skip the proof with starter).

Portion dough into six pieces and shape each into a ball with hole. Stretch and fold to seal the sides; if using a sour starter, rest overnight in the fridge.

Fry your doughnuts by heating about 600 grams of vegetable oil in a pot to 190 °C, then fry until golden brown and cool on a metal rack.

Prepare two doughnut toppings, chocolate glaze and cinnamon sugar, by measuring sugar and cinnamon, then mixing with cocoa powder and water to form smooth, delicious glazes.

Finish your artisan donuts with a cinnamon sugar coating and a chocolate glaze on the upper half, embracing a decadent, childlike indulgence suitable for special occasions.

Discover how to make six medium Stroope waffles at home without a specialized waffle iron, with a simple dough and optional starter or baking powder, plus syrup filling.

Stroopwafel dough mix combines dry ingredients: cake flour, sugar, salt. Add melted butter, eggs, and starter (or baking powder); mix by hand and rest 15 minutes before gluten development.

Develop gluten with stretch and folds up to two rotations, avoiding tearing the drier dough. Shape into a bowl, rest for 15 minutes, then repeat and rest 30 minutes.

Shape waffles by rolling gluten-developed dough into a 30 centimeter tube. Cut into twelve pieces, stroop waffles, stripe half a centimeter apart, rotate 90 degrees, rest overnight with sour starter.

Learn to cook waffles with a Strutt waffle iron or a greased nonstick pan, cooking each side for two minutes and flipping halfway until golden brown.

Prepare and measure 200 g sugar, 50 g butter, 80 g heavy cream, and 3 g salt; melt on low, swirl to prevent crystallization, then combine and cook briefly.

Cut waffles into circular shapes using a cookie cutter or mug, press at the center to trim ends, and assemble thinner waffles with syrup to form a perfect stroopwafel.

Learn to bake fluffy cinnamon rolls for 11 large portions, using flour, butter, milk, sugar, eggs, and salt, with a starter or yeast, plus cinnamon sugar filling and icing.

Mix ingredients—flour, sugar, salt—then add milk, rising agent (Souda starter or instant yeast), eggs, and melted butter. Cover and rest the dough 15 minutes at room temperature.

develop gluten through three stretch and folds in this beginner pastry and dessert baking course, shape dough with pinkies, rest between folds, then proof at room temperature before refrigerating overnight.

Learn to make cinnamon sugar filling, spread butter, and roll dough into a rectangle for slicing into cinnamon rolls; ensure proper proofing and tray setup.

Prepare a cream cheese icing for cinnamon rolls by combining 130 g sugar, 80 g cream cheese, 40 g unsalted melted butter, and 10–20 g milk, then stir until incorporated.

Proof the cinnamon rolls until doubled, preheat to 180 C, bake with a check and rotation, then frost with cream cheese icing, rest and look forward to the final tart.

Learn to make a large tarte tatin with a puff pastry base and an apple caramel filling, using seven red apples, lemon, sugar, and butter. Optional starter enhances dough flavor.

Prepare handmade puff pastry by measuring flour, water, and salt, then mix by hand. Rest the dough fifteen minutes, and consider starter for flavor; butter comes later after gluten develops.

Develop gluten through two sets of stretch and folds to smooth dough, then shape it into a tight ball and rest in a damp cloth for 15 and 30 minutes.

Shape your dough into a 17 by 17 cm square using parchment, folding and rolling gently to prevent tears, then rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Create a beurrage by shaping a 10 cm square of 150 g unsalted butter, wrap in parchment to form a square, roll, and refrigerate five minutes as the dough rests.

Learn to encase butter in dough through six folds to laminate the pastry, rest in the fridge between folds, and roll to 45 cm in one direction for best texture.

Prepare seven to eight large red apples, peel and cut into quarters, coat with lemon juice to prevent browning, and set aside for the caramel lesson.

Preheat to 190 c and melt 120 g sugar with 80 g unsalted butter to make caramel, then bake tart in the same oven-safe pan, swirling gently to prevent crystallization.

Cook caramel apples and cover with puff pastry, vent, bake at 190 c for 30 minutes, rotating halfway; roll pastry to a 30 cm circle and reuse scraps as croissants.

Conclude the course by mastering tarte tatin: bake, rest, and carefully flip the tart onto a plate to reveal caramel-coated apples and a flaky puff pastry crust.

This final lesson wraps up the essential pastry and dessert basics for beginners, inviting you to explore more Souda baking and artisan breads, bagels, loaves, and baguettes.