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Introduction to Pastry Arts

Introduction to Pastry Arts

Course Overview

A 60-hour online course focusing on pastry, baking, and decorating. The units will teach everything you need to know to set up your ideal baking and pastry kitchen, get you started on the basics, and then move on the more advanced techniques.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course you'll be able to:

  • Describe how ingredients function and work together, including fats, sweeteners, flour, eggs and other common products
  • Distinguish the three disciplines of baking, pastry, and decorating
  • Produce a variety of finished products, including cakes, cookies, and sweet snacks
  • Develop proper piping skills, folding, mixing, and rolling techniques

Course Syllabus

Introduction & Orientation

Unit 1: Introduction & Orientation

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Lesson 1

Course Orientation

Introduction to French Pastry and Baking

Unit 2: Introduction to French Pastry and Baking

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Pastry Overview

Lesson 3

Activity - Make your Own Dish

Lesson 4

Unit Review & Assessment

Prepare your Kitchen

Unit 3: Prepare your Kitchen

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Rearrange your Kitchen and pantry

Lesson 3

Basics of Ingredients

Lesson 4

Basics of Tools

Lesson 5

Student Activity | Setting Up Your Pastry Kitchen

Lesson 6

Unit Review & Assessment

Kitchen Basics

Unit 4: Kitchen Basics

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Basics of Sanitation

Lesson 3

Basics of Scaling

Lesson 4

Unit Review & Assessment

Basic Baking and Pastry Skills

Unit 5: Basic Baking and Pastry Skills

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Introduction to Basic Skills

Lesson 3

Basics of Whipping

Lesson 4

Basics of Mixing and Folding

Lesson 5

Basics of Piping

Lesson 6

Basics of Rolling Dough by Hand

Lesson 7

Basics of the Baking Process

Lesson 8

Student Activity | Making & Rolling Out Sweet Dough

Lesson 9

Unit Review & Assessment

Cookies: Basic

Unit 6: Cookies: Basic

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Introduction to Cookies

Lesson 3

Student Activity | Make a Cookie

Lesson 4

Unit Review & Assessment

Quickbreads & Breakfast Items

Unit 7: Quickbreads & Breakfast Items

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Blueberry & Flaxseed Yogurt Muffins

Lesson 3

Buttermilk & Whole Wheat Pancakes

Lesson 4

Student Activity | Make a Breakfast Item

Lesson 5

Unit Review & Quiz Preparation Flashcards

Sweet Snacks: Pound Cake

Unit 8: Sweet Snacks: Pound Cake

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

Lesson 3

Student Activity | Make Pound Cake

Lesson 4

Unit Review & Assessment

Sweet Snacks: Bars

Unit 9: Sweet Snacks: Bars

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Dark Chocolate Brownies

Lesson 3

Brown Butter Rice Crispy Squares

Lesson 4

Silky Lemon Curd Bars

Lesson 5

Student Activity | Make Your Choice of a Sweet Snack

Lesson 6

Unit Review & Assessment

Cookies: Decorated

Unit 10: Cookies: Decorated

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Butter & Vanilla Shortbread Cookies

Lesson 3

Royal Icing for Decorated Cookies

Lesson 4

Student Activity | Royal Icing

Lesson 5

Student Activity | Make and Bake Shortbread & Decorate the Cookies

Lesson 6

Unit Review & Assessment

Introduction to Bread: Loaf Pan Bread

Unit 11: Introduction to Bread: Loaf Pan Bread

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Basics of Base Temperature Methodology

Lesson 3

Student Activity | Base Temperature Calculations

Lesson 4

Introduction to Product

Lesson 5

Student Activity | Make Toast Bread

Lesson 6

Unit Review & Assessment

Breads: French Breads and Italian Breads

Unit 12: Breads: French Breads and Italian Breads

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Introduction to Product.

Lesson 3

Introduction to Product

Lesson 4

Student Activity | Making French Baguettes or Italian Focaccia

Lesson 5

Unit Review & Assessment

Breakfast Pastries: Yeasted enriched doughs, Yeasted Laminated Dough, Laminated Doughs

Unit 13: Breakfast Pastries: Yeasted enriched doughs, Yeasted Laminated Dough, Laminated Doughs

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Traditional Brioche

Lesson 3

Croissants & Chocolate Croissants

Lesson 4

Quick Puff Pastry Dough

Lesson 5

Apple Turnovers

Lesson 6

Student Activity | Make a Breakfast Pastry

Lesson 7

Unit Review & Assessment

Tarts and Pies: Fruit Pies, Apple Tarts, Almond Cream Tarts

Unit 14: Tarts and Pies: Fruit Pies, Apple Tarts, Almond Cream Tarts

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Cherry Pie

Lesson 3

Thin Apple Tart

Lesson 4

Baked Pear & Almond Cream Tart

Lesson 5

Student Activity | Make a Tart or Pie

Lesson 6

Unit Review & Assessment

French Pastries: Crêpes & Chouquettes

Unit 15: French Pastries: Crêpes & Chouquettes

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Traditional Crêpes

Lesson 3

Choux Paste Dough

Lesson 4

Vanilla Pastry Cream Custard

Lesson 5

Classic Chouquettes

Lesson 6

Student Activity | Make Crêpes or Chouquettes

Lesson 7

Unit Review & Assessment

Cookies: Macarons

Unit 16: Cookies: Macarons

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

French Meringue Almond Macarons

Lesson 3

Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling for Macarons

Lesson 4

Student Activity | Make French Meringue Macarons with Ganache Filling

Lesson 5

Unit Review & Assessment

French Pastries: Dark Chocolate Mousse & Vanilla Creme Brûlée

Unit 17: French Pastries: Dark Chocolate Mousse & Vanilla Creme Brûlée

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Bistro Style Dark Chocolate Mousse

Lesson 3

Vanilla Crème Brûlée

Lesson 4

Student Activity | Dark Chocolate Mousse or Vanilla Crème Brûlée

Lesson 5

Unit Review & Assessment

Frozen Dessert: Vanilla Ice Cream

Unit 18: Frozen Dessert: Vanilla Ice Cream

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

French Vanilla Ice Cream and Raspberry Coulis

Lesson 3

Student Activity | Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry Coulis

Lesson 4

Unit Review & Assessment

Candies and Confections

Unit 19: Candies and Confections

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Lesson 1

Unit Introduction

Lesson 2

Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Truffles

Lesson 3

Salted Butter Caramels from Brittany

Lesson 4

Student Activity | Making a Candy or Confection

Lesson 5

Unit Review & Assessment

Brunch Celebration Buffet and Final Assessment

Unit 20: Brunch Celebration Buffet and Final Assessment

This unit provides an opportunity for students to practice and apply an array of methods and techniques to prepare high-quality bread and pastries. A Brunch Celebration Buffet will be prepared and evaluated as a capstone to this course.

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Lesson 1

Brunch Celebration Buffet

Lesson 2

Final Assessment

Practice Recipes

A few of the practice recipes you'll learn in this course.

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