SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best across a wide range of subjects, today announced the first class in its new product offering, Sessions by MasterClass, with James Beard Award–winning baker Joanne Chang, who will teach a class on how to bake like a pro, guiding members through the baking essentials and techniques needed to elevate their baking skills.
Sessions by MasterClass will offer a structured, 30-day curriculum where members can roll up their sleeves, get hands-on experience and learn meaningful skills through step-by-step guidance from world-class instructors and an engaged community of peers. Chang’s session is now available exclusively on MasterClass, where subscribers get unlimited access to all 150+ classes and sessions with an annual membership.
“As a James Beard awarding-winning baker and co-owner of 10 acclaimed bakeries in Boston, Joanne has been developing innovative recipes for decades,” said David Rogier, founder, and CEO of MasterClass. “Sessions by MasterClass empowers members to dive into the skills they’ve always wanted to learn and come away with tangible projects. I’m excited for Joanne to kick off this brand new offering and offer tools and guidance to help members build their confidence as bakers and go from following recipes to creating their own.”
Bringing years of experience as a pastry chef, Chang will walk members step-by-step through several of her favorite recipes ranging in complexity and deconstruct the science of baking in her session. Through guided demonstrations, members will learn how to bake cookies, brioche treats, pies and tiered cakes—including Chang’s famous Sticky Sticky Buns and Flour Bakery Chocolate Chunk Cookies—and how to make each recipe their own once they have followed her recipes. Chang will share the science behind the most common ingredients and processes, such as baking powder and baking soda, how dough rises and what makes meringue light and fluffy. She’ll also cover baking techniques such as flouring a work surface, fraisage, piping, crumb coating, docking dough and more.
Throughout the session, members have the opportunity to get meaningful feedback and tips from the session baking community and a trained teaching assistant to help them create eight bakery-ready recipes. Chang will also draw on her own experiences of shifting from a consulting career to that of a pastry chef to inspire aspiring bakers to do what they love. Members will leave with the ability to transform a few humble ingredients into delicious baked goods, which they can share with their loved ones in just 30 days.
“My passion is in teaching the fundamentals of baking and breaking down its perceived complexity,” Chang said. “In my session, members will feel like they are coming into my bakery or home kitchen and learning what I teach my bakers at Flour. I will share what I have learned throughout my career, providing them with tools and techniques, follow-along recipes, and hands-on assignments so they can create incredible recipes they can share with the people they love.”
After graduating from Harvard with an honors degree in applied mathematics and economics, Chang left a career in management consulting to pursue her passion: baking. After training under renowned chefs Lydia Shire and François Payard, she opened Flour, her first bakery in Boston. Chang’s signature blend of precise technique with nostalgia-inducing flavors coalesced into a successful business with a devoted following, and today she and her husband and business partner, Christopher Myers, oversee nine Flour bakeries in the Boston area, along with a critically acclaimed restaurant, Myers + Chang.
The author of five cookbooks, Chang received a James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef in 2016. Despite her long list of accolades, Chang still delights in what she calls the alchemy of baking: simple ingredients that, when combined with the right technique, transform into something magical.
Credit: Courtesy of MasterClass
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