Startup Library: Baking & Pastry (DVD + Streaming)

Ready to dive into the satisfyingly delicious art of baking? Join expert Zoë François in this comprehensive beginner’s class, where she’ll teach you the basics of making delicious baked goods at home. Explore a range of key tools, equipment and techniques to make a variety of pastries and desserts from scratch, including biscuits, pies, cakes, quick breads, cookies and more. Plus, Zoë will walk you through each step and share her tips and tricks along the way, so that you can start baking with confidence!

NOTE: If you’d like to purchase only the DVD for this class, you may do so through this link. (Please note, any class PDF materials are not on the DVD itself. You must have streaming access to download those materials associated with the class.)

Setup: Getting Started Baking (10:53)
Ground yourself in the fundamentals of baking as Zoë discusses the high-level considerations of time management, space setup (mise en place), and precision.

Setup: Essential Tools & Equipment (5:49)
Get set up for baking success! Follow along as Zoë goes over the tools, equipment and ingredients you’ll need to get started baking.

Setup: Essential Ingredients (9:23)
After you’ve covered tools and equipment, explore a variety of essential baking ingredients. Find out how to shop and store them properly.

What You Need: Biscuits & Pies (2:27)
Explore cold fat batters and doughs used to make biscuits, pies and more as Zoë discusses the ingredients, tools and equipment you’ll need to work with them.

Method: Working With Cold Fat (11:34)
Zoë shows you how to cut butter three different ways: with a food processor, with a pastry cutter and by hand. After that, get tips for gently handling dough for professional-quality results every time.

Make It: Biscuits (13:31)
Once you’ve mastered the fundamental techniques, put them into practice by making buttermilk biscuits! Zoë teaches you how to make the dough, roll it out, then cut and bake it to tender, flaky perfection.

Make It: Pie Dough (30:08)
Practice your cold fat skills by making a versatile dough that you can use for all kinds of pies. Discover Zoë’s trick for creating a tender and flaky crust. Plus, learn how to make a double-crust pie, and easily seal and crimp the edges for a classic homestyle look.

What You Need: Cookies & Tarts (3:14)
Get familiar with the ingredients, tools and equipment you’ll need to successfully work with room-temperature fat doughs, used to make cookies and tarts.

Method: Working With Room Temperature Fat (14:29)
Zoë shares quick tricks for bringing ingredients to room temperature, then shows you how to cream butter and sugar with three different tools: spoon or spatula, hand mixer and stand mixer.

Make It: Cookies & Tart Dough (31:32)
Follow along as Zoë demonstrates how to make drop cookies, rolled cookies, stamped cookies, plus two tart variations, all from one versatile dough!

What You Need: Muffins & Quick Breads (1:51)
Continue your baking journey and learn about the ingredients and tools you’ll need to make a variety of quick breads and muffins.

Method: Muffin & Quick Bread Techniques (6:12)
Zoë shows you how to line your pans to prevent sticking, before explaining how to mix wet into dry ingredients. You’ll see how to proportion your batter for even baking every time.

Make It: Muffins & Quick Breads (12:51)
Put your creaming, folding and portioning skills into practice by making tender and delicious blueberry muffins. Find out when to use fresh vs. frozen fruit, and how to prevent the fruit’s color from bleeding into your batter. Zoë also shares a few tips that will make the quick-bread variation a success.

What You Need: Cakes (3:22)
PYou can have your cake and eat it, too! Discover the ingredients, tools and equipment you’ll need to start baking cakes.

Method: Cake Techniques (19:26)
Master three key cake-making techniques: whipping egg whites, folding ingredients into meringue, and folding ingredients into creamed butter.

Make It: One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes (7:13)
Put your cake-making skills to use as you learn to make a super-easy chocolate cake or cupcake batter. Zoë reveals why using oil helps to keep your batter moist.

Make It: Vanilla Pound Cake (14:45)
In this lesson, you’ll make an all-purpose cake batter that you can bake in a traditional loaf or Bundt pan. Learn how to create great flavor, as well as the dense crumb, a signature of pound and Bundt cakes.

Make It: Angel Food Cake (13:19)
Uncover the secrets to making a super-light angel food cake. It’s easier than you may think, especially with Zoë’s smart techniques! Find out how to whip eggs whites with two types of sugars, before gently folding them into your flour. Then see how to invert your cake after it bakes to keep in all the air that you worked so hard to create!

Method: Frosting Techniques (15:31)
In this final lesson, Zoë shows you how to make an easy American buttercream frosting. You’ll learn to frost cupcakes as well as a simple layer cake using an offset spatula; no piping required!

Zoë François

Zoë François is a best-selling author, renowned blogger and seasoned baking instructor. She is the co-author of several bread cookbooks, including “The NEW Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” and “Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day,” and a frequent contributor to the Cooking Channel, Fine Cooking and Disney. She also runs the successful blog Zoë Bakes.

How will I receive my DVD class?
Your DVD will be shipped in the mail using the address you provide at checkout. Your purchase also includes access to a streaming version of the class and downloadable PDF class materials. After your purchase, you can find your streaming class and your PDF class materials by logging into your Craftsy account using the user name and password you established.

How do I access the companion materials for my DVD class?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” area, select the “Classes” content. On this page, you’ll see all classes you’ve purchased from Craftsy. Simply select the desired class from your content list, and you’ll be presented with your selected class page. From the class page you can easily view, download or print the companion class materials, which are in the “Bonus Materials” tab on the class page. You can log in any time, and download or print the companion materials as many times as you like. Companion class materials are not shipped in the mail with your DVD, and must be accessed on Craftsy.com.

How do I stream my class on Craftsy.com?
Come to Craftsy.com and log into your account using the username and password you set up when establishing your Craftsy account or purchasing your DVD. In your “My Account” content, select the desired class. Stream the video on-demand from the class page any time you like; your viewing access is unlimited. You can stream your class from any computer, tablet or mobile device with Internet access.

Do I have to purchase a Craftsy Membership to get my class?
No, you do not. Every DVD purchased on Craftsy.com includes both the physical DVD in the mail and unlimited on-demand streaming access at Craftsy.com. These benefits are yours with or without a Craftsy membership.

Are DVDs included in a Craftsy Membership?
No, they are not. DVDs can only be purchased on an individual basis and are not included in Craftsy memberships. For non-members, DVDs are a flexible way to purchase only the classes you love best. For members, DVDs are a great choice to build an at-home library you can keep forever and enjoy any time, with or without Internet access.

Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do ship most physical products, including DVDs, to several International destinations. In addition to the USA and Canada, we ship to Australia, Brazil, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and most Western European countries. If you live outside these countries, you can still purchase digital items including memberships, individual streaming classes, and pattern downloads.

Do your DVDs work on international players?
Yes, our DVDs should be compatible with any DVD player in use today. All our videos have been created with all current Region Codes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8). If you have trouble viewing a DVD purchased from Craftsy.com, please contact Customer Service.

What is your return policy?
We want to be sure you’re satisfied. If you have trouble playing your DVD, if the content is not correctly presented on the DVD, or you are dissatisfied with the content of your class, we will work with you. Contact Craftsy customer service via email or phone. Upon your request, and upon your return of the DVD to us, we will refund your purchase price or send you another DVD to replace a damaged or incorrect DVD, whichever is your preference. If you do receive a full refund, your streaming video class will also be removed from your Craftsy account, so on-demand video access will no longer be available to you.