Bread Production Fundamentals: A 3-Day Hands-On Baking Class at the Artisan Baking Center, Petaluma, CA 

Monday, April 13 | 12:00pm–5:00pm PT 

Tuesday, April 14 | 9:00am–5:00pm PT 

Wednesday, April 15 | 9:00am–4:00pm PT 

This intensive three-day course, taught by renowned baker and educator Craig Ponsford, is designed for working professional bakers and aspiring professionals seeking a strong technical foundation in artisan bread baking. Instruction is grounded in real-world bakery production, focusing on scale, process and workflows for efficiency and consistency. 

Over the course of the class, participants will explore: 

• Essential ingredients and baking terminology 

• Fundamentals of bread formulation 

• Working with yeasts and preferments 

• Mixing methods and gluten development 

• Fermentation styles and timing 

• Shaping and scoring techniques 

• Baking and product evaluation 

Day one focuses on the fundamentals of bread baking as they apply in a production environment. Craig will also cover flour and milling and examine the roles of key ingredients—including water, yeast, and salt—and how they influence dough behavior and finished bread quality. 

Days two and three turn theory into practice. In a hands-on production environment, participants will work in teams to move through the complete bread-making process—from mixing and shaping to proofing and baking. Each step is designed to reinforce core concepts through repetition and practical problem-solving. 

By the end of the course, participants will leave with a stronger technical understanding of the full bread-making process, along with practical skills they can put to work at scale in a bakery environment. 

Students must have a working familiarity with baker’s math. 

This session is presented in partnership with the Central Milling Company. 

To make it easier for bakery owners to bring team members, we’re offering two ticket tiers for members:

• First ticket: $650
• Additional tickets: $550 each (15% discount)

Craig Ponsford graduated from the California Culinary Academy with top honors and opened Artisan Bakers with his family in Sonoma California in 1992. In 1996 his breads won the gold medal at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris. He then went on to coach the US Team to victory in 1999. He has been part of coaching each U.S. team since and served as U.S. judge at the 2002 and 2005 Coupe du Monde and 2007 Louis LeSaffe Cup held in Argentina. He currently is an instructor at the Artisan Baking Center in Petaluma, California and has his own bakery/innovation center, Ponsford’s Place, in San Rafael. Craig was an early member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America and was the Guild’s Chairman for eight years. He has taught at various culinary institutions around the world and United States. He has worked at many different ingredients companies to help with product development and systems optimization he emphasizes quality of ingredients, techniques, and products.