Creating a Microbakery – Theory and Practical
Duration:
Timings:
Course start dates:
07 Jun 2027
Hourly Schedule
Time
- 9:00
- Arrival & welcome
- Tea, coffee and warm pastries from the kitchen.
- 9:30
- Course Start
- 13:00
- Lunch
- Seasonal lunch prepared by our catering team.
- 16:30
- Course End
- Course ID CrMBTP
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What’s included
- Learn from expert tutors and technicians with demonstrations, guidance, and support throughout the day.
- Enjoy a seasonal artisan buffet lunch showcasing ingredients sourced from the Welbeck Estate and the surrounding local food community.
- Access our state-of-the-art facilities, with all ingredients and specialist equipment provided.
- Help yourself to unlimited refreshments, including tea, coffee, and cordials throughout the day.
- Wear a School of Artisan Food apron in class, with the option to purchase one to take home after your course.
There’s something incredibly rewarding about turning a passion for bread into a thriving bakery business.
Whether you dream of supplying your local community, baking from home, or launching a dedicated artisan bakery, success requires far more than great recipes. It demands a combination of baking skill, business knowledge, careful planning and practical experience.
On this immersive hands-on course, you’ll learn from a team of experienced artisan bakers who have each built and managed successful bakery businesses of their own. Drawing on their first-hand experience, our tutors will guide you through both the practical realities of artisan bread production and the key considerations involved in creating and running a sustainable microbakery.
Throughout the course, you’ll develop your baking skills while gaining valuable insight into business planning, production management, equipment selection, profitability and marketing. Combining classroom learning with practical bakery sessions, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of what it takes to turn a passion for baking into a successful enterprise.
What You’ll Learn
Through a combination of practical baking, demonstrations and business-focused sessions, you will:
- Gain an understanding of the realities of starting and running a microbakery
- Learn how to develop a bakery concept that reflects your goals and market
- Explore the legal, financial and operational aspects of bakery ownership
- Understand production planning, workflow and efficiency
- Develop practical artisan bread-making skills suitable for small-scale production
- Learn how to maximise space, equipment and resources
- Build confidence in pricing products and managing profitability
- Discover strategies for marketing and growing a sustainable bakery business
Business Design and Management
You’ll explore the foundations of building a successful bakery business, including:
- Developing a clear bakery concept and product offering
- Legal requirements and food business regulations
- Financial planning and pricing strategies
- Production planning and operational efficiencies
- Equipment selection and investment decisions
- Marketing, branding and customer engagement
- Sustainability and long-term business growth
Bread Production, Techniques and Recipes
Gain practical experience in artisan bread production while developing an understanding of efficient bakery systems:
- Baking effectively for small-scale commercial production
- Proven artisan bread recipes suitable for a bakery environment
- Dough handling, shaping and baking techniques
- Production planning and scheduling
- Managing product ranges and profitability
- Making the most of available equipment and workspace
- Understanding the realities of bakery production at different scales
- A visit to the neighbouring Welbeck Bakehouse for insight into larger-scale bakery operations
Patisserie and Viennoiserie
Expand your product range and explore opportunities to increase revenue through value-added bakery products:
- Fundamental patisserie recipes that can be adapted and developed
- Hand and machine lamination techniques
- Producing viennoiserie products efficiently
- Maximising product variety from a small number of core recipes
- Reducing waste while increasing profitability
- Adapting larger-scale production methods for smaller bakery environments
- Understanding which equipment can improve quality, efficiency and output
What You’ll Make
During the course, you’ll produce a variety of artisan bakery products, which may include:
- Naturally fermented breads
- Artisan sourdough loaves
- Enriched dough products
- Viennoiserie and laminated pastries
- Selected patisserie items
Who Is This Course For?
This course is ideal for aspiring bakery business owners, home bakers looking to turn their passion into a profession, and those in the early stages of running a microbakery. It is equally valuable for existing bakery operators seeking to improve production, profitability or business processes.
Whether you’re exploring the idea of starting a bakery or looking to grow an existing venture, you’ll gain practical skills, business insight and expert guidance to help you take your next steps with confidence.
While some previous baking experience may be beneficial, enthusiasm, curiosity and a passion for artisan baking are the most important ingredients.
Please Note:
Whilst we make every effort to adhere to best practices regarding allergen control and cross-contamination at The School of Artisan Food, we sincerely regret that we are unable to cater for severe food allergies or coeliac disease. This is due to the continuous and varied use of our teaching spaces, common areas and food preparation areas.
If in any doubt, please contact us to discuss your individual circumstances prior to making a booking, as this will then enable us to produce a personalised Risk Assessment based on your own specific circumstances and better judge if we can safely accommodate you on site.
Your Tutors
Tutors
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Ian WaterlandAfter a career in health and social care, spanning both clinical and management roles, primarily supporting people with mental ill health, it was time for a rest, Ian took the plunge in 2013 and re-trained as a real bread baker.
The seeds of this radical life change were sown growing up, with a mum who made all of the families bread. Ian dabbled over the years making his own, with mixed results. A chance visit to a real bread bakery in Lyme Regis and a one day bread course got him thinking.
Fast forward a few years and Ian bought his wife a patisserie course at The School of Artisan Food. She loved the place, casually mentioned there was a year long course in bread and said “why don’t you do it?”
A few short months later and Ian was starting the Advanced Diploma at The School.
At the end of an amazing and inspiring course, plans were ready and within three months Knead Good Bread Artisan Bakery was born. Knead Good Bread ran successfully for eight years, building a real bread community in its rural Leicestershire location. The bakery grew and evolved over that time operating weekly pop ups from “The Bread Bus” in different villages, the addition of a wholesale offering and latterly a subscription and delivery model.
Ian always aimed to spread the word with ‘breaducation’ initially in his bakery and then more widely in the community, online and at The School of Artisan Food, where he teaches a number of short courses and was a founding tutor on the Foundation Degree in Artisan Food Production. He has developed a real passion for the therapeutic aspects of bread making and enjoys sharing the lessons he learned from establishing and running his own bakery.
The bread journey Ian embarked on, came full circle as he became The School of Artisan Food’s Managing Director from 2022 to 2024, whilst also continuing to teach on a part time basis.
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Martha BrownMartha’s journey in food began in 2011 when she joined the Advanced Diploma course here at the School of Artisan Food.
Whilst she had always had a passion for cooking, Martha fell in love, and became slightly obsessed, with sourdough baking and all things patisserie during the time she spent on the course. Inspired by her placements at E5 Bakehouse in London, Mark’s Bread in Bristol and Pump Street Baking in Orford, she set up Forge Bakehouse in Sheffield shortly after leaving the course. Over the next decade, she developed and expanded Forge from a micro-bakery with a team of 3 to a multi-service bakery and cafe, with monthly evening events, baking classes and a pop-up shop with 30 staff.
Martha sold the business in 2022 and has now come full circle back to the School in a teaching capacity, while she also studies Interior Architecture, another creative endeavour that featured heavily in the expansion process of her business. Creating food and spaces that bring people together and create community is something she will continue to do through both teaching and her studies.
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Paul RaddanPaul’s love of baking started early, with happy memories of Sunday morning baking sessions at his Nan’s house.
Following Paul’s degree in Psychology at Reading University, the pull of the kitchen proved too great, and he spent the next 15 years in restaurants and kitchens across the East Midlands. A love of baking meant that he was baking bread and cakes on his days off as well as at work. When Paul’s wife established a sourdough culture in 2009, this obsession worsened!
Following a move to Rugby in 2012, Paul made the leap into full-time baking, and Rugby Real Bread was born. He started in his home kitchen, before building an extension to make space for the rapidly increasing oven and fridge space needed. Paul served the local community with an array of cakes and both yeasted and sourdough breads. Savoury scones were also very popular, favourites being feta & spinach, stilton & walnut and cheddar & marmite.
Sharing Paul’s love of baking and real food has always been important to him; Paul teaches practical classes at schools, food festivals, charities, adult education centres and community groups. He also run a Bread Club for local baking enthusiasts, so people can get together and showcase different breads and recipes.
Paul’s courses are fun, imaginative learning experiences. They will inspire you to take back what you have learned to your kitchen at home and to continue to spread the love of baking and good food.
Book Now
Accommodation
Student-style shared, self-catered accommodation is available on the historic Welbeck Estate. The lodges sleep 2–3 people and rooms will be allocated on a first come, first served basis at booking. All accommodation features shared bathrooms and shared kitchens, and is within a short walking distance from The School of Artisan Food. All bedding is provided, and a welcome will be available on arrival.
The process is simple: Book your place with accommodation and then email info@schoolofartisanfood.org for further details and confirmation.
Alternatively, Welbeck Estate has a range of holiday lets a short distance from the School and there are several local B&Bs and hotels. Please refer to the Where to stay section on our website for more information.
For The School of Artisan Food Cottages only:
Check-in is only available between 3 pm and 6 pm on the Sunday before your course starts. Please depart from the property before 10 am on the following day after your course ends.
(Please note, check out the course starting on 20th July 2026 will be Saturday, 25th July)
Please note that the School provides a secure space for luggage storage while you complete your final day. However, belongings are left at your own risk, and the School cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage.
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