Prerequisite: None. Please note that there will be some bread production.

Course Description:

Turn your passion for baking into a thriving home-based business with this comprehensive cottage baking class! This 2-day course is co-led by Bonnie Ohara of Alchemy Bread, a pioneer in the cottage baking industry, along with Theo Dolarian, SFBI’s baking instructor. Designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, hobbyist bakers, and side-hustlers, this course prepares you to start and operate a successful cottage food operation from your own kitchen. The hands-on production includes ciabatta rolls, demi baguettes, and country sourdough to show different approaches to create an efficient production schedule to maximize your space and equipment. We will also demonstrate baking in a compact electric bread oven, a common style of oven that is used in many micro-bakeries.

Students will learn:

• The basics of cottage food laws and regulations
• Business planning
• Pricing, branding, and marketing strategies
• How to build a production schedule
• Scaling formulas, adapting to seasonal temperature fluctuations
• Tips for managing orders, deliveries, and customer relationships
• Practical no nonsense advice for working with a small footprint

For more information on the class including class schedule and table of contents, email us at: customerservice@sfbi.com.

Instructor Bio:

Bonnie Ohara is a cottage bakery owner, cookbook author, and baking educator. With a background in English and literature, she has written about baking, community, and homeschooling her 3 kids for diverse publications including Bread Baker’s Guild Magazine and Parents magazine. Her first book, Bread Baking for Beginners, was a bestseller upon publication in 2018, and became a key resource for hundreds of thousands of people who learned to bake their first loaf in 2020 during the pandemic. Her second book, Let’s Bake Bread, for Artisan Books arrived in 2023. Nominated for an IACP award, it includes insights into baking with your family while learning  hands-on knowledge, history, and science of baking bread.

Bonnie has taught local new bakers through in-person classes at her bakery, groups of travelers during baking and cooking retreats across the country, and thousands more both via online digital courses on her own site and through live online class collaborations with Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. She has also lent expertise to high school culinary programs with in person and digital instruction support.

Bonnie has long been a proponent of milling in house to support local farmers, and a guest teacher focusing on whole grains at the California Wheat Lab. Bonnie’s involvement with local farms and community has had a positive impact, recruiting local farmers to grow drought tolerant and sustainable varieties of wheat and investing above market rate for grains grown locally,

Bonnie instructs with an approachable and friendly, heartfelt enthusiasm. She runs her bakery, Alchemy Bread, in the Central Valley of California with a heart for a good story. She shares rich knowledge gained by supporting her family and local community with her sourdough bread for over a decade.

Check-in

If you have any concerns or questions before traveling to SFBI, email us at: customerservice@sfbi.com we want to make sure you have the best experience while learning here. That you feel safe and comfortable.

The class will begin at 7:30 AM on Day 1 and at 7:00 AM subsequent days. We will have breakfast pastries ready for you 30 minutes before class starts. (if you have any special diet please let us know in advance) We also welcome you to bring your own drink. Feel free to contact: customerservice@sfbi.com

What’s included?

• Breakfast Pastry
• Coffee, Tea & Water
• Light Lunch* (See note below)
• Binder with recipes and any relevant lecture notes or reference pages
• Take home as much or as little pastry or bread you make in class! Whatever doesn’t get brought home gets donated to various organizations in the area.

*Note on Breakfast Pastry and Lunches

Generally, former students have found the offerings to be adequate however, it wouldn’t hurt to pack supplemental snacks since everyone’s appetites can vary. While our team can try to make accommodations for special diets, we suggest packing supplemental protein and/or snack options as the menu largely depends on staffing and staff capacity.

Below is a sample menu that can vary:

• Deli meat, tomato, and avocado sandwich with chips and a side salad (deli meat varies)
• Slice of quiche with a side salad
• Chicken and Rice (chicken flavor varies)
• Soup/Stew (soup flavor varies)
• Chicken Tinga & Cauliflower Ceviche

Cancellation policy

Any notice of cancellation or transfers, please refer to our cancellation policy link HERE.

Course Materials

Listed below are the items you must bring to class.

• Pens or pencils. You will use these to take notes in the classroom and the lab.
• Permanent marker. This piece of “equipment” is invaluable in the labs.
• Hair restraint. For safety and sanitation, you must restrain your hair if it’s long.

Attire

• Closed-toe, comfortable shoes. Your shoes must be closed for safety. They should be comfortable enough to stand in all day.
• For safety, your pants must cover your entire legs. For your comfort, we recommend breathable pants. Checked chef’s pants are popular because they don’t show flour spills or stains.
• White chef’s coat. This is optional item. However, we strongly recommend chef’s coats because they look professional and protect your body and clothing. Most importantly, they keep you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot.

Transportation:

There is parking at our location. The address of SFBI is: 525 DNA Way South San Francisco, CA 94080