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Turn one soft, buttery dough into four distinct breads with award-winning baker Michael Kalanty at Berkeley Kitchen. This hands-on, 3.5-hour workshop teaches shaping, fermentation, and how to keep an organic starter—perfect for bakers who want practical skills and delicious results.
Turn one soft, buttery dough into four distinct breads with award-winning baker Michael Kalanty at Berkeley Kitchen. This hands-on, 3.5-hour workshop teaches shaping, fermentation, and how to keep an organic starter—perfect for bakers who want practical skills and delicious results.
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Operated by Kitchen on Fire · Berkeley, California
Berkeley’s hands-on bread workshop at Berkeley Kitchen brings the city’s food culture to life in a single dough. Located at Berkeley Kitchen - 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709, the three-and-a-half-hour class is led by Chef Michael Kalanty, a master bread baker whose How To Bake Bread: The Five Families of Bread® won the Gourmand International Award for “Best Bread Book in the World,” and who won the Tiptree World Bread Competition for both “Best Flatbread” and “Best Ciabatta.” In this practical, team-based session you’ll take a soft, buttery base dough and turn it into Milk & Butter Sandwich Bread, Chocolate Swirl Buns, Cheesy Knot Rolls, and Sweet Onion Burger Buns while building skills you can use at home.
The room fills with yeast-scented steam as Kalanty demos shaping and fermentation, then circulates through small groups to coach bench techniques, scoring, and flavor additions like chocolate chips, melty cheese, and sautéed onions. You’ll leave with your own organic starter and repeatable methods for tweaking hydration and handling so a single formula can yield distinctly textured loaves. The class format includes a short lecture, hands-on work in teams, snacks, and a shared tasting of what you bake; zoning rules mean food cannot be taken home.
This workshop feels rooted in place. Berkeley’s farmers’ markets and nearby produce suppliers feed the class with seasonal butter, cheese, and onions; the nearby San Francisco Bay and Berkeley Hills provide a cool maritime climate that shapes fermentation rhythms, making starter maintenance a local skill. After class, many participants walk to the Gourmet Ghetto, explore the Berkeley Marina shoreline, or drive up to Tilden Regional Park for a sunset hike—so the lesson becomes part of a broader Bay Area day of food and outdoor movement.
Practical notes: attendees must be 18 or older, wear closed-toe shoes, and tie back shoulder-length hair. Bring an apron or a favorite knife if you wish; the kitchen supplies tools. Participants 21+ may bring their own wine or beer but staff cannot serve alcohol. Michael Kalanty’s teaching is the draw: his awards and clear, patient instruction make complex techniques accessible, turning a single dough into an everyday tool for delicious home baking. Whether you’re aiming to level up your loaf or simply savor the process, this class converts technique into confidence—and a table full of fresh bread.
Because the workshop emphasizes technique over recipe memorization, you’ll leave able to scale loaves for a weekend picnic at Crissy Field or to bake for a potluck after a Bay Area ridge run. Classes run 3.5 hours and welcome cooks of all levels. Meeting point: Berkeley Kitchen - 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709. Reserve your seat through the booking page online or phone.
easy.
3.5 hours.
Light: standing and kneading for portions of the class; basic kitchen stamina required.
Participants must be 18 or older to attend this class.
No—zoning regulations prevent taking food home from the kitchen; you will taste what you bake during class.
Indicate allergies on registration and contact [email protected] to review ingredient lists ahead of time.
Guests 21+ may bring their own wine or beer for personal consumption; staff cannot open or serve it.
Meeting point is Berkeley Kitchen - 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709.
Manage bookings through the FareHarbor booking page or contact the host directly via the booking platform for cancellation details.
Chef Michael Kalanty’s teaching builds on decades of practice; his book and competition wins are central to his approach and local reputation.
The class emphasizes organic starter use and sources seasonal ingredients; participants are encouraged to compost scraps and minimize packaging waste.
Kitchen on Fire is a hands-on cooking school and event producer that offers a broad calendar of culinary workshops, multi-week series, camps, and virtual classes. The school presents technique-driven, chef-led experiences ranging from single-session workshops to 12-week fundamentals courses. Classes focus on regional cuisines, baking, pastry, vegetarian and seasonal cooking — examples include Italian pasta and breads, Indian and Burmese dishes, Middle Eastern street food, Mexican and Latin specialties, and classic bistro techniques. Chef-led offerings feature named instructors and visiting chefs, with programs such as multi-week Basics of Cooking series, themed nights like A Night in Florence and A Night in Rome, specialized workshops including ricotta and doughnuts, and seasonal pie and baking classes. Kitchen on Fire also runs teen camps, school-break day camps, and virtual workshops to reach learners at different levels and schedules. Instruction emphasizes hands-on practice, practical skills like knife work and recipe fundamentals, and communal dining of the dishes created during class. Many classes run three hours or longer; multi-week series provide progressive skill development. In addition to in-person workshops, the organization publishes virtual classes and instructional series led by its roster of chefs. Kitchen on Fire’s program diversity — from single-session craft workshops to immersive multi-week courses and teen camps — reflects a commitment to accessible, skill-focused culinary education. The school’s transparent class descriptions, named instructors, and recurring series offer prospective students clear expectations and opportunities to build lasting cooking skills. Class sizes vary to prioritize engagement, hands-on practice, and personalized instructor feedback for students.
Book with Kitchen on Fire