Learn the fundamentals of making crave worthy bread at home

To celebrate the release of Modernist Bread at Home, Modernist Cuisine has devised a series of monthly bread courses geared toward home bakers. Designed for both novice bakers and those looking to refine their skills, the free monthly courses are delivered straight to your email inbox.

It’s been 13 years since the book that pushed the boundaries of culinary arts was published. Back then, no publisher thought the tome would be profitable, so Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet published it themselves. The six-volume set went on to win the 2012 James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year and was even named one of the best cookbooks of the century by the New Yorker.

In 2012, Modernist Cuisine was condensed and adapted as the single-volume Modernist Cuisine at Home. The same development team also published the 2,642-page Modernist Bread in 2017 and the 1,708-page Modernist Pizza in 2021.

Like its forerunner, the five-volume Modernist Bread has reaped in a wealth of awards and was also condensed into a more manageable Modernist Bread at Home.

Get breadmaking

The Modernist Bread School​​ is running from March to April, with lessons taking the home baker on a journey to create crave worthy bread – from the essential tools every baker worth his dough should have to managing your baking time effectively and delving into the world of sourdough and how to keep your mother alive.

Each lesson is packed with tips, tricks, knowledge and discoveries collected and developed after years of extensive research. There’s no need to own a copy of Modernist Bread at Home to participate, however, many will reference the book for additional information.

Students receive one lesson per day in their inbox for the duration of the course. Each course consist of five to seven written lessons, as well as a final recap.

The monthly courses

March (now available): Getting started with bread basics​

Dive into essential tools, preparation techniques and pantry stocking tips to kickstart your breadmaking journey.

Topics include:

• Essential tools for home bakers
• The cast-iron combination cooker
• How to improvise a home proofer with gear you already own
• Stocking your pantry

April: Navigating breadmaking from start to finish​

Learn the most crucial aspects of each step of the baking process.

• Preparing before baking
• Mixing basics
• Bulk fermentation basics
• Dividing, preshaping and resting basics
• Shaping basics
• Proofing basics
• Scoring and baking

May: Fitting bread into busy schedules​

Learn how to manage your baking time effectively, even amid a hectic schedule.

• Planning basics
• How your environment can impact your schedule
• Cutting down the time it takes to make bread
• When your baking is delayed
• Where to start

June: The role of different bread ingredients​

Explore the scientific foundations of bread ingredients to refine your recipes and techniques.

• The role of flour
• The role of yeast
• The role of water
• The role of salt

July: How to start a levain and keep it alive​

Delve into the world of sourdough with essential strategies for crafting and maintaining your sourdough starter.

• The function of a levain
• Starting a levain
• Levain maintenance
• Levain storage

August: Scoring and shaping​

Unravel the art of scoring and shaping bread to create beautifully crafted loaves.

• The science behind mixing
• The mixing stages
• Different mixing methods
• Bulk fermentation
• Folding