We’re excited to announce our 2025 retreats, and spots are filling up fast! Whether you’re looking to hone your baking skills, relax in a beautiful setting, or simply recharge with fellow bakers, our retreats offer something special for everyone.
Don’t wait! Spaces are limited and filling up fast!
From semlor to kanelbullar, princess cake, and regional flatbreads, this retreat will immerse bakers in the traditions of Swedish baking during a very special time of year. Fettisdagen, or Semla Day, is Sweden’s Fat Tuesday, and we’ll be in Stockholm to see the bakery cases full of the pastry so special, it deserves its own day. Beginning in Stockholm for four nights, bakers will experience the city’s best bakeries, a trip to Vaxholms Bed & Breakfast for a kanelbullar class, and a day of baking at AVEQIA Stockholm cooking school with hands-on use of Ankarsrum mixers, proudly made in Sweden and loved by bakers around the world. From Stockholm, we’ll take a short flight as a group to Skellfteå in northern Sweden, just south of the Arctic Circle, to meet up with cookbook author and pastry chef Fanny Zanotti for a day of baking in an actual baker’s cottage. Fingers crossed, we might even see the northern lights.
This baking retreat is for bakers wanting to learn how to decorate whimsical and fun cakes and cookies, perfect for spring entertaining. Brian Hart Hoffman, editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch, will lead bakers through making the perfect base cake and cookie to be transformed into stunning creations. Julie McAllister of Julie McAllister Cakes will share her best tips and techniques for decorating three different presentation-worthy cakes. Lauren Jacobs, known as The Cheerful Baker, will share her cookie-decorating expertise and lead bakers through several playful spring designs—think beautiful flowers, butterflies, carrots, and more.
If you’ve dreamed of visiting the Amalfi Coast and Capri, our six-night luxury baking retreat will take you to one of the most sought-after destinations in the world. The retreat will begin in Sorrento, where we’ll visit Felicia’s Home Restaurant for a day of baking and cooking at Felicia’s 17th-century family farmhouse. In addition to making pasta by hand, we’ll also prepare pizzas from scratch and lemon tiramisù. On a day trip to the town of Amalfi, we’ll visit Pasticceria Pansa, shop, and take in views of the dramatic coastline. As a group, we’ll take a ferry from Sorrento to the island of Capri for three nights. Staying on Capri is a special experience. After busy days filled with day-trippers, the island is returned to those staying there. Expect Capri to completely captivate you with quiet evenings on the piazza, meandering alleyways, brilliant bougainvillea blooming, and a chic island vibe. On Capri, we’ll bake and cook with locals Gianluca and Holly at Michel’angelo Capri. You’ll prepare pasta by hand as well as Torta Caprese al Limone and homemade limoncello. You’ll also meet local artisans during a walking tour, taste the best sorbetto and gelato on the island, and enjoy a fabulous poolside lunch and a group dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. All accommodations are at five-star, family-owned properties known for their excellent service, hospitality, and water views.
Bake from Scratch founder and editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman is so passionate about fall baking, an extra day in the kitchen had to be added to this annual Birmingham retreat! Cue the apples, spice, and everything nice. Throughout the weekend, you’ll prepare baked pumpkin doughnuts, fried apple fritters, Thanksgiving stuffing biscuits, an apple-spice Basque Bundt cake, and maple-pecan bear claws. Learn baking tips and techniques from Brian, and enjoy having your own kitchen space, stand mixer, and oven in the Bake from Scratch test kitchen. Baking dreams do come true!
Back by popular demand, we’re returning to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico! Explore the sweet side of San Miguel, a Colonial-era jewel and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the central highlands of Mexico. We’ll meander through the pedestrian-friendly cobblestone streets, past the towering pink Parroquia San Miguel Arcángel and the bustling Mercado Ignacio Ramírez y de Artesanías, in search of the best conchas, elotes, and more. Since we’re visiting just days before Día de los Muertos, the city will be in a festive mood and the bakery cases will be filled with pan de muerto. We’ll have VIP access to bakers and behind-the-scenes glimpses at the artisans who make this cultural hub so unique. Accommodations will be at the Casa de Sierra Nevada, a dreamy five-star Belmond hotel property, set amongst 17th- and 18th-century buildings in the heart of the Zona Centro.
If you’ve been dreaming of a trip to Italy, we’re bringing Italy to you . . . in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen. For this special retreat weekend, cookbook author and blogger at Juls’ Kitchen, Giulia Scarpaleggia, will join us from Tuscany, Italy, to share her holiday baking traditions. Giulia has welcomed Bake from Scratch into her home kitchen for photo shoots and multiple baking retreats, and we can’t wait to have her in our kitchen!
You’ll learn how to bake seasonal classics like ricciarelli, panforte, and cavallucci, as well as hand-knead pasta dough for a delicious cappellacci filled with roasted squash. You’ll also prepare Pan co’ Santi, a Tuscan walnut and raisin bread. Learn new recipes, make new baking friends, and enjoy having your own kitchen space, stand mixer, and oven in the Bake from Scratch test kitchen. Baking dreams do come true!
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