- Bakery School of Crete launches five-month program, Nov 2025–Mar 2026
- 180 teaching hours split between theory and hands-on workshops
- Curriculum covers sourdough, traditional breads, international classics, viennoiserie, pizza, snacks, and business training
- Tuition €950 with early bird discount of €100 until October 31
Lessons in Dough and Discipline
The Bakery School of Crete, run by the Chamber of Heraklion’s Technical Schools, is rolling out a new program this November for anyone who dreams of baking bread or simply wants to stop burning their pizza. The five-month course (November 11, 2025–March 13, 2026) mixes theory with plenty of sticky hands-on practice, all inside a fully equipped lab where flour is expected to fly.
Participants will not just knead dough. They will learn cost management, HACCP/ISO safety standards, and the fine art of pretending to enjoy a three-hour Zoom lecture on flour chemistry.
What’s on the Menu
The school promises a buffet of modules that sound more like a bakery menu than a syllabus:
- Theory of ingredients in baking
- Sourdough and slow fermentation techniques
- Traditional breads (monastic, sourdough classics)
- International breads (ciabatta, baguette)
- Bio and nutritional loaves
- Pizza and snacks
- Viennoiseries (croissants, brioche, donuts)
- Pastry techniques in baking
- Use of raw materials and equipment
- Food hygiene and safety (HACCP/ISO)
- Costing and budgeting
All in all: 180 teaching hours. Theory runs Tuesdays online, while Thursdays and Fridays are for hands-on workshops in Heraklion.
The Price of Pastry
The cost is €950 — unless you are an “early bird,” in which case you save €100 by October 31. The fee can be split into installments: €400 upfront, followed by two payments of €275. The school even throws in the uniform: shirt, cap, and apron — because no one should roll a croissant without looking the part.
Leading the practical workshops is Dionysis Vogiatzis, a second-generation baker with professional studies in bakery and pastry, whose job will be to ensure students leave knowing the difference between rustic sourdough and something better suited as a paperweight.
Crete has given the world wine, cheese, and olive oil. Now, through its bakery school, it insists the next generation learns to treat dough as both science and art. The question is not whether Crete can teach bread. The question is: will anyone ever look at a supermarket loaf the same way again?
