Richard Bertinet

Bread Making

'Bread genius' and teacher to some of the world's top chefs, Richard Bertinet reveals the secrets of baking in this easy-to-follow, 26-lesson course. With over 30 years' experience, a batch of awards and an effortless, approachable style, Richard will soon have you baking with total confidence and spectacular results.

26 video lessons

Course notes

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The Course

Join legendary baker, Richard Bertinet, as he takes you through his bread making philosophy in 26 lessons. Start with getting the dough right before moving from a simple tin loaf up to the mighty sourdough and beyond. With his informal, no-nonsense style Richard will soon have you baking with confidence - and spectacularly delicious results.

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Cook fresh pizza at home with baking expert, Richard Bertinet

Your Maestro

Richard first fell in love with baking as a 14-year-old apprentice in his native Brittany. He moved to England in the late ‘80s, where he has taught his unique and incredible style of baking to some of the greatest chefs in the world. In the early 200s, Richard founded the Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School and his first book Dough was published to great acclaim, winning awards such as the IACP cookery book of the year, the James Beard Award for Baking and Dessert, and the Julia Child Award for Best First Book. For the first time, Richard is teaching his lifetime of experience and his unique bread-making secrets to you, here on BBC Maestro.

Lessons

Introduction

2 mins

Discover Richard’s philosophy of breadmaking: it’s all about starting with the right foundations.

The dough

21 mins

To make good bread you need good dough. Learn the tricks and techniques to make the perfect batch with Richard’s simple step-by-step guide.

Tin loaf & leopard bread

19 mins

Learn how to turn your dough into a simple Tin Loaf and beautifully crusty Leopard Bread.

Baguette

30 mins

Discover the magic of fermentation and learn how to work dough in a mixer, before making your very own artisanal baguette.

Pizza

22 mins

Learn to make this Italian classic with a French Maestro. Perfect your pizza dough, prepare your toppings and let the oven work its magic

Tartiflette pizza

10 mins

Discover Richard’s simple twist on the iconic tartiflette, in this mouth-watering ode to molten cheese.

Ciabatta & fougasse

25 mins

Follow Richard’s simple steps to make a fermented dough to bake both a light and airy ciabatta and a crunchy fougasse.

Focaccia

15 mins

Learn how to make the perfect oily dough and then follow Richard’s trusted technique for fantastic focaccia.

Rye bread

16 mins

Learn to work with a new ingredient as Richard guides you through the essentials of rye flour, turning a sticky dough into delicious bread.

10.

Bagels

20 mins

Discover how to make brilliant bagels that any deli would be proud of by following our Maestro’s trusted method for this family favourite.

11.

Burger buns

18 mins

Learn how to make your own brilliantly shiny burger buns from scratch. Your BBQ will never be the same again.

12.

Brioche

28 mins

Turn a rich dough into legendary bread, following Richard’s method. When a Maestro is guiding you, there’s nothing to fear - patience (and butter) is the key.

13.

Challa

21 mins

Add this impressive looking bread to your baking repertoire by learning how to plait a sweet dough. Even Richard says it’s easier than it sounds!

14.

Babka buns

13 mins

Move beyond banana bread. Follow Richard as he shows you how to make a sweet velvety dough before transforming it into eye-catching buns that taste as good as they look.

15.

Green pea & chickpea flatbreads

8 mins

Richard gives the humble flatbread an exciting twist by working with both green pea and chickpea flour. Follow his simple guide for making the batter, incorporating herbs and oil, right through to pan frying.

16.

Cornbread

6 mins

Discover how easy it is to make this Southern staple with a gluten-free recipe.

17.

Seeded loaf

6 mins

With a vegan and gluten free recipe that everyone will love, you’ll see this versatile loaf couldn’t be simpler. And once you’ve mastered it, it’s easy to change up the flavours too.

18.

Sourdough: making the ferment

20 mins

There is nothing to fear from Sourdough! Richard breaks down the process into simple stages starting with the ferment.

19.

Sourdough: making the bread

25 mins

Now you’ve mastered the ferment, it’s time to make the sourdough with this step by step guide. Richard says the hardest thing is waiting for it to be cool enough to eat!

20.

Sourdough: keeping your ferment going

3 mins

In this simple lesson, Richard shows you how to refresh your ferment so you can use it again and again.

21.

Sourdough: freezing or drying the ferment

8 mins

You’ve baked the sourdough but what else can you do with the ferment? Richard reveals all his tips and tricks to keep it going.

22.

Sourdough crackers

5 mins

Make sure none of your ferment is wasted with this simple recipe for beautifully crisp crackers.

23.

Stollen

33 mins

Discover how to bake this Christmas classic with the exact recipe Richard teaches to his students. Learn to make a rich dough, add fruit and fold it to produce your own piece of culinary magic.

24.

Mince pies

18 mins

Discover Richard’s simple twist on the festive British classic, as he teaches you his techniques to create delicate and tasteful mince pies that will be remembered long after the holidays are over.

25.

Au revoir

1 min

It’s not goodbye but au revoir from Richard as he recaps his baking philosophy.

26.

Bonus lesson: buckwheat blinis

11 mins

Learn how to make traditional buckwheat blinis from scratch as Richard takes you step by step through the process. Small and delicious, it’s hard to not eat them all before serving.

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Course notes

86 pages

A downloadable PDF packed full of tricks, tips, and recipes to get you baking with total confidence.

What people are saying

Richard never ceases to amaze me with his effortless skills as a baker... a bread genius.

- Angela Hartnett

Chef & baker extraordinaire... His advice is a revelation from someone whose passion for breadmaking is unrivalled.

- Nathan Outlaw

All it takes to make bread is flour water and salt. To make great bread, add a little Bertinet.

- Pierre Koffmann

Richard Bertinet is a master of his craft who has decided to share his knowledge with the world.

- The Telegraph

Very detailed and the step by step process makes it so easy to actually do it right the first time. Easy to follow, stop, start again and practice.

- Kevin Raison

Very easy to understand, clear and concise, not filled with technical terms and delivered in a very laid back and ready to digest manner

- Chris C

It's almost as if you have the benefit of a one to one course, and thereby, it feels as if you are having a full and proper private lesson which brings with it the tricks and quirks of the trade.

- Roy Cooper

Excellent. So much easier to see what's to be done than trying to do it from a book, even a good one!

- Stephen Brown

I love it so far. I’ve been baking bread for around 10 years and I’ve already learned some new things and also realised that I have been doing others wrong this whole time!

- Victoria Fox

Our bread baking has been transformed to success every time rather than failures. Great course and have recommended to friends.

- Anne Mills

Richard is a fantastic teacher. The course is easy to follow and news skills are slowly introduced. I just love it!

- Peter

He helps you to understand the dough, and teaches with enthusiasm. Love the course and has taken my bread making to the next level.

- Sue Wiseman

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