Frank's Bread Academy

10/04/2026

Thanks to everyone that attended yesterday's CInnamon Raisin Bread class (10/3) at the Lebanon Public Library. There were 20 people in this class and I love teaching this holiday favorite. I fell in love with Cinnamon Raisin Bread as a kid because my dad worked for Wonder Bread and brought it home when they first put their version on the market. Eating it always takes me back to memories of mornings eating a stack of Cinnamon Raisin Bread toast.

This bread has the longest ingredient list of any bread I make and it's more work but well worth the effort. The smell of this bread baking fills your home with the most incredible aroma. The original recipe came to me as a 3-loaf version, perfect for gifting out but I have revised that recipe to include both the 3 -loaf and single-loaf versions.

I demonstrated the mixing & kneading process and covered all the ingredients required. The milk, butter & eggs in this recipe make it rich and satisfying. This dough is rolled out into a rectangle, topped with a cinnamon-sigar mixture then rolled up jelly-roll style to give it that signature swirl. While the library does not have an oven I brought plenty of samples and we raffled off "valuable prizes" like CRB kits, pre-made dough, baking tools and some CRB slices. This is the perfect holiday bread and I love teaching this class. Lots of great questions and one attendee already sent me a picture of her loaf (which I love!). Thanks again to Yvonne at the Lebanon Puiblic Library for arranging this class and all that attended.... And of course thanks to my wife incredible Theresa for her never-ending support and patience. Support your local library!

09/28/2026

There are still plenty of seats available for my next 2 classes....

*October 3rd (this saturday) at the Lebanon Public Library - Cinnamon Raisin Bread 11am - 12:30 PM. I'll demonstrate how to make this holiday favorite. The smell of this bread baking fills your home with the incredible aroma of this family favorite recipe. I'll cover both the single loaf version and a 3-loaf recipe for gifting these out around the holidays. Link to sign up: https://leblib.org/event/franks-bread-academy/

* October 10th at the Westfield Washington Township Center from 2-4 PM. Just in time for soup & stew weather- French-Style Baguettes! In this class I'll demonstrate how to make French-style baguettes right at home that are sure to please. This versatile recipe can use all baker's yeast for simplicity or a combination of sourdough starter AND yeast for the best of both worlds - ye**ty goodness and the sourdough tang. If you've attended my previous sourdough classes here's another use for the starter I gave you. And if you don't have a starter I'll give you some. There will be plenty of tasty samples and we'll raffle off some "Valuable Prizes" too! Let me show you just how easy making your own baguettes can be. To register see page 15 of the OWWN fall guide: https://wwtownship.aflip.in/2026owwn

As always,feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

09/20/2026

Private classes are always a lot of fun and I really enjoy doing these. Many thanks to Wanda Thompson for hosting the Easy Italian Bread class yesterday for her group of 11 neighborhood people. Everyone received a bread "kit" and several of them mixed & kneaded their dough in class to take home to shape & bake. Suellen D. already sent me a picture of her loaf and it looks really great!

We covered all the steps like mixing, kneading, bakeware, flour choices, forming the loaves and even baked one in class. This was my first time ever using a convection oven and it turned out fantastic.

The Italian bread recipe was my grandmother's recipe that has been feeding tummies since the Great Depression and I am always happy to share it. It's simple ingredients, easy to make, rises quickly and is always a crowd-pleaser. There are much more complex breads I can make but I still make this bread regularly because it's so quick & easy. The dough is very versatile and can take any shape from a simple homestyle loaf to seeded oblong loaves or even sandwich rolls.

This is the easiest class I teach and always recommend it for groups with folks that have never made bread before. Let me know if you're interested in a private class. They are smaller gatherings among friends & family and always enjoyable. As always thanks to my wife Theresa for her help!

09/13/2026

Today I helped 15 people along on their "Sourdough Journey" at the Westfield Washington Township Center. It was a lot of fun and I love showing folks just how easy this 100% naturally fermented sourdough sandwich loaf can be. It's very little work using simple ingredients and simple supplies but the main ingredient is time.

We covered the mixing process, bulk fermentation, forming the loaf and also baked one in class. Of course there were plenty of tasty samples and we raffled off "valuable prizes" too.

Many thanks to my wife Theresa and our new "intern" Ainsley who lives next door and asked to help out. We worked her pretty hard!

09/09/2026

Yesterday's German-Style Rye Bread class at The Nook inside Niemann Harvest Market - Carmel, IN was incredibly fun. There was a mixture of new faces, "frequent flyers" as I like to call them and a couple folks that I have known for over 30-40 years. This all makes me incredibly happy!

This rye bread technique starts with a "sponge" made up of the yeast, rye flour & water that sits for an hour or two while the rye flour softens and the yeast gets strong. Once the dough has been mixed the longer proof times make for an even softer inside (crumb) which helps create that soft, fluffy loaf. Rye bread can be pretty dense if kneaded for too long or if you don't allow sufficient time in the proofing cycles. Your patience will be rewarded! This dough is pretty versatile and can take any shape you like from a simple sandwich loaf to traditional round or oblong loaves.

We covered all the steps of mixing the sponge, kneading the dough, proofing and forming the loaves too. We even baked a loaf in class dodging an oven issue, baking this loaf in "convection" mode. Then of course we moved on to the "delicious part of class" of bread samples paired with cheese & butter spreads provided by Myranda who is the NHM events coordinator. Myranda always knocks this out of the park with their fresh-churned butters and locally sourced cheese spread. As always we raffled off "valuable prizes" so everyone went home with some goodies.

As always my wife Theresa helps me pull these classes off- I could not do these without her help (and patience!). If you have made your rye bread let's see those pictures here!

FYI- Niemann Harvest Market sells organic dark rye flour in their bulk section for $2.59/lb which is a good price and it's excellent finely-milled flour. Rye is the most expensive flour at any store. They have 2 bins of rye flour now so be sure to pick some up.

Thanks again to everyone that showed up - despite the short notice we had a great turnout and that makes me very happy. My next class at The Nook should be "Classic Bagels" on October 20th which should be on the NHM calendar of events soon.

09/05/2026

As the old saying goes "Practice makes perfect" .. This is a practice loaf for Tuesday's German-style rye bread class at The Nook inside Niemann Harvest Market - Carmel, IN . It turned out quite well. This loaf will be used for smash-burger patty melts tonight. (Yum!) I'll be teaching all the tips and tricks that make a great loaf of rye bread so I hope to see you there. Yes I really do have to practice amd ensure the recipe and techniques are spot-on.

I also just received my 25lb bag of organic rye flour too. I'd hate to run out! :) I put it in zip lock bags and freeze it so it stays fresh. Between rye and sourdough classes, baking at home I go through a lot of rye flour.

09/02/2026

Wow- I just had someone try to scam me on this page. They wanted me to make 6 loaves of sourdough bread for September 18th and I told this person "I don't sell my bread, only teach classes". That and I have a private class on the 19th so they suggested the 24th.

I should have known when their profile was empty, they wanted "my exact address for pickup" before I agreed to anything (which did not provide), then replied at 2am with ??" , then wanted to Paypal me $$ right away which never showed up (surprise!) . Then said "Kindly refresh your browser" (Language RED FLAG! Nobody in the US prefaces a statement with "kindly") then told me I needed to contact Paypal support to work it out giving me a bogus phone number....

I changed my Paypal e-mail ID & password.. Then I told this person they were obviously trying to scam me and "BYE!" Next time I will be much more careful. This is just one of many reasons I don't selll my bread and prefer to teach people how to bake.

I hate scammers- be vigilant!
From this point on anyone using "Nicknames" will be blocked as well. I only deal with real people using real profiles.

08/31/2026

🥨 FRANK’S BREAD ACADEMY IS BACK! 🍞🇩🇪

Just in time for Oktoberfest season, Frank Petrarca is heading back into The Nook, and this time, we’re making German-Style Rye Bread!

Join us Tuesday, September 8 from 3-5PM for a hands-on afternoon of bread making as Frank walks you through the techniques behind a hearty, flavorful German-style rye.

🍞 Learn kneading, proofing & shaping techniques
🥨 Watch a fresh loaf bake and enjoy plenty of samples!
📝 Take home Frank’s printed recipe
🌾 Receive specialty yeast so you can recreate it at home
🧀 Enjoy samples paired with some of our favorite Niemann Harvest Market offerings
🎟️ PLUS- Frank’s bringing the prize raffles!

Whether you’ve joined Frank before or this is your first Bread Academy, you’ll leave with new skills, a tried-and-true recipe, and everything you need to give this loaf a go in your own kitchen.

Frank’s Bread Academy: German-Style Rye
📅 Tuesday, September 8
⏰ 3-5PM
🎟️ $30 per guest
👥 Only 24 seats available!

Oktoberfest starts in The Nook. Prost! 🥨🍺🇩🇪

Registration is OPEN NOW, grab your seat before the class fills!

Join Frank Petrarca for another installment of Frank’s Bread Academy as he walks you through the process of creating classic German-style rye from start to finish. Frank will demonstrate the essential techniques behind the loaf, including kneading, proofing, shaping, and baking, while sharing tips...