Frank's Bread Academy

Frank's Bread Academy I teach in-person bread-baking classes and am available for both private & group classes. Content here is NOT monetized for likes and followers.

My goal is simply to teach folks techniques, tips & tricks that will produce great bread every time.

Nothing beats a soft, crusty loaf of freshly baked French bread. Today I shared this process with 11 attendees at the We...
06/14/2026

Nothing beats a soft, crusty loaf of freshly baked French bread. Today I shared this process with 11 attendees at the Westfield Washington Township Center. While the recipe is simple- flour, water, yeast and salt it's all about technique to be soft inside, yet crusty outside.

The secret is several long proofing cycles to make the inside soft and misting the loaf during the first few minutes of baking to make it crusty. Extended oven rests help further develop the crust. Of course the aroma while baking this bread is pure heaven. The extra time required is well worth the wait.

I shared as many tips and tricks as possible, we covered all the steps and also baked a loaf in class (which I just now sampled). There were plenty of tasty samples and we raffled off some "valuable prizes" too.

Thanks to everyone that attended and especially my wife Theresa for her help. It was especially great to see one of Theresa's former co-workers too!

if you attended today let's see those loaves!

Yesterday's wheat bread class at the Carmel Clay Public Library was well attended and lots of fun. I love hearing "I don...
06/07/2026

Yesterday's wheat bread class at the Carmel Clay Public Library was well attended and lots of fun. I love hearing "I don't even like wheat bread but this is amazing!" That's a comment I hear often about this recipe and always makes me happy. Wheat bread should not be like a tasteless brick. This recipe is light, fluffy and the aroma fills the room.

I demonstrated the mixing and shaping process along with plenty of tips & tricks to produce a light, fluffy wheat loaf. Of course there were plenty of samples and we raffled off "valuable prizes ". Seeing repeat attendees (I call them "frequent flyers") makes me pretty happy too and I appreciate everyone attending.

Thanks to Julie Dannis at the CCPL and Foundation Friends for hosting these classes. Be sure to check out their many other programs. And as always thanks to my incredible wife for her help- I couldn't do these without her. I am lucky to have her and this incredibly rewarding side gig!

Let's see those wheat loaves!

A few sample loaves I baked for tomorrow's wheat bread class at the Carmel Clay Public Library. It's a super easy and de...
06/06/2026

A few sample loaves I baked for tomorrow's wheat bread class at the Carmel Clay Public Library. It's a super easy and delicious loaf that can take any shape you like. Even folks that don't like wheat bread really enjoy this bread. Sure does smell good in here!

Yesterday was another great sourdough class at The Nook in Niemann Harvest Market - Carmel, IN . I taught 23 people how ...
05/31/2026

Yesterday was another great sourdough class at The Nook in Niemann Harvest Market - Carmel, IN . I taught 23 people how to craft a tangy, hearty sourdough boule and covered the all the steps in the sourdough process. It's important to focus on the role of fermentation and proper dough structure because it's your key to successful sourdough baking. There were lots of great questions and it was a very engaged group.

Everyone went home with enough starter to make this loaf and some extra to feed it and keep it alive forever. As always we raffled off "valuable prizes" and Myranda from NHM provided some wonderful pairings to make this experience extra-tasty. Thanks Myranda! And of course these classes could not be pulled off without the help of my awesome wife Theresa.

Thanks to all that attended and send me a picture of your loaves! You can also e-mail me for a PDF version ofthe recipe and a helpful presentation.
Happy Baking!

Yesterday at the Westfield Washington Township Center I helped 8 people along with their "Sourdough Journey" and taught ...
05/17/2026

Yesterday at the Westfield Washington Township Center I helped 8 people along with their "Sourdough Journey" and taught them how to craft a 100% naturally-fermented sourdough boule'. It's that round, crusty rustic loaf and is a thing of beauty. The boule' requires a few more steps and technique but is worth the efffort.

Thanks to everyone who attended- I hope this simplified the process and made it easier to understand and execute. The internet is chocked full of over-complicated, intimidating steps that make sourdough baking seem out of reach. Quite frankly some of it I've seen makes my head spin. My approach is to keep it simple and focus on the small, easy steps that help you be successful.

We covered all the steps, baked a loaf in class and of course had plenty of tasty samples. I do spend a fair amount of time on "Care & feeding" of the sourdough starter. A stong, active starter is the key to successful sourdough baking. Everyone went home with the flour mix and enough stater for this loaf and more to grow and keep it going forever.

As always thanks to my incredible wife Theresa for her help with everything and especially re-formatting my presentation. With her help things awlays seem to go smoother. :)

Let's see those loaves!

Here's a perfect example of why I tell people there are few hard-set rules for sourdough baking, only "best practices". ...
05/09/2026

Here's a perfect example of why I tell people there are few hard-set rules for sourdough baking, only "best practices". One in particular is that most recipes call for "freshly-fed starter" and I always recommend feeding your starter 1-3 days prior to your bake. That's just a "best practice" and then there's the reality that your starter is more resilient than you think.

To prove this point again, yesterday I used starter that was fed 15 days ago on April 23rd, 4 days before my last sourdough class. It was thin, runny and had gray "h***h" on top that I simply stirred back in. I also baked the exact same loaf using starter that was fed on May 5th which was 3 days before baking.

The end result was 2 sourdough sandwich loaves that mixed, rose and baked up exactly the same. While I have not tasted both loaves the one using 15-day old starter probably has a higher "tang" factor due to the length of fermentation.

I have done this experiment many times. There's no hard-set rule on how long your starter will last and still make great bread. When you think about it every loaf is a "feeding" because that starter is geetting fresh "food" in the form of your flour. While I'd hesitate to use one that is approaching 3 weeks old this is proof that you don't need to stress over your starter strength.

Still scratching your head trying to find a Mother's Day gift? There are still plenty of open spots in my sourdough brea...
05/07/2026

Still scratching your head trying to find a Mother's Day gift? There are still plenty of open spots in my sourdough bread class on 5/16 at the Westfield Washington Township Center. Learning the art of sourdough baking is truly a gift she can use for life. :) She'll receive a tried & true recipe, the flour mix needed and some active sourdough starter that can be kept for life..

This class covers the classic round, tangy sourdough boule that is very popular. Facebook and the internet in general are chocked full of intimidating, conflicting steps - I like to simplfy the process to make it less intimidating.

I'll demonstrate every step of the process and share all my best tips & tricks that have taken me years to perfect. I also spend time teaching attendees the "care & feeding' of their new sourdough starter. We'll bake a loaf in class and of course there will be plenty of tasty samples too.

To get mom started on her "Sourdough Journey" see page 19 of the OWWN guide at this link: https://wwtownship.aflip.in/2026owwn

PM me if you have any questions or want a list of supplies she'll need to own.

Updated - 5/10/2026: In response to the demand for sourdough classes I have 2 coming up in the month of May. The May 16t...
04/30/2026

Updated - 5/10/2026: In response to the demand for sourdough classes I have 2 coming up in the month of May. The May 16th class at the Westfield Washington Township Center only has 4 people registered so there is plenty of room in that class. (My preferred minimum is 8 people.) It seems everyone wants to jump on "The Sourdough Train" so here's your chance! I'll be teaching folks how to make that round, hearty, crusty sourdough boule' that is very popular. My goal is to simplify the process to make it easier and less intimidating. You'll receive the flour mixture and enough fresh active starter to bake this loaf at home with some extra starter to grow and keep forever. We'll be baking a loaf in class and of course there are always tasty samples, tips & tricks, etc. At $27 we feel that is a great value. See page 15 of the OWWN guide at this link:
https://issuu.com/wwtownship/docs/owwn_guide_summer_2025

That same sourdough class on May 30th at The Nook in Niemann Harvest Market is now open for registration. Here is the link to sign up: https://www.goharvestmarket.com/events-at-our-niemann-harvest-market-store-in-carmel-in/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR13nL7NvoLEiq2gq8fG5OxwtrPPcBrSVANA1BF2hSXRq6rroknrHIQRcrU_aem_LBqBbRMvg4ZUmPxA0bJrmw

FYI - I would love to let people mix their dough in class but there are several reasons it is not feasible. The first is class size - it adds to the time involved and also requires more supplies like bowls & hand tools. The second reason is that most folks don't have a dutch oven and supplies needed to complete this loaf. It also requires a lot of time that may not align with people's schedules on that particular day. Once you mix this dough you'll need to complete the rest of the process. This is why my classes are presentation-style. In private classes I have the luxury of everyone mixing in class. If you're interested in one PM me.

All aboard the Sourdough Train! :)

Class Schedule Update As Of 6/14/2026:These are the only 2 classes on the schedule for right now. I'm slowing it down fo...
04/27/2026

Class Schedule Update As Of 6/14/2026:

These are the only 2 classes on the schedule for right now. I'm slowing it down for the summer and hope to have fall classes on the schedule at some point. I *really* appreciate everyone's enthusiasm!

There are now 2 classes available at the Westfield Washington Township Center (not the library) and registration is already open.
Scheduled Dates & Times:

-Saturday July 11th – 2-3:30 PM "Easy Italian Bread": This is a super-easy, soft, delicious Italian loaf. You will receive the yeast needed to try this family recipe at home. Great for beginners or experienced bakers. If you have never baked bread before this is great starting point!
-Saturday, August 8th – 2–3:30 PM "German-Style Rye Bread": This is a classic German-style rye bread with caraway seeds. You will receive the yeast needed to try thhis classic rye bread at home. (Skill level= intermediate)
You will receive the recipe, plenty of tips & tricks and as always there are plenty of tasty samples. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and registration is available at the link below. I hope to see you there!
Link To OWWN Summer Guide (See page 19): https://wwtownship.aflip.in/26summer

Address

17400 Westfield Blvd, Suite B
Carmel, IN
46074

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