Students get hands-on experience making pizza in LBCC baking class

Fresh basil, hearty tomatoes, melty cheese and freshly rolled dough filled LBCC’s Intro to Baking Skills and Principles class on Oct. 20 as students enjoyed slices of pizza with one  another.

Professor of baking and pastry arts Marina Krasotkina leads the Intro to Baking Skills and Principles class, where students are able to experiment and perfect their skills that will later help them in their future baking classes.

Making pizza allows students to gain the experience in preparing fermented dough and baking it at high temperatures.

Students don’t just make dough, they also learn other fundamental pastry skills. A recent activity included making chocolate cups with the help of balloons.

In this course, students typically start with simpler foods and pastries, such as cookies, before eventually working their way up to more advanced techniques such as laminating dough.

Students join the culinary and baking programs for a variety of reasons, like wanting to become professional chefs or doing it as a hobby.

LBCC student Emmanuel Moreno shared why he likes culinary and baking arts.

“Both my parents have worked in the restaurant-esque industry for quite a long time, so I felt I was inspired by them to do it and also I just like food,” said Moreno.

In Krasotkina’s class, students can see upcoming activities on the agenda and review readings and other materials prior to coming to class.

^{LBCC baking and pastry arts professor Chef Marina Krasotkina, prepares pizza dough during her Intro to Baking Skills and Principles class on Oct. 20. Students in the class had multiple toppings and the freedom to make multiple styles of pizza. (Araceli Juarez)}

Even with a planned schedule, jumping immediately into baking can feel intimidating for first time baking or culinary students, but professors and tutors try to create a positive class environment to motivate students.

“I’m there to assist students and give them feedback from a student’s perspective. For some students it can seem really intimidating having to talk or get feedback from Chef Marina so having another student talk to them gets them more comfortable. I’ll even kind of mingle and check in on students individually when Chef Marina is occupied with other students,” Embedded tutor in the course Danelle Akaki said.

This introductory class prepares students for more advanced courses, eventually allowing them to be able to bake for the bakery on campus.

The bakery is open to the public and available for walk up orders, unlike the LBCC bistro, which requires a reservation.