Creative Culinaire Baking Class: Eng Hoon Sourdough Skills

Creative Culinaire, at 17 Eng Hoon Street, #01-03/04 Eng Hoon Mansions, Singapore 169767, is the baking class near me for people who want a longer, more technical lesson. Its official course pages list two-day, 18-hour formats such as sourdough and artisan bread and Professional Gelato Making at S$500. Chef Judy Koh founded the school in 2000, and the current course information welcomes beginners while still treating the work as craft rather than entertainment. This is a class to schedule deliberately, not squeeze between two casual weekend errands.

Creative Culinaire feels different from a short demonstration because the course is built across a full day or two. The long format gives fermentation, resting, chilling, and repetition enough time to matter. On a bread course, you can see how dough responds to mixing and handling instead of receiving a finished explanation. On gelato, the lesson moves beyond flavour ideas into formulation, machines, hygiene, and service. The story of the school is practical: learn the science, practise the movement, then understand why a result works.

The official course listing describes a two-day sourdough and artisan bread course on 14 and 15 December 2026 at S$500. The useful promise is not simply a loaf at the end. It is the sequence of starter behaviour, dough strength, shaping, scoring, and baking. Ask questions while the dough is changing, especially about what to do when a home kitchen is cooler or warmer than the school. Take notes on feel and timing. A photograph of the loaf is nice, but a record of the dough at each stage is what travels home with you.

Professional Gelato Making is not a pastry class, but it belongs in the same hands-on family because it teaches ingredient behaviour. The official course material says the Level 1 course covers gelato versus ice cream, commercial machines, ingredient functions, formulation, sorbet, sherbet, hygiene, and the business side of a gelato shop. It also lists a two-day format at S$500. That is a useful option for someone who wants a cold dessert discipline rather than another cake. The course rewards curiosity about ratios, not just a sweet tooth.

Chef Dylan Ooi’s course biography describes a former research and development engineer who discovered Italian gelato at Lake Como in 2007. That background gives the class an analytical edge, but a beginner does not need to arrive with professional ambitions. The real advantage is learning to ask better questions: what does sugar control, what does fat change, why does a sorbet freeze differently, and how does a machine affect texture? The room can support career-minded students and serious hobbyists at the same time, provided everyone respects the lesson pace.

The school’s practical guidance asks students to wear a covered top, long trousers, and covered shoes, and to tie back long hair. Bring a pen and notebook. Takeaway containers are useful because you take home what you make; the school supplies boxes for class products, while extra boxes cost more. Those details sound minor until you finish a long day with warm loaves or frozen dessert. Pack for the actual output, not the fantasy of travelling light. A clean bench and a labelled container are part of the technique, not administrative chores.

Creative Culinaire publishes a cap of 24 students for practical courses, with one teacher to 24 students, and up to 50 for theory courses. Most courses are taught in English, while some use Mandarin; the bilingual teaching team can often translate on request. That makes the school accessible without making it intimate. Beginners are welcome, and each course states its level. If you want one-to-one correction every minute, choose a smaller private format elsewhere. If you value a classroom where you can compare methods with other learners, the scale is part of the experience.

The school says it has 32 SkillsFuture-approved courses and accepts SkillsFuture credits for the relevant programmes. Its published process includes a refundable S$100 deposit at registration, a claim submitted within 30 days before the course, and a refund by the seventh of the month after the course ends. NTUC members may also use UTAP funding under the school’s stated terms. These are important planning details because the headline S$500 fee is not the only number involved. Read the course page and prepare the claim before the deadline rather than after class.

Creative Culinaire’s policy says a full refund requires cancellation at least 10 days before the course. Within 10 days, the school may keep the S$100 deposit or half the course fee. A participant who cannot attend can send someone else for a S$30 administration fee, with a separate SkillsFuture claim for the replacement person. That policy rewards early planning. Do not book a two-day course casually and hope a late change will be painless. If you are organising a pair, agree on the dates and the transport before paying the deposit.

Eng Hoon Street sits beside the pre-war Tiong Bahru estate, so the neighbourhood works as a calm counterpoint to a long kitchen day. Tiong Bahru Market is a natural breakfast option before a morning start, while the estate’s low-rise streets and cafés suit a short post-class walk. Keep food plans modest if you are carrying bread or gelato. A direct route home protects the work you just made. If you have energy left, use the Karpo APP to choose one indoor stop rather than adding a long cross-city detour.

Creative Culinaire lists 17 Eng Hoon St, #01-03/04 Eng Hoon Mansions, Singapore 169767. Its contact page gives Monday to Friday business hours of 9am–6pm, Saturday and Sunday class hours of 9am–6pm, and public holidays closed. The two-day sourdough and artisan bread course and Professional Gelato Making course are listed at S$500. The school’s official pages also describe beginner access, covered clothing, a 24-student practical-course cap, and the cancellation policy.