Focaccia is one of the best breads to start with if you’re new to baking! 🍞🌿 It requires just a handful of ingredients, some patience, and a few simple techniques that will build your confidence with bread making.
In this recipe, Chef Tracy uses Sonora flour from for an especially light, pillowy texture. Follow along as she explains every step from mixing and folding to dimpling and baking. The result is a focaccia with a crisp, golden crust, a soft interior, and plenty of flavor from fresh herbs and olive oil!
If you’ve been wanting to try making bread at home, this is a great place to begin. Here are a few helpful tips:
☀️ Proof the dough in a warm environment to encourage a strong rise
🌿 Coat fresh herbs in olive oil before adding them to the dough to help prevent burning during baking
⏱️ Bake the focaccia on the bottom rack of the oven for a well-cooked, golden crust
💨 Cool the bread on a wire rack so the bottom stays crisp instead of becoming soggy
The Gourmandise School
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"A Sure Bet!" From LA Magazine, The Gourmandise School is a hands-on culinary school in Santa Monica.
The Gourmandise School is a hands-on culinary school for adults, teens and kids with a focus on teaching classic techniques using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. The school offers pastry and cooking classes, professional courses and fascinating food workshops.
06/04/2026
Bluebird Grain Farm’s fresh-milled heritage wheat flours bring more character to your baking than standard all-purpose flour. Because they retain more of the grain’s natural flavor and structure, each variety behaves differently in dough and shines in different recipes!
📌 Save this cheat sheet for your next baking day and reference it whenever you’re deciding which flour to use. If you’ve baked with any of these grains, tell us your favorite in the comments!
06/03/2026
Join us at the Santa Monica Farmers Market () for a guided tour from Chef Rose Wilde, author of Bread & Roses!
Students will meet at The Gourmandise School at 9:00am and walk down to the market from there. After the market tour, you’ll return to the school & create a delicious lunch out of the seasonal finds that you hand-picked!
What You’ll Make:
🥧 Seasonal Veggie Quiche
🥗 Farmers Market Salad
Registration Info:
📅 Saturday, June 13th
⏰ 9:00am - 12:00pm
📍 Santa Monica, CA
📱 Register online
🎟️ $95 per person
🥒 Ingredients included in ticket
06/02/2026
Can you believe it’s already JUNE?! Our calendar is jam-packed this month and we’re looking forward to rolling out our summer schedule! ☀️🍑🌻🍒🍔
Featured classes include:
🍓6/13 🍓 FARMERS MARKET TOUR & CLASS: Learn Simple, Seasonal Recipes and take a guided tour from Chef Rose Wilde
☀️6/15 ☀️ Our week long SUMMER CAMPS for kids and teens kick off on June 15th
💼 6/17 💼 BUSINESS OF FOOD: Turn your love of cooking or baking into a thriving, sustainable business and explore the path to entrepreneurship!
🍷 6/20 🍷 WINE TASTING & CHEESE PAIRING: Join Sommelier Murphy Perng, who will teach you how to see, smell, and taste wine
Check out our full class calendar at www.TheGourmandiseSchool.com or by visiting our . Will we be seeing you this month? 🤞
06/01/2026
JUNE SEASONAL PRODUCE IS HERE! ☀️🍑🥑🍒 Can you believe it’s already summer?? Here’s what’s in season this month and some recipe inspiration for each item!
🍑 Apricot Jam
🥑 Avocado Tuna Salad
🍒 Cherry Cobblers & Pies
🌽 Spicy Corn Salsa
🫛 Cheesy Garlic Green Beans
🍈 Melon & Mint Salad
🍑 Grilled Nectarines with Balsamic Glaze
🥒 Roasted Summer Squash
💚 Fried Green Tomatillos
There’s nothing better than cooking with produce at its peak! We always encourage shopping at your local farmers market for the freshest flavors while supporting our SoCal growers. 🌱✨ PS: You’ll be working with many of these seasonal ingredients in our upcoming classes!
We got new citrus juicers in for our retail shop last week and caught the moment Chef Tracy tried one out for the first time (and fell in love with them)… safe to say she’s impressed 😂🍋
Unlike traditional citrus presses, the Flucier squeezes inward (requiring less effort to squeeze) and stores flat in your drawer! Come pick up a Flucier of your own the next time you’re nearby or taking a class!
Yeast is alive… and water that’s too hot can kill it before your dough even gets started! 🌡️🍞
Here’s a good rule of thumb: if the water feels slightly warm to the touch, you’re probably in the right range. Since your body temperature is around 98.6°F, “just warm” water is usually close to the ideal 100°F for activating yeast. Once you go above 105°F, you risk killing the yeast completely.
05/23/2026
Whether you cook with the lid ON or OFF can completely change the texture, flavor, and consistency of your food! 🍳
Lid ON = moisture 💧Keeping the lid on traps steam, holds in liquid, and gently cooks food without drying it out. Perfect for rice, soups, braises, steamed vegetables, and tender proteins.
Lid OFF = concentration 🥘 Cooking uncovered allows moisture to evaporate, which helps sauces thicken, flavors intensify, and foods develop better browning and caramelization.
Understanding when to trap moisture and when to let it escape gives you more control over how your dish will turn out. Here’s a good rule to remember:
– Want tender and juicy? Lid ON
– Want thicker, richer, more concentrated flavor? Lid OFF
Here are two simple, thermometer-free tricks to ensure your frying oil hits that sweet spot between 350 and 375 degrees! Master these quick tests to get perfectly crispy results every single time without burning your food 😉
🥢 The Wooden Chopstick Test: Dip a regular bamboo chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon directly into the heated oil. If gentle bubbles immediately start clustering around the wood, your oil is hot enough and ready for frying
🍞 The Breadcrumb or Flour Sprinkle: Toss a tiny pinch of breadcrumbs or flour into the pan to observe how they react. If they immediately sizzle, dissipate, and sink to the bottom without instantly burning, you have reached the perfect temperature
Save for the next time you’re frying! 🍗🍳🍤
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Address
395 Santa Monica Place, Ste 323
Santa Monica, CA
90401
Opening Hours
| Monday | 10am - 8pm |
| Tuesday | 10am - 8pm |
| Wednesday | 10am - 8pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 8pm |
| Friday | 10am - 8pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 8pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 7pm |