For many, the coronavirus pandemic sparked a newfound hobby, bread making, something Bill Reichman has been doing for nearly 50 years.
“I just happened to be introduced to fresh-baked bread as a child.”
“‘Bill the Baker,” as he’s known, used to teach in-person courses, but the coronavirus pandemic canceled them.
That’s when he decided to whisk up an online opportunity.
“I posted on the Internet that I would do a free baking class. Six people attended that class, and that started an avalanche,” Reichman said.
He taught 91 free Zoom classes with step-by-step instructions on baking everything from pretzel bread and baguettes to birthday cakes and pies.
Between March and June, 278 families registered in six different countries.
“I never expected that there would be that many people interested in baking,” he said.
Along the way, he said, he discovered a handful of future “rockstar” bakers.
“The youngest was five, just turned 6 last week and the oldest is 14. These children know no limits. They bake every week with me, and it’s just so rewarding to have these kids in my life,” he said.
Reichman plans to continue teaching online, even beyond the pandemic.
“Now that I've been doing these internet classes, I don’t know that I will go back to a live environment. It’s much easier for me to do the class at my own kitchen rather than having to drag a bunch of things to a location so that I can teach a live class.”
You can register for an online session here.
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