Summer 2026 is sold out! Apply for Winter 2027: January 8-11

Applications are now open for the January Proof Intensive.
Friday, 8th through Monday, 11th

Applications close when the cohort is full.

Proof Intensive

This is not a baking class.
It's three days inside a real bakery with the people who built it.

Apply Now

Three full working days, plus a Friday evening welcome, inside Proof Bread with Jon Przybyl and Amanda Abou-Eid. You will bake, shape, and learn the business of baking alongside the team that built one of the most recognized artisan bakeries in the country — from a garage in Mesa to five locations and a flour mill of our own. Twenty bakers per cohort.

Application required. We will read each application carefully to make sure this experience is the right fit for you.
We’re looking for people who are serious about growing their baking businesses and learning from Jon and Amanda, as well as from each other.

Submit Your Application

Why is learning from Proof Bread valuable?

All Natural Leavening at Scale

Every product Proof has ever made is naturally leavened. No commercial yeast, ever. You will learn what that means in practice.

Freshly Milled Flour

Proof mills its own flour from heritage grains grown with Arizona farmers. You will bake with it from day one.

Real Production Environment

This is not a teaching kitchen, and we won’t just be talking about baking. You will work inside an operating $6M bakery alongside the people who run it every day.

A Cohort That Continues

Your group stays connected after the weekend through a shared WhatsApp group and two follow-up calls at one and three months.

Who the Proof Intensive is for

This experience is designed for:

  • Cottage and microbakery owners preparing to grow

  • Bakery owners and operators who need stronger production and business systems

  • Bakers preparing to open a commercial bakery

  • Café owners developing or expanding an in-house bakery program

  • Production leaders who want to understand how a larger artisan bakery operates

You do not need to operate at Proof’s scale, but you should come with a real business, a serious business plan, or a clear intention to build one.

This is not intended as an introductory sourdough class or a recipe-only workshop.

What to expect:

Day 0. Friday: Arrive & Get Grounded

Ease into the weekend, meet the group, and get a feel for what’s ahead. This is a slow evening to help you settle in, connect with founders and attendees, and start building relationships before the deeper sessions begin.

Day 1. Saturday: Spend a day in the bakery with Jon and Amanda

A hands-on production mix with Jon, working through temperature, hydration, batching, ingredient order, naturally leavened croissant dough, and multiple breads built from Proof’s core dough systems.

You’ll experience:

  • A hands-on production mix with Jon, working through temperature, hydration, batching, ingredient order, naturally leavened croissant dough, and multiple breads built from Proof’s core dough systems.

  • Hands-on bread shaping with Amanda and the production team.

  • A step-by-step explanation of how sourdough croissants are mixed, prepared, and laminated.

  • Visit Uptown Farmers Market, hear how farmers markets shaped Proof’s early growth, see the Proof stand operating in real time, and explore one of Phoenix’s strongest local markets.

  • Founder-led discussions on scaling, decision-making, and operational strategy.

  • Honest conversations about leadership, culture, and growth challenges.

Pastry-focused tracks may include

  • Lamination

  • Pastry shaping

  • Pizza production

  • Equipment and production flow

  • Marketing

  • Menu and wholesale strategy

Business-focused tracks may include

  • Marketing and sales

  • Menu development and wholesale

  • Growth and team building

  • Equipment planning

  • Milling and production systems

Day 2. Sunday: Work Inside the System

Sunday is the most personalized day of the Intensive. Before the weekend, you will rank your interests and be placed in one of ten two-person tracks.

Your track will include three or four focused sessions in areas such as mixing, milling, shaping, lamination, pizza production, equipment, marketing, wholesale, menu development, and team growth.

You will work directly alongside the Proof team, with time to ask specific questions and see how each part of the bakery connects.

After the morning tracks, the group comes together for a Lebanese lunch prepared by Amanda, followed by a family-style dinner at Tandy’s and a chocolate tasting.

Fill out the application!

Bread-focused tracks may include

  • Mixing

  • Milling

  • Production preparation

  • Bread shaping

  • Pastry shaping

  • Growth and team building

Day 3. Monday: Reflect, Share, & Leave with Clarity

You’ll bake the croissants and loaves you mixed on Saturday, to experience a complete look at how long-fermented production moves from prep to finished product at scale.

Then we’ll step back from the daily rush and focus on your own bakery. Through a business plan worksheet and group discussion, you’ll clarify what is working, what is in the way, and what your next practical steps should be.

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of production flow, labor structure, menu systems, and what it takes to run an artisan bakery at scale.

The formal program closes at noon, with an optional afternoon outdoor activity for anyone who wants to join.

Apply today!

Price for the weekend - $2750

What your Intensive registration includes

  • Friday welcome mixer with light fare and non-alcoholic drinks

  • Three full days of bakery and business programming

  • Hands-on bread and pastry production

  • A personalized two-person Sunday track

  • Uptown Farmers Market breakfast tokens

  • Saturday and Sunday meals

  • Coffee, pastries, and snacks during scheduled programming

  • Transportation between the Tempe meeting point, Proof facilities, and included group activities

  • Business planning worksheet and Monday presentation

  • Participant goodie bag

  • Private cohort WhatsApp group

  • Two post-Intensive follow-up calls

Not included

  • Airfare or other travel to Phoenix

  • Hotel accommodations

  • Monday lunch

  • Monday outdoor activities

  • Transportation outside scheduled group activities

Scholarship

We offer one full scholarship and one partial scholarship per cohort. Proof started with $15,000 and a garage. If that is where you are, apply and tell us honestly. The scholarship application is part of the general application

Apply today!

Jon Przybyl and Amanda Abou-Eid

Jon bought a struggling garage bakery for $15,000 in 2017 with no baking experience. He moved it into his garage in Mesa, mixed dough by hand, and figured it out alongside Amanda, who left her own career to build it with him. Nobody taught them how to do this.

Proof now operates five locations across the Phoenix Valley with 100 employees, its own stone flour mill, and a croissant program producing over 10,000 naturally leavened croissants by hand every week. One of Jon's early videos has been viewed six million times. The businesses and bakers it inspired are too many to count.

This weekend is what they have to give.

What we grow, we mill. What we mill, we bake. What we bake, we teach.

Proof has been partnering with Arizona farmers to grow heritage grains since before most people knew what Rouge de Bordeaux was. The flour you bake with this weekend came from a field like this one.

In partnership with

Simply Bread

Simply Bread wants to partner with you as you grow your bakery.

These intensives are designed to help you grow as a baker. We're here to help you grow the business behind it. Sit down with our team for a full consultation, and we'll build a package and pricing tailored to where your bakery is now and where you're taking it next.

Equipment

Ovens, pans, slicers, and accessories matched to your output and space.

Baking support

Hands-on help dialing in process and recipes as you scale.

Expansion consulting

Guidance on new locations, markets, and production capacity.

Design

Brand, storefront, and packaging help to make your bakery yours.

Tailored to you — with discounts starting at $500. No two partnerships look alike. Tell us what you need, and we'll build the package and the savings around it.

  • "Thank you for your contribution to the sourdough community. I think you have given more than you know to people you have never even met or heard from. We always hear of important names in sourdough like Chad Robertson but in 2026 Jon, Amanda and Logan have probably brough more people to cottage baking than anyone. I believe the next step is helping people move from home spaces to their next location"

    Dan Paris - steepandsourdough.com
    June Intensive attendee

  • "We operated as a cottage bakery in the DFW area for years, sharing our sourdough with the community. We knew there was potential but struggled to fully capitalize on it. Learning from Jon and Amanda changed that. It helped me organize my ideas, identify real opportunities, and build the confidence to scale. When we started we were doing one market a week with a limited selection. A few months later we expanded to three markets every weekend and introduced pastries that quickly became a customer favorite. Eight months later we are finalizing our first commercial space. My only regret is not starting sooner."

    Radu — GrainRoot Breads, DFW

  • "We've bought many courses. No other one comes close to being helpful on the business side of things for self-taught, self-funded bakers. It put us at ease knowing that Proof had gone through practically identical challenges and found ways through them. The recipes are tried and true — their quality and compatibility with real business operations is evident. It's truly essential for anyone building a bakery from the ground up."

    Eduardo Muñoz — Hex Bakery, Mexico

  • "Before I started learning from Jon and Amanda, I thought I had to just bake great loaves and hope they'd sell. What I learned was how to tell my story in a way that connects. When I started sharing my story and leaning into who I am, people responded. That shift helped me build a loyal following of customers who care just as much about the story behind the bread as the bread itself."

    Brad Ferda — Harvest Trail Cottage Bakery, Rural Ohio

How It Works:

  • Fill out a short application here. Jon and Amanda read every one personally.

  • You'll hear back within 72 hours. If accepted, a payment link follows.

  • The June experience is offered at an introductory price of $1997. Beginning in July the course will be at its regular price of $2499.

    Payment is due 48 hours after acceptance through a provided payment link.

  • Hotel recommendations, what to bring, what to expect, and access to the cohort WhatsApp group.

  • Arrive in Phoenix Friday evening. Saturday starts at 5am.

Apply for Proof Intensive

Apply Now