Job overview
Bakers, also known as bread makers, bake and sell bread and bread products, as well as pastries and cakes.
Bakers usually fall into one of the following categories:
- Plant bakers - work for bread factories, using machinery to produce bread products.
- In-store bakers -produce bread and baked goods in a retail store (commonly referred to as In-Store Bakeries or ISBs), sometimes using pre-prepared or part-baked products from a factory.
- Master/craft bakers – mostly bake from scratch and are usually employed by a small-scale, independent bakery or a restaurant.
Craft bakers may specialise in a certain type of bread or baking process and will offer specialist goods and services, such as cake decoration.
Craft bakers have been almost squeezed out of the market by plant and in-store bakeries.
What do people do in this occupation?
The roles and responsibilities of bakers vary considerably depending on the type of bakery employing them, however typical tasks include:
- Weighing and preparing ingredients
- Scratch bakery which is making bread from scratch with raw ingredients
- Using machinery and technology in the bread-making process
- Plant bakers use Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) to control the baking process and to set quantities, ingredients, oven temperatures, and cooling times
- Part-baking and freezing produce , which is usually only in plant bakeries
- Wrapping, slicing, and packaging bread products
- Cleaning
In-store bakers and craft bakers may also:
- "Bake-off" bread products, using part-baked frozen dough from a supplier
- Serve and prepare baked goods for customers
- Order raw ingredients and supplies
- Deliver bread products to local retailers and customers
What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
The following skills are important in the baking industry:
- A love of baking and dedication are needed as bakers are rarely well-paid and working hours are long
- Teamwork and good communication
- The ability to cope under pressure
- Flexibility due to working unsociable hours as many plant bakeries operate around the clock
- Good time management is important as tight deadlines are common
- Numeracy skills for estimating and measuring quantities, weights, baking times and temperatures
- Creativity, presentation skills, and attention to detail are especially important for craft bakers and pastry chefs
- Excellent customer service and people skills
- Good health as baking involves some physical work, such as carrying flour sacks, dough, and trays of baked produce
- Physical stamina as bakeries can be hot and noisy places and bakers are on their feet most of the time
What qualifications are needed?
Experience or specific qualifications are rarely required to become a baker, since training is provided on the job, particularly for junior positions in plant or in-store bakeries.
Previous experience and training will however improve a baker's chances of career progression and earning a higher salary.
For more specialised or craft bakery roles, completing a vocational course in a bakery related discipline such as Cookery will definitely improve employment prospects.
