A Career As A Baker

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A CAREER
AS A
BAKER
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Institute Research Number 196
ISBN 1-58511-196-1
DOT Number 526.381-010, 313.381-010
O*Net SOC Code 51-3011.00 (.01, .02)
A CAREER AS A
BAKER
GROWING DEMAND FOR GOURMET BREADS AND
PREMIUM PASTRIES
YOU CAN OWN YOUR OWN HOME-BASED BUSINESS

MAKING WEDDING CAKES OR WORK IN A BUSY
RESTAURANT OR HOTEL KITCHEN
DO YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR BAKING AND BAKERY? DO YOU ENJOY COOKING AND
working with your hands? Are you creative and artistic? Then a career as a
baker may be right for you.
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Bakers are part of the culinary arts community. They belong to an
ancient profession, yet today they use the latest high-tech equipment.
Bakers need a combination of skills to produce fresh, wholesome, bakery
products for customers at reasonable cost. They must understand
chemistry, the function of ingredients, government regulations, and
business management. Increasingly sophisticated machinery requires an
understanding of engineering and computers.
American’s diversified food tastes have been a great benefit to bakers.
The increased interest in healthy eating has created greater demand for
artisan bread. At the same time, the insatiable sweet tooth of Americans
keeps the demand high for cakes, pies, and pastries. Interest in a wide
variety of premium baked goods remains high.
Although bread has been a staple in the human diets for thousands of
years, there recently has been renewed focus on producing quality breads.
Bread bakers have been especially affected by the trend toward healthier
eating. Wholemeal breads are in increased demand. Specialty bread shops
have opened selling artisan breads. Artisan breads are individually
produced using natural starters. They are hand shaped and are generally
chewy, with a thick, crisp crust. Unlike mass-produced breads, artisan
bread uses only natural ingredients and no preservatives or additives.
Americans have shown a broader taste in breads that has increased
the demand for skilled bakers. Consumers have moved beyond white
bread and are embracing specialty items like baguettes, sourdough, and
focaccia bread.
Americans have come to appreciate the art of bread making, too.
Display ovens are increasingly popular. These are bakery ovens that have
been moved from the back room to the front of stores so customers can
see (and smell) the bread being made.
Bakers are in demand at restaurants, which also are taking advantage
of the customer’s desire for high quality, baked goods. Consumers order
specialty bread about 13 percent of the time in restaurants, but in
high-check restaurants, bread is included in over 30 percent of the orders.
Restaurants are offering breads as a side dish or as a part of a meal.
Restaurant bakers make garlic and herbed breads, muffins, biscuits, sliced
bread, toast, English muffins, dinner rolls, croissants, breadsticks, and
focaccia bread. Restaurant patrons are looking for unique and
sophisticated breads as well as the old standards.
The other aspect of baking – pastry and desserts – happily coexists
with the healthy eating trend. Pastry chefs make many kinds of desserts.
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Consumers look at these luxurious items as a relatively inexpensive
indulgence or treat. And, the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association
reports that even in grocery stores, customers today are not shying away
from choosing more expensive cakes.
Consumers are seeking out cookies in all varieties. Bakers are
responding to the public’s appetite for “decadent” cookies. Decadent
cookies are labor intensive and contain premium ingredients. They are the
artisan bread of the cookie world. Shoppers also are buying pies and pie
slices from independent bakers and in-store bakeries as fast, quality
desserts. This all means bakers will continue to be busy.
If you choose a career as a baker there will be many rewards and
challenges along the way. It is a career where you can learn a skill on the
job, while earning money. The more experience and training you acquire,
the more job opportunities will open up to you.
As a skilled baker, you may own your own bread shop, bakery, or cafe.
Or, you may specialize in wholesale baking. Wholesalers supply baked
goods to retail stores, hotels, and institutions. Some bakers work for
manufacturers in research and development, training, sales, or marketing.
A skilled baker can work just about anywhere in the

world. Wherever people need baked goods, bakers can
make a living.
You should love baking if you choose this career because there will be
challenges along the way. Kitchens are hot and you’ll be on your feet
constantly. Many of the techniques used by bakers are difficult to master. It
takes training, education and a lot of practice to be a skilled baker. Bakers
work nontraditional hours. Many bakers start work at midnight or 2 a.m.,
although you may be able to find employment with normal work hours.
The good side of early hours is that you finish your work early in the day,
and avoid split shifts, which are common in the restaurant business.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A CAREER AS A BAKER, YOU CAN DO A NUMBER OF THINGS
now to find out if this is the right career for you.
Talk with people who work in the baking business. Bakers are found in
many different types of businesses. Try to talk with bakers who work in
different settings. A baker who makes wedding cakes from the home will
have a different perspective than a baker who works in a grocery store or
hotel.
Ask the bakers about the kinds of work that they do everyday. Are
these the kinds of things that you will enjoy doing? Find out what the
bakers think is the best part of their work and what is the hardest part.
The rewards and difficulties may depend on where the baker works.
If possible, you should shadow a baker to see what a typical day is
like. Many food establishments hire students. If you get a food preparation
job, you will soon find out if this is the kind of work for you. You’ll be able
to compare the work that a baker does with the work of other types of
chefs. Working as a baker’s assistant is another useful way to investigate
this career.
You also should meet with your school counselor to discuss
educational programs at colleges or vocational schools. Your counselor can
help you research schools offering certificates or degrees for bakers. Your
counselor can help you identify the program that best meets your needs
and interests.
If your high school offers cooking courses, you should take those
courses. Science, including chemistry and physics, impacts on baking
techniques. Bakers not only cook; they are often also involved in managing
a business. Therefore, you should take a range of courses in high school,
including government, economics, computers, accounting, marketing,
math, and business management.
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HISTORY OF THIS CAREER
THE HISTORY OF BAKERS AND BAKING BEGINS WITH BREAD.
Grains were among the first crops grown by early civilizations, as early
as 10,000 BC. The first baked goods were flat breads made from crushed
grain mixed with water. The bread was cooked on top of coals, the way
pancakes or tortillas are cooked today.
Raised breads were not created until about 3000 BC, when the
process of fermentation was discovered. It is believed that Egyptians were
the first to bake leavened or raised bread. They made a flour and water
mixture and let it ferment using wild yeast that fell from the air into the
mixture. A small portion of this dough was used to start or leaven new
bread dough. Egyptian bakers kneaded the dough by foot. It was then
baked in a closed oven. Placing the bread in a covered oven helped it rise
and cooked the bread more evenly.
Before the development of raised bread, many types of grain were
used to make bread, such as barley. But only wheat has enough gluten to
make a raised loaf of bread, so wheat soon became the favored grain for
bread for the wealthy. Bread made out of barley or sorghum was still
eaten by the rest of the population.
Bread was a staple food in ancient Egypt. Each Egyptian ate about
385 pounds of wheat each year. In contrast, Americans eat about 150
pounds per person per year. The Egyptian workers who built the pyramids
were paid in bread.
Although raised breads had been made for thousands of years, it was
not until the 1800s that yeast was identified and the chemistry of the
leavening process understood. When yeast ferments, the carbon dioxide
gas cannot escape because the dough is elastic and stretchable. The
expanding gas is what makes the dough inflate.
The ancient Greeks were the first to treat bread baking as an art. They
experimented with a wide variety of dough and loaf shapes. Baking
developed as a trade and profession as bread was more frequently
prepared outside of the home and sold to the public. The Greeks also
pioneered sweetbreads, fritters, puddings, cheesecakes, pastries, and even
wedding cakes.
Greek bakers brought their baking skill to Rome. They also brought to
Rome the concept of a specialized bakers’ profession. In 150 BC, the first
bakers’ guilds were formed in Rome. The first trade guild in European
history is often identified as the Bakers Guild in ancient Rome. Members of
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the bakers’ guild were unique in Roman society – they were the only
tradesmen who were not slaves.
Wealthy Romans insisted on the more exclusive and expensive white
bread. Roman bakeries produced a variety of breads and distributed free
bread to the poor in times of need. The Romans also invented the first
mechanical dough mixer – powered by horses and donkeys.
Because bakers make bread, a staple food in societies, they have been
respected and frequently viewed with suspicion. The bakers in early English
times liked to keep the ‘mystery of the trade’ to themselves and laws were
passed penalizing unlicensed bakers. Individuals had to serve seven-year
apprenticeships.
In 1202 AD, England adopted laws to regulate the price of bread and
limit bakers’ profits. Many bakers were prosecuted for selling loaves that
were under the required weight. Heavy fines and even imprisonment were
inflicted on bakers for selling short weight bread. As a result of the “bread
trials” in England in 1266, bakers were ordered to mark each loaf of bread
so that the baker of any underweight loaf could be found. The bakers’
marks were among the first trademarks. And even today, there are
regulations about the weight of bread.
Bakers and bakeries have not always been synonymous. Centuries
ago, bakeries – which sold and distributed bread – were kept separate
from the bake houses where the bread was baked. The main reason for
this division was that the bake houses were a fire hazard and could not be
located in highly populated areas. The bake houses were usually located
near water not only because they would be near mills, but also because
there would be water to put out any fires. This was not a hypothetical
concern – the Great Fire of London in 1666 supposedly was started by a
baker. Once fire prevention techniques improved bakers and bakeries
gradually came together, and by the 1850s, the United States had 2,017
bakeries employing almost 7,000 bakers.
Today, white bread is viewed as commonplace and

less desirable than multigrain and artisan breads.
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In the past, however, white bread was the most prestigious type, and
a baker’s ability to produce white bread was invaluable. In fact, unethical
bakers sometimes added substances like chalk or powdered bones to
produce the highly desirable white-colored bread.
Barley bread was the staple food of the masses until just a few
hundred years ago. It was most commonly eaten despite a preference for
lighter wheat breads that extends back to ancient times. Wheat breads for
thousands of years were eaten exclusively by the rich and those living in
large cities, where milling and baking facilities could produce these special
breads. During times of war, famine, and social upheavals peoples of all
classes were often forced to eat darker grains out of necessity. As a result,
white bread was also a symbol of peace and prosperity.
This began to change during the Industrial Revolution. Advances in
agriculture led to increased wheat production. This allowed bakers to
produce white wheat much more cheaply. In addition, sieves made of
Chinese silk helped to produce finer, whiter flour. For the first time, the
common people could afford white bread. From then on, white bread
became the type most often eaten by Europeans and Americans. White
bread consumption zoomed up with the invention of the commercial
bread slicer and electric toaster during the 1920s, so much so that the US
Secretary of Agriculture banned the sale of sliced bread during World War
II during wartime rationing.
Today, more than 70 percent of the bread Americans eat is white. Our
white bread, however, is not the same as the white bread eaten during
former eras. Mass produced white breads now may contain hydrogenated
oils, artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, additives and other chemicals that
change the taste and appearance of the typical loaf of bread. In response,
more bakeries are opening in the United States that focus on making
hand-made breads using natural ingredients and whole grains.
There is more to baking than just bread, however. Ancient Greeks and
Romans had made pastries, but they were a relatively small part of baking.
In the 1400s, another specialty in baking, pastry cooks, began to gain
prominence in France. A number of factors contributed to the growing
focus on pastries, including an increase in the availability of butter and
sugar and the introduction of chocolate, brought from South America by
European explorers. There was a surge in consumption of pastries during
the 1500s, and their popularity continues today.
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Pastry itself is classified according to the amount of shortening used
and the method of blending the shortening with the flour. Plain pastry is
used to cover meat or fruit pies; flaky pastry, which requires more
shortening than plain, is used for strudels; and puff pastry is used in
making cream puffs and eclairs.
The most frequently sold items at bakeries are

cakes.
The light, fluffy cakes we know today did not exist until fairly recently.
The ancient Romans developed a type of cheesecake, sweetened with
honey. In Anglo Saxon times, bakers made fruit breads from butter, eggs,
raisins, and honey. These cakes were more like fruit buns than our modern
cakes. It was not until the middle of the 1700s that bakers began adding
beaten eggs to lighten the texture of cakes. During the 1800s, chemical
leavening agents like baking soda and later baking powder were used by
bakers to create cakes as we now know them. The invention of mechanical
and later electric beaters made cake making much easier and faster.
WHERE BAKERS WORK TODAY

BAKERS CAN BE FOUND IN ALMOST EVERY CITY AND TOWN AROUND THE WORLD. YOU
may think of well-known bakers who have their own television shows or
who have written cookbooks. Only a handful of bakers achieve this kind of
notoriety. Most will be found working in businesses within your
community.
Almost one-third of all bakers in the United States work in grocery
bakery departments. During the 1990s, almost all new grocery stores were
built with in-store bakeries and many existing food stores added bakeries.
In-store bakeries were the fastest growing segment of the baking industry.
By 2000, there were almost 31,000 in-store bakeries. Because of the great
number of these bakeries, jobs have been plentiful. These jobs are often
considered attractive because they offer on-the-job training, making it
relatively easy to begin a career as a baker. In-store bakers also have more
flexibility with their work hours and may work part time. Because grocery
stores frequently are part of a large chain of stores, they are able to offer
employment benefits such as medical coverage. There is a high turnover in
these jobs, however, because they offer relatively low salaries and require
only a minimal commitment to training.
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Another large segment of bakers work in large, bakery production
plants that distribute the bake goods to retail stores and institutions.
Although many bakers work at these commercial bakeries, there is not
much growth in the number of jobs for bakers. New, more efficient
equipment tends to keep up with the increased demand for production.
Bakers working in these large-scale operations must be familiar with the
operation of sophisticated machinery. These positions offer limited
opportunities to be creative or artistic, but the hourly wages for bakers are
generally higher than in many other baking jobs.
At the other end of the spectrum are self-employed bakers. These
bakers often work out of their home kitchens. They may cater weddings
and parties or be affiliated with a caterer. Other self-employed bakers start
their own bakeries or cafes. Home-based bakers sometimes open a retail
store after building a following of loyal customers. These bakers are small
business entrepreneurs who work with a few employees.
Self-employed bakers try to distinguish themselves from grocery store
bakeries by offering unique bread and pastries. They emphasize the quality
of the ingredients that they use. Bakers in these jobs especially enjoy the
independence that they have. Because only a small amount of baked
goods is made each day, bakers have the opportunity to be creative and
artistic in the creations they offer their customers.
Bakers also may work on staff at hotels,

restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships, universities, and in
the armed forces.
Anywhere that large numbers of people eat will probably have bakers
on staff. The baked goods made by these bakers are for consumption
within the establishment. The jobs of staff bakers will differ depending on
the characteristics of the place where they work. A baker working at a
restaurant will have a job similar to that of a self-employed baker, making
individual, creative and artistic breads and desserts. In contrast, a baker
working at a hospital will do work similar to bakers in large-scale
production facilities.
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A BAKER’S WORK DUTIES
BAKERS PREPARE BAKED GOODS SUCH AS BREADS, ROLLS, CAKES, COOKIES, AND
pastries. Wherever bakers work, the basic elements of their jobs are the
same: measuring, mixing, and cooking. Bakers perform these tasks
regardless of whether they work in wholesale or retail operations, at home
or in large-scale production plants.
The baker’s workplace is the kitchen. Bakers arrive very early in the
morning to set up the kitchen and turn on ovens. Bakers often have strict
time deadlines and must complete all their work on time.
The baker’s specific activities will depend on the recipes being made
that day. In restaurants, pastry chefs work with other chefs to develop the
daily menu. The baker will set out the equipment needed to prepare the
recipe, such as pots and pans, knives, blenders, and mixers. The equipment
size and complexity will vary depending on the job. Some types of baking
call for mixing, kneading, rolling, and cutting by hand, but machinery is
used if the baker is making large quantities. Bakers must understand the
proper use and maintenance of the machinery.
Bakers must carefully measure out the ingredients needed for the
recipes of the day. Instead of the cup and teaspoon measurements you are
familiar with, bakers may weigh out the ingredients. They may adjust the
recipe depending on the amount to be made and the availability of
ingredients. A baker’s accuracy and consistency in measuring ingredients
are critical to the final result. In recipes, the ingredients have a specific
ratio to each other. The bakers must be proficient in math so these ratios
remain similar when they make adjustments to the recipe.
Once the ingredients have been mixed into a dough or batter, or
shaped into forms, they are arranged in pans and placed in ovens to bake.
Bakers cook in carefully calibrated ovens. The ovens must heat to
consistent temperatures in order to reliably produce baked goods. Some
large production plants have “traveling ovens,” where the food is carried
on a conveyor belt through a huge oven tunnel.
After an item is baked, the baker may need to decorate or assemble it.
Cakes for special occasions and weddings need special attention from the
baker. The decorating process may be very time-consuming, as each flower
or decoration is individually made by hand. Special glazes or sauces may
be made to complement the cake or pastry.
Bakers may have other duties besides baking. They may need to
supervise employees or apprentices. In retail businesses, they will wait on
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customers and take orders. At the end of the day, bakers clean their work
areas and make preparations for the next day.
Many bakers are involved in the business matters related to producing
and selling baked goods. Depending on the size of the kitchen or bakery,
the baker may be responsible for administration, research, production,
product development, testing and purchasing equipment, ordering
supplies, scheduling, and business planning. They may deal with
government inspectors and mandatory reporting requirements. Bakers also
may participate in conventions or shows in order to market their products
and to keep up-to-date on the latest developments in baking.
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BAKERS TELL ABOUT THEIR CAREERS
I Bake High-End, Specially

Designed Wedding Cakes Out of a
Home-Based Kitchen “I have always liked to bake,
even though I wasn’t very interested in food in general. In college,
I majored in psychology and I minored in studio art. As part of my
studio art experience, I designed theater costumes. I went on after
college and earned a master’s degree in psychology. But, I never
worked in psychology; I wanted something more creative. I went
back to school and got a certificate in pastry arts. This qualifies
me to work in a hotel or restaurant with pastry and bread. Since I
wanted to combine my interest in baking and in design, I decided
to start a business specializing in wedding cakes. I always
intended to have my own business because of the flexibility it
offers and because I wanted to work for myself.
The first step was marketing my business. You need to know
where to advertise. I placed ads in local wedding magazines. I also
participated in wedding shows. I got to know wedding planners
and photographers, who directed customers to me. In the
wedding cake business, most of the customers come through
word-of-mouth referrals.
The cake business is one of the few baking specialties that
you can do on your own. For wedding cakes, you don’t need a lot
of special equipment – just decorating tubes, pans, and an oven.
The kitchen in my home is licensed and inspected. In some places,
you cannot use a home oven for a baking business. You may need
to buy a separate, commercial oven for your home. Sometimes
home-based bakers can arrange to use someone else’s commercial
oven; for example, they might use a church’s commercial oven for
baking.
I like making wedding cakes because of the creativity it
involves. I also like what I do because I can work at my own pace
and adjust my work to my children’s schedules.
The difficult part of this job is dealing with demanding
customers. It gives me a chance to use my psychology
background! Establishing the business in the beginning also was
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difficult – deciding where to locate, getting into it, and finding
where to look for customers. At first, I priced my cakes based on
what other people were charging. When I was inundated with
orders, I knew my prices were too low!
I would advise anyone interested in working with baking to
go see how a commercial kitchen works. I got my experience
during the certificate program I attended. From my practical
experience, I know how a commercial kitchen is set up. Some
chefs value practical experience more than formal education.
Students should go talk to someone in the baking business; follow
them around for a day to see how you like it. It’s hot, hard,
physical work. The hours are long, but pastry chefs usually have
less pressure and work easier hours than most chefs.
The best part of working for myself is that I set my own
schedule. But working for yourself you have to be willing to take
responsibility for all parts of the business – baking, marketing,
bookkeeping. When you’re in business for yourself, the advantage
is that you do everything and the disadvantage is that you do
everything!”
I Am a Student in the Bachelor of

Professional Studies (BPS) Program
at The Culinary Institute of America
(CIA) “I have been interested in food and
cooking for many years. When I was 14 years old, I began thinking
about food preparation as a possible career. I talked with a
teacher in a culinary arts program in a magnate high school and
transferred to that school during my sophomore year. While I was
in the high school’s culinary arts program, I also worked at a
restaurant with a chef who was a graduate of the Culinary
Institute of America. At the restaurant, I started working at the
salad prep station. At a lot of restaurants, the salad prep workers
also help with preparing desserts, and that became my first
experience with dessert preparation. I fell in love with making
sweets. After the pastry chef left this restaurant, I became the
pastry chef. At the time, I had worked at the restaurant one year
and had been in the culinary arts program one year. As pastry
chef, I made the restaurant’s standard desserts of tarts,
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cheesecakes, and ice cream from scratch. I also choose special
desserts that I wanted to make for the day.
After I graduated from the high school culinary arts program,
I went to work at a small bakery. This gave me experience in
another setting and helped me earn money for culinary arts
college. At the bakery, I was the head baker for wedding and
birthday cakes. I also helped deliver and set up the cakes. Working
at the bakery was a really good experience. I learned about
working in a small business.
After a year, I entered the Culinary Institute. Several culinary
arts schools had recruited me while I was in high school; I visited
this school and knew it was the right place for me. I have already
earned my two-year associate degree. The associate program is
mostly hands-on cooking – learning techniques, building basic
skills, and making bread and cakes. As part of the associate degree
program, I interned in a restaurant in San Francisco.
I am now working on my bachelor’s degree. The bachelor’s
program is mostly academic courses in management. I am taking
classes in economics, accounting, marketing, Spanish, psychology
and computers. I will graduate with a BPS degree in Baking and
Pastry Management. I could go on to get a master’s in Food
Science. This degree is good if you’re interested in the corporate
side of the food business, but I would like to own my own bakery,
pastry, or chocolate shop some day.
I like baking and pastry because I like to make people happy.
At my first restaurant job, we had a display kitchen and I saw how
people’s faces would light up when they were brought dessert.
Pastry brings joy to people.
I also like working with pastry because I am very artistic and
pastry is an artistic medium. I enjoy working with bread; it’s a
great feeling having my hands in the dough, but there is not as
much chance for expression as with pastry.
I also like working in baking and pastry because I have an
extreme passion for food. My parents were real foodies, and from
them, I learned to appreciate food.
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I like baking more than other culinary areas because it is very
precise and consistent. In baking, things go the same way every
time – sugar always boils at the same temperature.
People working in baking and pastry are more laid back than
other types of cooks. Everyone in the pastry world, instructors and
chefs, are very helpful and willing to help you learn. Pastries are
made ahead of time, while other chefs work under pressure and
the cooking is time sensitive. There is some animosity between
pastry and culinary chefs; I was surprised at that. You just work
around that and try to get along with everyone.
The difficult part of this job is the hours. Pastry chefs work
long hours and are on their feet all day long. You don’t work
normal hours. In some restaurants, the pastry chef works from 4
AM to 1 PM. I know some bakers who start at 11PM and work all
night. You have to have good shoes and a good back.
Eventually, I want to work for myself, but after school I will
probably work in New York City or San Francisco – they are both
great food cities. Moving around a lot in some careers is a
negative, but in baking it is good if you have worked in many
different places; it makes you more well rounded. Everyone eats,
so I can go to Japan or France and work. Food is a universal
language.
A bachelor’s degree is a good idea if you are going into
baking because it sets you apart from others and gives you a leg
up on your peers. It is a good idea to have a bachelor’s degree if
you want to move into corporate work. It helps with running your
own business. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s not worth it to get
a bachelor’s degree or that culinary school is not real school. It is
challenging but worth it. This life is so much fun – I wouldn’t trade
it for the world.”
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I Am a Pastry Chef and an Assistant
Professor at The Culinary Institute
of America (CIA) “I teach courses on cookies,
basic cakes, and classic cakes.
I became interested in baking pretty early in life. My mother
was a good cook, and I’ve enjoyed cooking since I was small. I
didn’t follow this career path until after college. I didn’t like what I
was doing after college and decided to change to something I
love.
I received my pastry chef training at a technical school in New
York City. I knew that I wanted to be a pastry chef from the
beginning and I’ve always been interested in making cookies.
Through the school, I went to Europe as part of an externship. The
opportunity for the externship is one of the reasons I had chosen
to attend this school. I worked in France for three months in a
small restaurant. I also worked in Italy for three months in a
commissary that provided the baked goods for a group of
restaurants. Although I prepared breads and rolls during the
externship, my work concentrated on pastries.
Anyone interested in food who has the interest and means
should go to Europe to see their ideas about food. Having
experience in Europe is helpful because it gives you a different
perspective on food. It also makes you more desirable as an
employee because you have interesting work experience.
After my externship, I worked as a pastry chef for 15 years in
New York City. I worked mostly in restaurants; I’ve never worked in
a traditional bakery. I made the transition to teaching after I had
children. I felt that teaching would fit better into the family’s
schedule.
I also felt that teaching at this school would help me develop
my own knowledge. When I worked in restaurants, I was at the
top of my field. I was my own boss, ran my own department,
hired and fired staff. But since I was at the top, I had to seek out
learning opportunities outside of work. I had to teach myself or go
to outside seminars. It was difficult to find the time to continue
learning with my full schedule. At the CIA, I am with people who
know more about pastry, and I can continue to learn while
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working. I expand my knowledge through teaching and being at
the school.
To become a teacher, I had to take and pass a practical
examination. Once I was accepted as a professor, I was assigned to
teach a class that was part of the school’s curriculum. Professors
can also request that a specific class be offered which they want
to teach.
I teach 16 to 20 students in my classes. New courses start
every three weeks. Generally, I lecture for one hour a day and the
remainder of the day I supervise the students in practice product
teams, working on the topic of the day. I try to have each team
work on variations of the topic. For example, if the topic is rolling,
each team may work with a different type of dough.
To be successful as a pastry chef, first and foremost, you need
to be able to make food that looks great and tastes great. You
need to be flexible and disciplined. You also need good hand-eye
coordination. You need to be able to tell your hands what to do.
Pastry chefs need both smarts and motor skills.
Pastry chefs also need some kind of vision to be able to try
imaginary new things. In haute cuisine, chefs try to create new
and different cuisines. Even in basic bakeries and grocery stores,
you still need to be a little different – everyone is competing for
the same customers. There is a place for everyone, however. If you
do not have an artistic sense but love baking you could work with
someone who is creative as your assistant. The industry is pretty
broad, and you can still work in the industry if you have different
skills.
I would advise anyone interested in being a baker, first to
make sure you really love it before making it a career. The hours
are long and it is a competitive industry. Get a job doing prep
work and work around food before going to school.
I also advise students not to get frustrated during the learning
process. It takes time to learn techniques, and there is a lot to
learn. Students need to keep working on techniques to get better.
Don’t give up – it is worth it in the end if you love what you are
doing.”
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PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS
BEING A BAKER MAY SOUND INTERESTING AND FUN, BUT TO BE SUCCESSFUL YOU WILL
need a combination of personal qualities.
First and foremost, you must love food. You must enjoy being around
food and working with food. In many jobs, you will be working in kitchens
with other chefs preparing all sorts of cuisines. Of course, you should have
a strong personal interest specifically in baking and be interested in
learning everything that you can about baking. This will make you a more
accomplished baker and contribute to your success. It also will help carry
you through any difficult times that you may encounter.
Bakers need a thorough understanding of the basics of baking. They
must understand the principles of baking and how ingredients work
together in a recipe. They must understand math and proportions to
adjust recipes successfully. Bakers must master basic baking techniques to
be able to transform raw ingredients into baked creations.
Bakers must be detail oriented, organized, and precise. To be
successful, your bakery goods must have a consistent, high quality. There is
no room for a haphazard approach. You must be able to carefully follow
directions. Schedules must be established and followed. Measuring,
mixing, baking, and assembling must be performed with consistent
precision.
Bakers also must be creative. You must be able to keep your breads,
pastries, and desserts interesting for your customers. To keep costs down,
you may be called upon to innovate bakery products using in-season foods
or less costly substitute ingredients.
You also should be artistic. You should have an eye for detail. The
presentation of food contributes to the enjoyment of the customers.
People love eating beautiful cakes and handsome breads. Many bakery
items are nonessential “treats,” and people will be more tempted by items
that are a feast for the eyes.
If you are running your own bakeshop, you also will need good
business skills. You must be able to structure your business operations in
an efficient way. Supplies must be ordered at appropriate times, work
schedules established, and financial matters handled. You need to be able
to anticipate the needs of your business and plan for the future. You
should be able to take on accounting and marketing responsibilities. You
also should be adept at using computer programs to manage your
business affairs.
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Whether you are providing baked goods for your shop’s customers or
for your employer, you’ll need good communication skills. You must be
able to understand their wants and respond to them. If you are
supervising employees, you must be able to clearly express the
requirements of their jobs.
You must be in good health. The work that you will do can be
physically demanding. You must be able to withstand working long hours,
in hot kitchens, standing all day on your feet. And, like anyone working in
food preparation, you must be free of any communicable diseases.
ATTRACTIVE FEATURES
WORKING WITH FOOD CAN BE PERSONALLY REWARDING – ESPECIALLY FOR BAKERS.
Customers appreciate good bakery and often voice that appreciation.
Good bread, delicate pastries, and beautiful wedding cakes bring smiles to
people’s faces.
A career as a baker allows you to work all day with foods that you
find interesting. Baking is tactile. It’s not unusual for bakers to comment
on how much they enjoy working with the dough. Bakers also have the
satisfaction of producing a tangible product. They get a great sense of
accomplishment in seeing the finished baked goods that they have made
from raw ingredients. If you are a baker, you also have the satisfaction of
working with other bakers as a team. There is camaraderie among bakers,
and they are willing to share their passion for baking.
If you have a career as a baker, you will enjoy the opportunity to be
innovative in your work. Bakers can try out new recipes or techniques
based on their knowledge of the basic principles and methods used in
baking. Bakers also enjoy the opportunity that their work gives them to be
artistic. You can make sophisticated and highly specialized cakes and
pastries. Decorating desserts and wedding cakes enables bakers to show
their true artistry.
Another attractive feature of this career is that bakers have skills and
training that are easily transferable to different settings and employers.
This makes it possible for bakers to work in many types of kitchens. If you
find that you do not like working in a restaurant, you may be able to work
as a baker at a hotel or bakery. And because bakers have transferable skills,
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they can work anywhere in the world. Students in culinary arts schools
sometimes have internships in cities far across the United States. Many
bakers choose to work in their hometowns, but others get jobs in foreign
countries to experience those cultures. Wherever there are baked goods,
there are opportunities for bakers.
If you own your own bakery or are a home-based baker, you can carve
out a niche for yourself, specializing in baked goods that are of the most
interest to you. For example, some bakeries concentrate on desserts while
others specialize in artisan breads. If you work for yourself, you also have
some discretion in establishing your own work hours and days off.
If you are employed as a baker by an institution or grocery store, you
may be able to arrange work hours that leave free time for family or
hobbies. Some positions also may offer the option of part-time
employment. You may find that the traditional early morning work
schedule is suited to you because it leaves afternoons and evenings free –
unlike many other food-related careers. Also, because the basic techniques
and knowledge required to be a baker do not radically change over time,
you can move in and out of the workforce.
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UNATTRACTIVE FEATURES
YOU WILL BE DOING HARD, PHYSICAL WORK. YOU WILL BE ON YOUR FEET MOST OF
the day in a hot kitchen. You will get a physical workout as you measure
large quantities of ingredients, knead and roll dough, lift trays, and
perform clean-up duties.
Working in a kitchen also carries a risk of physical harm. Hot ovens
and ingredients can cause burns. Machinery and sharp instruments can
cause injuries. You can strain muscles from repetitive tasks or improper
lifting. An injury may cause you to miss work. Because bakers spend so
much time on their feet, a back injury can be devastating.
One unique feature of this career is the early work hours. Many bakers
work all night or begin work in the wee hours of the morning. This means
that you will have to adjust your lifestyle and sleep schedule. It may cause
a strain on your personal relationships or you may be forced to cut back
on some activities.
Many bakers dream of opening their own bakery or cafe, yet this type
of career as a baker may have the most challenges. As the owner of a
bakery, you take on substantial economic risk. You will be faced with
overhead expenses such as payroll, rent, advertising, equipment, and
supplies.
Running your own bakery – whether retail or

wholesale – is time consuming. You will be responsible
for marketing, purchasing, budgeting, training and
hiring employees, writing up proposals, scheduling, and
bookkeeping.
As the owner of a food business, you will need to understand and
comply with local, state, and federal government regulations governing
the workplace generally and food establishments specifically. Many owners
of small businesses work over 60 hours a week.
If you own your own bakery, you also will face financial pressures. Like
any business, you can be successful and make money or you can lose
everything you have. Many who start up businesses do not make it; over
half of new retail businesses in all industries do not last past the first three
years. There is not much room for error in a small business, and you will
not be able to compete based on price, only quality and service. Your
business skills will have to be as sharp as your baking skills if your bakery is
going to survive.
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You may face financial challenges beyond your control if you own a
bakery. Bakers use the same ingredients every day. If the cost of flour or
sugar rises, this will affect your profit margin. Large production bakeries
often have close ties to the wheat and sugar industries and are better able
to monitor any government policies that affect prices and supplies. Bakery
operations of all sizes also are subject to price increases in machinery and
employee wages.
If you are planning on opening your own bakery business, the specific
challenges you will face may depend on the type of bakery products you
offer. For example, cake shops are challenged by the labor-intensive nature
of decorating cakes. Because only so many cakes can be produced each
day or week, it can be difficult to produce a large enough quantity of
cakes to generate much income. Bakers interested in the wholesale bread
business are challenged by the capital-intensive nature of this type of
business. The high investment requirements put the wholesale business
out of the reach of many individuals who cannot come up with the
necessary financing.
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EDUCATION & TRAINING
MOST INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BAKERS HAVE A COMBINATION OF PRACTICAL
experience and formal training and education. A skilled baker, such as a
master baker or pastry chef will have a higher level of training, education,
and knowledge than someone who works in a retail bakery.
Some bakers gain their knowledge through on-the-job training. If you
work in the bakery department of a supermarket, you will receive specific
training for the equipment used and the products sold by the store.
Large-scale bakery production plants also generally provide on-the-job
training. Sometimes smaller bakeries and caterers hire individuals with little
experience and train them in specific baking tasks. Often bakers work as
general kitchen employees of restaurants or hotels before deciding that
they want to enter a formal educational program for baking.
You can get your formal education and training through vocational or
certificate programs. Some high schools offer vocational training in
culinary arts. These programs may include an apprenticeship. Students
take a competency test and earn a skills certificate. Students completing a
certified high school program may move on to a college program, an
internship, or directly into industry. For example, the American Culinary
Federation (ACF) ACCESS program accredits high school training programs
and then helps guide high school students up through the different levels
of professional certification.
Some correspondence courses and programs in baking also are
available. Hotels and institutions may offer independent internships for
bakers in training. Professional associations offer numerous educational
seminars geared toward specific aspects of baking and the bakery
business.
You also can earn a two- or four-year college degree in baking. The
degree programs usually include an internship segment.
The nature and extent of your education and training will depend on
the area in which you want to specialize. If you are interested in artisan
breads or pastries, you may spend a great deal of time in internships, for
hands-on learning of specific techniques. If you are interested in mass
production of baked goods, you will take courses concentrating on
business operations and engineering technology. Most culinary arts
schools have nontraditional school schedules. Courses do not run
according to typical college semesters; new courses begin every few
weeks. Many concentrated courses are offered.
24 ©
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Formal educational programs generally offer courses on a number of
topics. Bakers are part scientist, part artist, and part business manager. The
courses you take will touch on each of these aspects of baking. For
example, in courses on the science of baking you will learn about the
chemistry of the baking process, the physics of heat and temperature, the
functions of the ingredients used in bakery products, principals of
nutrition, food allergens, and chemical additives. You’ll learn how to make
calculations for ingredients and adjusting recipes.
In other courses, you will learn specific techniques in baking, icing,
cake decorating, creating specialty breads, desserts, and pastries. Baking
programs will also familiarize you with the mechanics of the tools of your
trade – baking equipment. You will learn the advantages and
disadvantages of different production methods.
Your education also will address food safety. Bakers, like other
individuals who work in food preparation, must have a thorough
knowledge of government regulations on food preparation. These rules
address requirements such as what you must wear (including head
coverings), to food safety and sanitation (such as proper temperature for
storage of ingredients). You will study prevention of food-borne illness,
facility sanitation, safe food preparation, and storing and freezing
guidelines. Depending on where you work, you may need to pass the
National Restaurant Association ServSafe examination on food safety.
Bakeries also must comply with government regulations regarding
waste management and OSHA standards for employee safety. You should
take courses that teach you about these regulations and how to establish
and document policies that meet government regulations.
Understanding the traditional business aspects of baking also is
important. Your school will probably offer courses designed to help you
profitably manage a business that sells baked goods. You should take
business classes that address strategic planning, budgeting and cost
control, purchasing, accounting principles, finance, marketing, and
communications. Facility design, math, and computer courses also are
helpful.
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EARNINGS
BAKERS GENERALLY MAKE MODERATE INCOMES. THE MEDIAN ANNUAL EARNINGS FOR
all bakers are about $25,000. The middle 50 percent of bakers earn
between $20,000 and $30,000. The highest 10 percent of bakers earn
more than $40,000.
What you will actually earn as a baker will depend on a number of
factors.
Bakers who are self-employed, work part time, or work for small
businesses generally have lower incomes. They also generally have fewer
employment benefits, such as sick leave, health insurance, or retirement
plans. Bakers working for large organizations have higher incomes and
more employment benefits. You also may have higher wages if you are a
member of a union, such as the United Food and Commercial Workers
International Union, the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees
International Union, and the Bakery and Confectionery Workers Union.
The setting in which you work also can affect your income. Bakers
who work in large cities or upscale hotels or restaurants tend to have
higher incomes. A pastry chef at a celebrated restaurant can earn as much
as $100,000.
The median annual earnings for bakers working in department stores
are about $25,000; in grocery stores, $20,000; in eating and drinking
places $20,000; and in retail bakeries, $22,500.
Your position will affect your income and benefits. A recent survey by
Baking Buyer regarding compensation in retail baking found that the me-
dian base salary for an owner/president of a retail baking business is about
$65,000 annually. The workers in the retail bakeries, however, make consid-
erably less – mixers, decorators, and bakers or oven operators make about
$25,000 per year. About 75 percent of these companies offer health insur-
ance to skilled workers.
A similar survey by Baking Buyer found that the median salary for
in-store bakery directors working in supermarkets is about $50,000. The me-
dian salary for an in-store head baker is $35,000, and for a decorator the
median salary is about $20,000. About 90 percent of in-store bakery work-
ers receive medical benefits.
26 ©
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Keep in mind that if you are in business for yourself, you need to
achieve sufficient profit margins to pay yourself, any employees, and the
other expenses of doing business. You will need to keep financial records
and know your true cost of doing business, such as the cost of supplies,
rent, taxes, and utilities.
OPPORTUNITIES
AN ESTIMATED 160,000 INDIVIDUALS WORK AS BAKERS. ALMOST 50,000 INDIVIDUALS
are employed as bakers in grocery stores. Another 35,000 are employed in
food processing plants.
Americans spend more than 10 percent of their food-at-home dollars
on bakery products, including breads.
When people have more income and less time, there is more eating
out and purchasing of ready-to-eat foods. In addition, there is greater
interest in fresh baked goods, artisan breads, cakes, and indulgent pastries
and desserts. These trends have created a greater need for bakers. Experts
predict that there will be almost a 20 percent increase in demand for
bakers at retail stores and over a 30 percent growth in hotel and lodging
jobs for bakers within the next decade.
There is not expected to be sizable growth in the need for bakers at
large-scale production bakeries because of the efficiency of machinery in
those plants. However, if you have a college degree, there are
opportunities for bakers to move into management positions with those
bakeries.
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GETTING STARTED
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A CAREER AS A BAKER, YOU WILL HAVE TO LEARN BAKING
skills and how to organize and work in a kitchen. You can learn these
through both experience and education. Talk with counselors and bakers
to find out what types of experiences and programs are best for your
particular interests. Check out the Web sites for the many baking related
organizations. Investigate whether certificate and degree programs are
accredited.
Once you are in a program, work with professors and advisors to
learn about internships. The connections you make during internships can
be valuable in helping you find a rewarding job once you complete your
training.
You should continue to look for jobs in the food industry. Because
there is a high turnover in food preparation positions, employers are
always hiring. Each job will give you new insights into food preparation
and baking. In general, you will be of more interest to employers if you
have worked in a number of jobs and in different settings.
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ASSOCIATIONS
n American Bakers Association
www.americanbakers.org
n American Culinary Federation
www.acfchefs.org
n American Institute of Baking
www.aibonline.org
n American Society of Baking
www.asbe.org
n Baking Industry Sanitation Standards Committees
www.bissc.org
n Biscuit and Cracker Manufacturers’ Association
www.thebcma.org
n Bread Bakers Guild of America
www.bbga.org
n Foodmaking Institute
www.fmi.org
n Home Baking Association
www.homebaking.org
n Independent Bakers Association
www.independentbaker.org
n International Association of Culinary Professionals
www.iacp.com
n International Cake Exploration Societé
www.ices.org
n International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and
Institutional Education
www.chrie.org
n International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association
www.iddba.org
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n Retailer’s Bakery Association
www.rbanet.com
n United Food & Commercial Workers International Union
www.ufcw.org
n US Pastry Alliance
www.uspastry.org
PERIODICALS
n Baking Business
www.bakingbusiness.com
n Baking Management
n Modern Baking
www.bakery-net.com
n Pastry Art & Design
www.pastryartanddesign.com
n Snack and Wholesale Bakery Magazine
www.snackandbakery.com
Copyright 2006 Institute For Career Research CHICAGO

NetLibrary@careers-internet.org
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YOU CAN OWN YOUR OWN HOME-BASED BUSINESS

A skilled baker can work just about anywhere in the

Today, white bread is viewed as commonplace and

The most frequently sold items at bakeries are

WHERE BAKERS WORK TODAY

Bakers also may work on staff at hotels,

I Bake High-End, Specially

I Am a Student in the Bachelor of

Running your own bakery – whether retail or

Copyright 2006 Institute For Career Research CHICAGO

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