Baking

Historical background

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GRAINS- have been the most staple food in the
human diet since prehistoric times, so it is only a
slight exaggeration to say that baking is almost as old
as the human race.

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Before human beings learned to plant, they
gathered wild foods. The seeds of various
wild grasses, the ancestors of modern
grains, were rich in nutrients and valued
by prehistoric peoples as important foods.

The First Grain Foods

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The earliest grain preparation was made by
toasting dry grains, pounding them to a
meal with rocks, and mixing the meal to a
paste with water. Because the grains had
already been cooked by toasting them to
remove the husks, the paste needed no
further cooking.

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 Later it was discovered that some of this
paste, if laid on a hot stone next to a fire,
turned into a flat bread that was a little
more appetizing than the plain paste.
 Unleavened flatbreads made from grains
pastes are the first step in the
development of breads as we know them.

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 By the time of the ancient Greeks, about
5 or 6 hundred years BCE, true enclosed
ovens were in use. These ovens were
preheated by building a fire inside them.
They had a door in the front that could be
enclosed, so the oven could be loaded and
unloaded without losing so much heat.

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 Several centuries later, ancient Rome was
slow to develop breads. Not until master
bakers arrived from Greece did grain
foods much beyond porridges and simple
flatbreads. By the latter period of the
Roman Empire baking was an important
industry.

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 At the beginning of the 21st century, the
popularity of fine breads and pastries is
growing even faster than new chefs can
be trained. Those entering a career in
baking or pastry making today find
opportunities in many areas, from small
bakeshops and neighborhood restaurants
to large hotels and wholesale bakeries.

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The First Baker
 The Greeks were the master bakers of
antiquity, with more than 70 differents
recipes for bread. As early as 200 b.c The
Greeks established public bakeries.

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 When the Romans conquered Greece, the
conquerors improved the industry. The
Romans turned baking into a large scale
industry and passed many laws regarding
the quality of bread. Poor people generally
ate coarse, dark bread. Fine, white bread
was only for the rich.

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 The first leavened bread was probably made
by accident by a royal baker in Egypt. The
baker made the mixture of crushed grain,
water and sugar and had set this aside. His
attention was diverted somewhere and
forgot all about the mixture. When he
remembered it, the dough has expanded. In
his fright, he kneaded the dough and baked
it on hot stones and frightfully, offered his
bread to his royal master. The Royal masters
liked is bread and so he stayed at his job.
That was the accidental birth of the
leavened bread.

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Wheat Comes to the Philippines
Because of our tropical climate, wheat is
not grown in the Philippines. However,
records have shown that when the
Spaniards were with us sometime in the
early 17th century, they introduced the
planting of wheat in some provinces,
particularly in Batangas, Cavite, Laguna,
and Cagayan Valley mainly for the purpose
of using this in the making of bread for the
holy communion.

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 Until modern Technology can come up
with a way of producing wheat in the
Philippines, we will always depend on
importation of wheat to meet the growing
demands for baked products that only
wheat can fill.

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What does it take to be a good baker
or pastry chef?
--The emphasis of a food service education,
whether in baking and pastry or in the hot
kitchen, is on learning a set of skills. But
in many ways, attitudes are more
important than skills because a good
attitude will help you not only learn skills
but also persevere and overcome the
difficulties you may face in your career.

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Important Requirements to be a good Baker
1. Eagerness to Work- One of the hardest discoveries
for new culinarians is the repetitive nature of the
work-doing the same tasks over and over, whether
making up hundreds of dinner rolls a day or
thousands of cookies for holiday sales. Overcoming
the stress created by hard work requires a sense of
responsibility and a dedication to your profession,
to your co-workers and to your customers or
clients.

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2. Commitment to learning –Never stop
learning. Read. Study. experiment,. Take
continuing education courses. After that
help others share your knowledge. Be a
mentor to a student. Teach a class Do
what you can to raise the skill level of the
profession.

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3. Dedication to Service- Good service requires
sourcing high quality ingredients and handling
them with care and respect; guarding the
health of guests and coworkers with full
attention to food safety and sanitation. Look
after others, and your own success will
follow.

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4. Professional Pride- Professionals
take pride in their work and want to
make sure it is something to be proud
of. A professional cook maintains for
high quality.

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 The term baking means the use of heat in an
oven to convert flour, water, yeast, sugar and
such into baked goods.
 Baking is a way of preparing food by the
process of conduction, generally in a closed
oven.

BAKING
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 Inthe process of baking, starch content in
the food is processed usually decreased
that provides the food a brown color
which lends it an attractive and
appetizing look.

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 On today’s market there is a never ending variety of
the most delicious sweets and pastries to please both
the palate and the eyes.
 Baking pastries are little more complicated because
everything is measured to the exact amount indeed no
ore or less.

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 The baked food even lasts long. It does not stale
easily, as it contains less moisture.
 Everything has to be perfect or the product being
made won’t come out the way it is supposed to be.
 Cooking is much more different. It isn’t measured
just added by eye or to the taste.

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FOOD SAFETY AND
SANITATION

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Cross -contamination
 Wash your hands frequently and
thoroughly, Gloves are not a substitute for
proper hand washing.
 Keep your fingernails short, clean and
neat. Do not bite your nails or wear nail
polish.
 Keep any cut or wound antiseptically
bandaged. An injured hand should also be
covered with a disposable glove.

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 Bath daily, or more often if required
 Keep your hair clean and restrained
 Wear work clothes that are clean and
neat. Avoid wearing jewelry or watches.
 Do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in
food preparation areas.

Cross-contamination is preventable by
observing proper cleaning and sanitizing
procedures.

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The Safe Worker
 Food service professionals are also
responsible for their own personal safety
as well as that of their customers and
fellow workers. The best ways to prevent
work related injuries are proper training,
good work habits and careful supervision.

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The following list should alert you
to conditions and activities aimed
at preventing accident and injuries

 Clean up spills as soon as they occur.

 Learn to operate equipment
properly;always use guards and
safetydevices.
 Wear clothing that fits properly;avoid
wearing jewelry, which may get caught in
equipment

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 Use knives and other equipment for their
intended purposes only.
 Walk, do not run.
 keep exist,ailes and stairs and
unobstructed.
 Always assume pots and pans are
hot;handle out of the aisles so that they
do not get bumped.
 Get help or use cart when lifting or
moving heavy objects.

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 Avoid back injury by lifting with you leg
muscles, stoop, don’t bend, when lifting.
 Use an appropriately placed ladder or
stool for climbing; do not use a chair box,
drawer or shelf.
 Keep breakables items away from food
storage areas.
 Warn people when you think you must
walk behind them, especially when
carrying a hot pan.

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Job Opportunities in Baking
 There are several ways by which an
individual who has adequate knowledge
and skills in baking can use such skills to
make one self-sufficient. Some of these
are:

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Job Opportunities in Baking

1. By working in a bakery
2. By accepting orders for
baked products at home
3. By putting up a bake shop

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Personnel needs of a bakery
 Manager- The Manager is usually the
owner. He manages the entire operations.
 Chief Baker- he is commonly called the
“maestro” He takes charge of the
preparation of recipes for baking.
 Assistant baker- the understudy of the
chief baker. He assists the chief baker.

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 Oven helpers- They attend to the baking
of the breads in big oven.
 Cashier- handles the money from the
actual sales of the day. He operates the
cash register.
 Counter salesgirls- they attend to the
finishing of the baked products from the
baking pans, and other jobs like:

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Counting the pieces of bread baked
and displaying these in the counters.
Portioning of the baked products like
pies and cakes. Portions or cuts of
these are done in uniformly so that
prices could be set for each portion.
Attend to the cleanliness and
orderliness of the bake shop.

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