What will you do?
You measure ingredients, prepare yeast doughs and pastry batters, turn them into bakery products and finish everything with care. Packaging food products, maintaining your workstation and cleaning your tools are part of the job as well. The profession covers both the bread baker and the pastry chef or patissier, and you can also start as a bakery assistant.
- Measure and dose ingredients
- Prepare yeast doughs and pastry batters
- Turn doughs into bakery products and bake them
- Finish bread and pastry products
- Package food products
- Maintain the workstation and clean tools
- Work according to food safety and hygiene rules
Skills to develop
- Knowledge of hygiene and food safety rules
- Craftsmanship with doughs and batters
- Able to handle early shifts and night work
- Physical standing work in a warm bakery
- Eye for detail in the finishing
Your foundation for this occupation
Weigh accurately and understand how kneading, fermentation and temperature affect dough. Bread and pastry require different production schedules.
From preparation to your first day
Develop the practical skills
Make the same dough with different proving times and compare volume, crumb and crust. Practise pastry cream, sponge and cake assembly too.
Check your work
Record dough temperature and baking time. Check fillings, shelf life and allergens before products reach the shop.
How can you grow?
Specialise in sourdough, viennoiserie or patisserie, then progress towards production leadership or running a bakery.
Frequently asked questions
Why can the same recipe turn out differently?
Flour strength, dough temperature, humidity and proving time affect the result. Record these conditions to trace variation rather than changing the recipe each time.