Baking

Duties and Responsibilities

Typical tasks of a baker include, but are not limited to:

• checks the cleanliness of equipment and operating site to ensure compliance with health and safety regulation.
• checks quality of raw materials and weighs ingredients
• implements appropriate baking techniques.
• prepares pastry fillings.
• monitors oven temperature and products appearance
• co-ordinates the forming, loading, baking, unloading, de-panning and cooling of batches of breads, rolls and pastry products.
• glazes buns and pastries, and decorating cakes with cream and icing
• operating machines which roll and mould dough and cut biscuits.
• empties, cleans and greases baking trays, tins and other cooking equipment.

Is the Baking Industry right for you?

There are a few things that you need to know before you make the decision to become a baker:

Odd Working Hours – being a baker means you will normally need to be available for work across the 7 days of the week, which may include evening work and some public holidays. Starting times are normally very early in the morning/late in the evening.

Customer Facing – depending on where you do find employment, you may be required to serve customers, so you will need to be comfortable interacting with the public and handling money.

Physically Demanding – Being a baker involves a lot of standing as well as lifting and carrying trays and heavy sacks of flour, although lifting equipment is widely used.

Working Environment - Bakeries can be noisy and dusty. If you have asthma, an allergy to dust, or have certain skin conditions, you may find this work unsuitable.