Bakers measure, mix, and bake ingredients according to recipes to make bread, pastries, and other baked goods.

JOB DUTIES 

In small bakeries, retail shops, restaurants, and institutional food service kitchens, Bakers may perform all of the steps needed to turn out finished baked products. Bakers may:

Follow sequential directions, both oral and written

Measure and weigh ingredients to prepare batters, dough, filling, or icings

Dump ingredients into mixing machines and mix them to specifications

Cook ingredients in steam kettles

Roll, cut, and shape dough to form sweet rolls, pie crusts, tarts, cookies, and related products

Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets

Bake dough in ovens or on grills

Observe the color of products being baked and adjust controls to maintain temperature, humidity, and baking time

Apply glaze, icing, or other topping to baked goods

Keep accounts and other records of production

Bakers may specialize in preparing one type of product, such as breads, cakes, pies, or cookies, or in making products of a certain ethnic style, such as Jewish, Polish, French, Danish, German, or Italian baked goods.

The machines, equipment, and work aids used may include:

OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTIES

Bakers may specialize in these areas:

313.381-010 BREAD BAKERS specialize in preparing and baking breads, rolls, muffins, and biscuits.

313.361-038 PIE MAKERS specialize in baking pies, tarts, and cobblers.

313.381-026 PASTRY COOK specializes in preparing and baking cakes, cookies, puddings, and other desserts.

In addition to learning about these specialties, you may also find it helpful to explore the following CEScripts:

WORKING CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

In small bakeries, Bakers usually work alone, or with one or two other Bakers or sales clerks. Bakers may also supervise bakery assistants.

Bakeries are clean and well lighted and well equipped. Hazards may include heat, hot surfaces, moving machine parts, fumes and flour particles in the air, and heavy lifting. Also, Bakers may be exposed to extremes of temperature in different parts of a bakery, such as from ovens to retail counter or delivery areas to frozen food storage areas.

Bakers work from 8 to 10 hours per day, 5 or 6 days per week. Early morning hours are very common, as Bakers usually produce fresh goods daily before the shop opens. Bakers who own their own shops may work up to sixty or more hours a week.

Most Bakers wear white uniforms and protective covers over their hair such as a hairnet or cap, over their face such as a facial mask to prevent inhalation of dust particles.

Bakers may join a union. Most unionized Bakers belong to The Bakery, Confectionery, and Tobacco Workers International (AFL-CIO). Union members must pay dues.

You Should Prefer:

• Activities using machines and processes

• Activities involving business contact with people, if a supervisor

• Activities which bring personal satisfaction from producing things

You Should Be Able To:

• Work within precise standards of accuracy

• Use personal judgment in performing baking tasks

• Perform a variety of duties which may change often

• Read and follow recipes accurately

• Use simple math to figure proportions of ingredients

• Use simple math for cost of recipes and to do inventory control

• Recognize small differences in sizes, shapes, shades, and smells

Math Problem You Should Be Able to Solve:

If a recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar and you are doubling the recipe, How much sugar will you need?

Reading Example You Should Be Able to Read and Comprehend:

Baking terminology and procedures such as, cleave, fermentation, gluten, hygroscopic, leavening, preliminary, proofing, stiff meringue.

Writing Example You Should Be Able to Produce:

Produce a written recipe for a new dessert.

Thinking Skill You Should Be Able to Demonstrate:

Analytical skills and be detail oriented in observing baked goods and following sequential directions.

In a small bakery, a Baker helper may need 3 to 4 years experience working alongside experienced Bakers to qualify as an all-round Baker. A health card may be required. Some employers also require that applicants for Baker positions undergo a physical examination to ensure that no lung conditions are present that would be aggravated by dust from flour or other materials used in baking.

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EDUCATION AND PREPARATION OPPORTUNITIES

NOTE: On-The-Job Training provided by the employer or a Certificate (program of up to one year of study beyond high school) or an Associate Degree (two years of study beyond high school) or an Apprenticeship (usually three to four years of training beyond high school) may qualify a person for this occupation.

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in the CEScript:

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***

0600 BUSINESS , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1500 FOODS & NUTRITION , 2200 MATH , 2900 SCIENCE , 3300 TECHNOLOGY

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION***

There are no Vocational Education Programs related to this CEScript.

***POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS***

065 FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE

Programs in Food and Beverage Service provide opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills needed for employment ordering, preparing, or serving different kinds of food and beverage. Training is available for cooking, baking, meat cutting, bartending, catering, quantity food preparation, and food service management. Individuals who teach Food and Beverage Service at the secondary school level must have a Michigan Teaching Certificate.

Courses vary with the area of interest but may include:

  Search for a College and/or Instructional Program

 ***APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES***

Some people enter occupations within this CEScript through an apprenticeship program. An apprenticeship program is a formal program that takes 3 - 5 years to complete with most of the time spent on the job.

WHAT IS LEARNED ON THE JOB

WHAT IS LEARNED IN THE CLASSROOM

***MILITARY TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES***

Please check Military website at http://www.myfuture.com .

FOOD SERVICE SPECIALISTS

Every day, more than one million meals are prepared in military kitchens. Some kitchens prepare thousands of meals at one time, while others prepare food for small groups of people. Food service specialists prepare all types of food according to standard and dietetic recipes. They also order and inspect food supplies and prepare meats for cooking.

What They Do

Food service specialists in the military perform some or all of the following duties:

• Order, receive, and inspect meat, fish fruit, and vegetables

• Prepare standard cuts of meat using cleavers, knives, and band saws

• Cook steaks, chops, and roasts

• Bake or fry chicken, turkey, and fish

• Prepare gravies and sauces

• Bake breads, cakes, pies, and pastries

• Serve food in dining halls, hospitals, field kitchens, or aboard ship

• Clean ovens, stoves, mixers, pots, and utensils

Helpful Attributes

Helpful school subjects include home economics, math, accounting, and chemistry. Helpful attributes include:

• Interest in cooking

• Interest in working with the hands

Training Provided

Job training consists of 9 to 14 weeks of classroom instruction, including practice in food preparation. Training length varies depending on specialty. Course content typically includes:

• Standard and dietetic menus and recipes

• Preparation and cooking of various foodstuffs and bakery products

• Food and supply ordering

• Storage of meats, poultry, and other perishable items

Further training occurs on the job and through advanced courses. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps offer certified apprenticeship programs for some specialties in this occupation.

Work Environment

Food service specialists normally work in clean, sanitary kitchens and dining facilities. They may sometimes work in refrigerated meat lockers. Sometimes they work outdoors in tents while preparing and a serving food under field conditions.

Physical Demands

Food service specialists may have to lift and carry heavy containers of foodstuffs and large cooking utensils.

Civilian Counterparts

Civilian food service specialists work in cafes, restaurants, and cafeterias. They also work in hotels, hospitals, manufacturing plants, schools, and other organizations that have their own dining facilities. Depending on specialty, food service specialists are called cooks, chefs, bakers, butchers, or meat cutters.

Opportunities

The services have about 34,400 food service specialists. On average, they need about 4,600 new specialists each year. After job training, food service specialists help prepare and serve food under close supervision. Some food service specialists specialize as bakers, cooks, butchers, or meat cutters. With experience, they work more independently and may train new food service specialists. Eventually they may become head cooks, chefs, or food service supervisors.

E-Learning Courses and Programs

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPERIENCE AND METHODS OF ENTRY

There are several ways to explore or gain experience in the baking field. Food and beverage service postsecondary programs may offer a work experience segment. Organizations such as clubs and churches welcome volunteers to work in the kitchens at social events. Some part-time and summer jobs are available at bakeries and baking companies. Other opportunities may be a formal apprenticeship program or military service.

School-to-Work opportunities include:

informal apprenticeships

mentorships

job shadowing experiences

touring a local Baker employer

internships

volunteer work with a Baker employer

community service work with an agency

The most common ways to find a job as a Baker are applying directly to such employers as bakeries and restaurants and completing an apprenticeship. Assistance in locating a job may be available from baking school placement offices, local unions, and local offices of Michigan Works!. Job openings may also be listed in newspaper want ads. In addition, you should access and search the Internet's on-line employment services sites such as:

You should also enter an electronic resume on these on-line services.

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EARNINGS AND ADVANCEMENT

Earnings depend upon the type of employer, size of Bakery, union affiliation, geographic location, and employee's skills.

Nationally, the median weekly earnings of Bakers were $410 or $10.25 per hour in 2004. Some Bakers, especially those who own their own business, earn substantially more. Pastry chefs employed in restaurants in 2004 had median annual salaries of $33,036 or $15.88 per hour.  The median hourly earnings of  "all" workers in the U.S. were $15.95 in 2004.

In Michigan , new employees in unionized Bakeries start at 80% of the base hourly rate of pay for their classification. They then work up to the maximum rate of pay within a 12-month period. Apprentice Bakers earn 50% to 90% of the all-round Baker's wages.

Hourly wages for non-unionized Bakers in Michigan (late 2004) generally ranged between $8.00 and $13.95 per hour depending on his or her experience.

Minimum hourly rates for unionized Bakers and pastry chefs working in some Detroit area hotels and private clubs in late 2004 were:

Some unionized Bakers in supermarkets in Michigan earned between $6.20 and $10.30 per hour in late 2004. Bakers employed by the State of Michigan earned between $13.95 and $17.13 per hour in 2004.

Depending on the employer, workers in large Bakeries may receive paid vacations and holidays. Some receive sick leave, health insurance, and pension plans. These benefits are usually paid for, at least in part, by the employer.

Bakers learn this occupation through an apprenticeship or through on-the-job training. Bakers may advance through experience, ability, or further training.

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EMPLOYMENT AND OUTLOOK

Nationally, there were about 161,500 Bakers employed in 2002. Employment of Bakers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2012. About 5.5% of them were self-employed. The industry distribution for Bakers looked like this:

Population growth, higher incomes, and larger numbers of working women have increased the patronage of restaurants, hotels, and other commercial eating places. As two income households become the norm, families may increasingly find dining out and carry-out meals a convenience.

Sales of baked goods from small retail shops and from supermarkets are also increasing. These trends should lead to increased employment and better job prospects for Bakers.

There are about 6,100 Bakers employed in Michigan . Most worked for grocery stores and retail Bakeries which make and sell bread, cookies, cake, and pastries. Others performed baking services for various businesses and institutions, such as hotels, restaurants, schools, and hospitals.

Employment of Bakers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through the year 2010. An average of 160 openings is expected annually, with 60 due to growth and 100 due to replacement of workers who retire, die, or leave the labor force for other reasons. Additional openings will occur as workers transfer to other jobs or occupations.

The number of Bakers in Michigan is expected to grow somewhat as the demand for baked goods in restaurants, hotels, and small specialty Bakeries increases. This increased demand will be caused by higher personal incomes, an interest in ethnic food items, population growth, and a growing number of working women.

MICHIGAN 'S EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK TO 2010

SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Printed occupational information is available upon written request from sources below:

Copyright © 2005 Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth