baker Career Center

What is a Baker?

The role of a baker varies significantly depending on the job at hand. While a generalized statement that addresses the question of what is a baker could include a person who makes breads, pastries, cookies and other baked goods, these tasks are far from describing the overall abilities and job duties in this field. Baking is the primary function in this position, but how and for whom the baking is done changes drastically depending on the actual position the person was hired for.

The following are a few of the most common jobs bakers can perform.

• Independent business owner – Some people who have a passion for the art of baking choose to start their own businesses. These are the people who typically love to make a specific type of baked good. For example, if varieties of bread are a person’s strong suit, he or she may choose to open up a bakery that sells primarily bread. An independent business owner can have his or her own shop, or work out of his or her home doing catering for events and special occasions.
• Local bakery – As independent business owners expand, they may bring on more bakers to help offer a larger variety of goods, or to be open on more days. Because the hours of a bakery are so different from those of a regular shop, it takes multiple people to run a bakery that is open seven days a week with a wide variety of offerings.
• Restaurant employee – In restaurants, breads are commonly served prior to the meal or as part of the meal. For this reason, many sit-down and high-end restaurants have an in-house person responsible solely for making the baked goods daily so they can have the freshest food for their customers.
• Hospitality industry – For caterers, offering a wide array of baked goods on their menu allows them to serve large crowds with something that will meet the tastes of everyone at each event. Bakers are vital to creating new offerings and a large variety of goods, so that they can provide more value to their customers.
• Industrial-sized bakery – Large brands also employ bakers to help create new varieties that can be produced in mass quantities. These brands utilize the expertise of bakers to help create and update their product lines regularly. Staying innovative and ahead of the competition is vital with so many players in this market. Therefore, having experts on hand is crucial to a large company’s success.

Because the job functions vary depending on where a person is working and the tasks he or she performs, it can be difficult to give a specific definition to what exactly this profession does. However, one thing remains clear: There are a multitude of opportunities for people with a passion for baking.