How to Become a Baker: All you need to know

Bakers are professionals who are able to make delicious bread and cookies in their favorite bakeshops, restaurants, and grocery stores. Their tasks are to mix ingredients of the appropriate amount and to follow recipes and come up with baked goods.

What does a baker do?

It seems that bakers only need to follow the recipes, but becoming a good baker is not easy. An outstanding baker should be able to know the exact temperature and time of baking specific types of food. Best bakers are expert in their field.

Learn Best Tips to Become an Excellent Baker

Regarding how you can become a good baker, there are several tips from experienced bakers.

Do some research, and find out what tips are valued.

1. Establish a close relationship with your oven

   To a baker, the oven is like a weapon to a soldier. If you don't get acquainted with your oven, you will not be able to bake successfully. Therefore, the first step is to buy an oven. You don't need to buy the most expensive one; choose the one you can afford and get to handle soon. After purchasing it, try to follow the instructions and get familiar with which button represent what so that you can maximize the oven's functions.

2. Don't rely too much on the recipe

   A good recipe guides you to bake. However, to be a good baker, you should be capable of remembering the major contents of the recipe and make some additional creations additional to what's already written in the recipe.

3. Develop your uniqueness

   Being a good baker requires you to create bakery products that can always attract customers. The product should have not only a nice appearance and a good flavor, but should also have a memorable smell and a unique taste—so that the customers won't forget the flavor and will come back to buy it again. Therefore, do not just make everything you are familiar with. Make some inventions on the type of bakery food you are most good at making.

4. Make some changes

   Customers can really easily get tired of one single flavor if they keep eating the same type of bread, cake, or cookie for a period of time, regardless of how fantastic the food is. That is why good bakers often change their menus by removing some options and adding some others. The changes made in menu can give the old costumers a fresh sense so that they are more willing to try those new products coming out.

5. Be willing to accept advice

   A good baker listens to the customers and tries to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their food by asking what the tasters feel about it. On the contrary, a less qualified baker can only assess their own food, feeling like they are the only expert and others know nothing about baking. It's dangerous to hold such attitude and it can ruin your profession, as if so, you are never going to advance.

View Best Colleges or Training Schools for Bakers

After knowing some important facts about becoming a baker, you need to get prepared for this job.

What kind of schools can I choose?

Most bakers are trained in the specified training institutions before they go to work. You can also go to universities or community colleges although only a very small proportion of bakers do so. In this way, you can learn knowledge about nutrition distributions, health and well-being, etc., which you cannot otherwise learn in a skills training institution.

Think about whether it's worth to be a Baker

Before you make the decision of becoming a baker, think of the question first: is this career worthy according to your time and energy allocation?

Is being a baker worth it?

Being a baker means you don't get the chance to go through all foundational courses in the university. That is to say, if you are tired of being a baker and want to transfer to another job one day, you will lack skills for other jobs that require fundamental educational background.

Prepare relevant skills for being a Baker

What is required to become a baker?

Extensive training and apprentice work is necessary for entry-level positions and a relevant certificate or an associate's degrees program is needed. Additionally, the Retail Bakers of America offers four levels of voluntary certification and 4-8 years' experience necessary for certification. If you want to become a baker, try to pass mandatory training and tests to get the certifications. With these certifications, you will have a more competitive qualification when you apply for baking jobs in business companies.

Find relevant baker jobs, and apply for it.

After having a comprehensive understanding of the duties, requirements, and benefits of bakers, the next step is to find relevant employment opportunities, which help you become a real baker.

Where can I find relevant jobs?

You may find relevant information in https://jobs.salary.com. The website will provide you with what kinds of jobs are available and their corresponding salaries.

Develop your career path

Now you have a complete idea about what a baker does. Start to develop your own career path.

What is the bakers' career path?

1. Education Required

   Although there are no formal education requirements for potential bakers, some candidates still attend a technical or culinary school for advancement in skills. Programs generally last from 1 to 2 years and cover nutrition, food safety, and basic math. To enter these programs, candidates may be required to have a high school diploma or equivalent.

2. Training Required

   Most bakers learn their skills through long-term on-the-job training, typically lasting from 1 to 3 years. Some employers may provide apprenticeship programs for aspiring bakers. Bakers in specialty bakery shops often start as apprentices or trainees and learn the foundational skills of baking, icing, and decorating. They usually study topics such as nutrition, sanitation procedures, and basic baking. Some participate in correspondence study and may work toward a certificate in baking.