Lesson 1

Lesson 1: History of Baking and Job Opportunities
in Baking
Man's need for food is universal. Since the beginning of time, he has
depended so much on wild plants and animals as his primary sources of food. As he
roamed in search of wild animals for food, he satisfied his hunger by eating raw
grains of plants. Later he discovered that when these grains are planted in soil, more
grains are produced and that he can raise animals for food too. Man, then, saw no
need to move from one place to another in search of food.
In some places of the world, the grains grown by man are what we now call
wheat. At first, people ate raw grains, but later they learned to cook these. They
learned to grind the seeds between stones to make flour. More than 8,000 years
ago, the Swiss Lake Dwellers learned how to mix flour with water to make dough.
They poured the mixture on heated stones to bake it. The result was flat, hard,
unleavened bread.
The first leavened bread was probably made by accident by a royal baker in
Egypt. The baker made the mixture of crushed grain, water, and sugar and had set
this aside. His attention was diverted somewhere and forgot all about the mixture.
When he remembered it, the story goes, the dough has expanded. In his fright, he
kneads the dough and baked it on hot stones and frightfully, offered his bread to his
royal masters The royal masters like his bread and so he stayed in the job. That was
the accidental birth of the leavened bread.
The ancient Egyptians later learned how to control the kind of yeast in their
bread. Each time they baked, they set aside some of the leavened dough to mix with
the next batch. In this way they could be sure of having the same taste and texture.
The First Bakers
The Greeks were the master bakers of antiquity, with more than 70 different
recipes for bread. As early as 200 BC, the Greeks established public bakeries. When
the Romans conquered Greece, the conquerors further improved the industry The
Romans turned baking into a large-scale industry and passed many laws regarding
the quality of bread. Poor people generally ate coarse, dark bread. Fine, white bread
was only for the rich.
In Europe, during the Middle Ages, white bread was also the bread of the rich
and the privileged. Often, dark rye bread was the staple food of most of the people.
In 1604, when the English migrated to America, they brought with them the art of
baking, Baking was a flourishing industry, both in Europe and the U.S.A
Wheat Comes to the Philippines
Because of our tropical climate, wheat is not grown in the Philippines.

However, records have shown that when the Spaniards were with us sometime in
1
the early 17th Century, they introduced the planting of wheat in some provinces,
particularly in Batangas, Laguna, Cagayan Valley, and Cavite, mainly for the
purpose of using them in the making of bread for the Holy Communion.
When the American came to the Philippines, the Filipinos started buying flour
from the United States. By 1958, the Republic Flour Mills was in operation, and
instead of buying flour from the US.A., people started to buy wheat instead.
Presently, the Filipinos buy wheat from the US.A. and from Canada to supply the
needs of several flour mills now operating in the country. Until modern technology
can come up with a way of producing wheat in the Philippines, the Filipinos will
always depend on the importation of wheat to meet the growing demands for baked
products that only wheat can fill.
Job Opportunities in Baking
Occupational possibilities for a person who has some workable knowledge of

baking abound especially in the urban areas, or even in the rural areas of the
country. Filipinos have learned to use bread as part of the family food.
There are several ways by which an individual who has adequate knowledge
and skills in baking can use such skills to make one self- sufficient. Some of which
are by:
A. Working in a Bakery. Skills learned or developed when one is still young will be
with the individual all his/her life. These knowledge and skills will make one an asset
to a bakery when one gets employed.
In a bakery, one who has some background in baking will be employed at

first, as a semi-skilled worker. The experience one gains at this level, plus the
knowledge and training she had as a high school student in baking, are stepping
stones to positions in the skilled level. Higher position and better pay can then be
expected.
B. Accepting Orders for Baked Products. Housewives have now resorted to

having others do their baking While bakeshops abound in most communities now,
people prefer to have some home-baked products instead of merely buying from a
bakery counter. Accepting orders for home-made baked delicacies is now becoming
lucrative home business. The following however, must be done to meet the needs of
this activity:
1. A working space, equipment, and tools in the home as part of the home such as
the kitchen, should be allotted to accommodate the need of a home baking area:
• A working space of about 4 x 6
• An oven that can accommodate at least two (2) double recipe baking pans.
•A cooking range with its built-in oven.
• A heavy-duty electric mixer
• Sets of baking pans of various shapes and sizes
• A refrigerator.
•Freezer
2
•Other tools and equipment for baking.
2. Initially, a small sum that can be used as capital
3. Helpers who could be trained to help the person who sets up the small business.
A delivery boy would also be needed to deliver orders for baked delicacies if the
family does not have a vehicle to do this. These personnel could also be trained to
do odd jobs related to the business.
4. Adequate advertisement to friends, relatives, acquaintances, and even strangers,

to make them aware of the business. This is achieved through:
Testimonies from person who have tried and tested the products.
Putting up a simple sign in the vicinity of the house like: Orders of Cakes Accepted.
Advertising through the social network.
5. Establish goodwill and confidence of the costumers.

How do we achieve this?
a. Exercise courtesy in dealing with the customer.
b. Be reliable and honest. Once one agreed to deliver on a particular date and time,
be sure that it should be done.
c. Maintain the quality standard of the baked product.
C. Putting up a Bakery and Bakeshop
1. Personnel needs of the bakery/bakeshop are as follows:
a. Manager - usually the owner, he manages the entire operation.
b. Chief baker - he is commonly called the maestro. He takes charge of the

preparation of the recipes for baking.
c. Assistant Baker - the assistant and understudy of the chief baker.
d. Oven helper-attends to the baking of the bread in the big oven.
e. Cashier-handles the money from the actual sale of the day.
f. Counter sale girls attend to the finished baked products from the baking pan.
Counting the pieces of bread and displaying these in the counter, and portioning of
the baked products like pies and cakes. Portion or cuts should be uniform so that
prices could be set for each portion. Also, they look after cleanliness and orderliness
of the bake shop.
2. Work area, tools, and equipment
3
Work area of the bakery can accommodate with the following:
a. the measuring and weighing center
b. the mixing and other preparation center
c. the baking center
d. the finishing center

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Lesson 1: History of Baking and Job Opportunities

The First Bakers

Wheat Comes to the Philippines

Because of our tropical climate, wheat is not grown in the Philippines.

Job Opportunities in Baking

Occupational possibilities for a person who has some workable knowledge of

In a bakery, one who has some background in baking will be employed at

B. Accepting Orders for Baked Products. Housewives have now resorted to

4. Adequate advertisement to friends, relatives, acquaintances, and even strangers,

Advertising through the social network.

5. Establish goodwill and confidence of the costumers.

a. Exercise courtesy in dealing with the customer.

c. Maintain the quality standard of the baked product.

C. Putting up a Bakery and Bakeshop

1. Personnel needs of the bakery/bakeshop are as follows:

a. Manager - usually the owner, he manages the entire operation.

b. Chief baker - he is commonly called the maestro. He takes charge of the

c. Assistant Baker - the assistant and understudy of the chief baker.

d. Oven helper-attends to the baking of the bread in the big oven.

e. Cashier-handles the money from the actual sale of the day.

2. Work area, tools, and equipment

a. the measuring and weighing center

b. the mixing and other preparation center

c. the baking center

d. the finishing center

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