How To Become A Baker
GBBO 2021
As The Great British Bake Off delights our screens year on year - I inevitably get the same questions or comments…
“You should SO apply for Bake Off”
“I want to do what you do - any advice or tips?”
Applying for GBBO is out of the question for me, I have 2 bakery qualifications, own a baking business, have done numerous decoration courses, worked in big bakeries to gain a tonne of experience and have been doing this now for over a decade. Not only is it against their rules - it would be an ‘unfair advantage’. Although, seriously, I see some of these contestants now and say “WOW how did they think of that?” - truly incredible masterpieces by incredibly talented home bakers. They have such passion and enthusiasm, exploring lots of possibilities and reaching far beyond comfort zones to impress the judges.
Hairnets off to them, I would be terrified!
I’ve been an avid viewer, year on year me and the famalam would sit down to watch it together, sometimes with bakes that one of us had made after being inspired by the previous week. I’d be forever saying about the timing making it virtually impossible to complete the Technical Bake challenge. Working time, sure… but COOLING, in that HOT tent? Not having enough cooling time seems to be responsible for most of the epic fails in there and my heart goes out to every contestant that I see in tears at the thought of saying “Pud-Bye”.
I’ve also spent many moments in awe at the creativity and skill involved in the Show Stopper challenge and my mouth watering at the taste sensations they create for the Signature Bake.
One of the best things about shows such a GBBO, Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss is the life it has put back into baking, inspiring new generations to get in the kitchen and whip up something that is awesome to them or at least have fun trying... I can remember me and my bestie making cookies at her house years ago, only to find her boyfriend had pretended to eat and enjoy one but really stuffed it under the sofa until she found it months later - perhaps that wasn’t the best cookie recipe ever! And baking gingerbead with my brothers; they would come up with the most imaginative combinations.
The point is - let’s have a go and see how we get on.
Now, if you’re getting on very well, loving it, having lots of great feedback and good reviews from people then you may be considering if you’d like to take this up as a career. I’ll run through a few things from my own time as an experienced baker.
MONEY - if you can get on board with this first then you’re good to go!
I’m not going to lie - there is not a lot of money in most baking jobs. I spent the first 4 years of my professional baking life earning less than living wage until I became a Head Decorator and then finally reached London living wage.
Having seen how many cakes I could produce in an hour, adding up their profit vs my hourly rate I figured it would be much more lucrative for me to start my own business.
Of course I hadn’t considered just quite how much background work is involved. Just because I could frost 30 whole cakes in an hour worth £40 each - that is far from the money you’d take home. Ingredients costs and packaging alone take up a huge chunk of that. Hours upon hours of admin time, collection and delivery time, cleaning, supply runs, marketing, logistics, development, training and financial work all need to be taken into account (which is all you when you go solo!). Not to mention putting aside a percentage for tax, new equipment, funds for website purchase and maintenance, domain name and email address, business cards, leaflets, uniforms, insurance costs, car costs, telephone bills, utility bills, enough to cover your holiday and sick pay and in some cases - rent. At home, there’s not always the space to bulk buy like the big bakeries and you can only fit a few cakes in your oven or fridge.
That’s the daunting bit out of the way.
Satisfaction & flexibility
I cannot put a price on this! The smiles I see on my customer’s faces when they see the cake is incredible. I’m blessed with good feedback on a daily basis and that gives you that warm fuzzy feeling.
Being self employed can be difficult to motivate yourself sometimes and you really need a sturdy routine to keep on top of that. With that being said, nothing compares to the flexibility this life offers - to meet Mum for lunch, visit my Nan & Gramps for a cuppa after a supply run or even walk the dog when it has stopped raining instead!
Me working at The Hummingbird Bakery, South Kensington 2013
My career path
There’s no right or wrong for people, I spent years doing different roles at various companies before deciding to train as a baker. Aged 23, I went down a traditional route of education - a Baking Diploma course at Leicester City College. The tutors were awesome, inspiring and were able to pass on great knowledge in both the science and art of baking that I would have struggled to find anywhere else. I’d really recommend this route, providing you with the base knowledge that you can apply across a variety of baking to excel. Whilst studying for 3 days a week, I spent the other 4 working at Tesco Bakery and making cakes for family and friends. This practice at home combined with the pressure of a high speed job really helped me to develop my skills, management and confidence.
My diploma was my ticket to get into the ‘real’ world of baking. During the course I was so lucky to be invited to The Master Bakers Ball, where I met The Fabulous Baker Brothers who invited me for work experience. Again, more doors were opened as I got a job at The Hummingbird Bakery in London, gaining valuable experience before moving on to Konditor.
Konditor has become a pivotal moment in so many baker’s careers and I know LOTS of bakers that have started their own business after working there. They were a great company for helping you to understand a whole range of the business roles.
Now, education and experience will always be the best starting point in my book. Regular top ups of courses, learning new techniques, keeping an eye on trends and staying open minded will take you a long way after.
Of course there are lots of home bakers that are self taught too and creating incredible work. If you feel that’s enough for what you want to do then get going already!
Without a doubt, no matter what background or journey you take to become a baker, the best book I ever read for this was ‘How To Start A Cake Decorating Business From Home’ by Kathy Moore. You can apply all of it to any baking - it’s the theory, the hoops you have to jump through, the bits you’d have never thought of to set up a business. Education is key, no matter what format, and constantly research new techniques, products, trends to keep ahead of the game.
Now then, everything listed above is my route, my journey, what’s yours?
First Step - Figure out where in the bakery world you want to be - in a shop? working from home? mass-production? artisan small scale production? breads? cakes? pastry?
Second Step - What education do you need to get there - qualifications? experience? working your way up? teaching yourself online?
Third Step - Just do it - nothing ever happens by doing nothing. You have to try, you have to put in effort and push yourself to achieve it.
Good luck!