Baking has a long history dating back to prehistoric times when grains were gathered and pounded into paste. Over millennia, techniques like leavening with wild yeasts and building enclosed ovens advanced bread making. By the Middle Ages, baking emerged as an important profession, though pastry separated in the 1400s. The 19th-20th centuries brought technological advances like roller mills and modern ovens. Today, baking styles range from classic to nouvelle cuisine to fusion, and professional roles include positions like pâtissier, boulanger, and head baker that require mastery of skills, commitment to learning, and dedication to service.

1. The Baking Profession
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2. Historical Background
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• Grains have been the most important staple food
in the human diet since prehistoric times.
• Unleavened flatbreads made from grain pastes
were the first step in the development of breads.
• A grain paste left to stand for a time collects wild
yeasts from the air and begins to ferment. This
was the beginning of leavened breads.
The Baking Profession

3. Baking Timeline
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• Prehistoric times: Wild grains were gathered, toasted,
and pounded with wooden tools to make paste.
• 500-600 B.C.: Greeks created enclosed ovens.
• Several centuries later: Roman baking was introduced by
the Gauls, who used beer froth in their bread dough.
• Collapse of the Roman Empire: Baking as a profession
almost disappeared at this time.
• Latter Middle Ages: Baking and pastry making began to
reappear as an important profession in the service of
nobility. Bread baking was performed by professional
bakers, not homemakers, because it required ovens.
The Baking Profession

4. Baking Timeline (continued)
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• 1400s: Pastry chefs from France took pastry making
away from bakers.
• 1492: Revolution in pastry making begins. Americas
provided ample supplies of sugar, chocolate, and cocoa.
• 1650: Bread bakers started buying flour from mills.
• 1765: A Parisian named Boulanger started the first
restaurant.
• 1775: The Art of the Miller, the Bread Baker, and the
Pastry Maker was published.
The Baking Profession

5. Baking Timeline (continued)
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• 1778: The Perfect Bread Baker was published.
• 1784-1833: Marie-Antoine Carême lived. He was
known for his spectacular constructions of sugar and
pastry.
• Eighteenth century: The stove was invented.
• 1847-1935: Georges-August Escoffier was the
greatest chef of his time. Escoffier introduced:
• The simplification of the classical menu.
• The systematization of cooking methods.
• The reorganization of the kitchen.
The Baking Profession

6. Modern Baking and Modern Technology
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• 19th century: Roller milling was developed.
• Wheat flour was more widely available in North America.
• 20th century: Advances in technology included:
• Refrigeration
• Air transportation
• Sophisticated oven
• Preservation techniques
• Modern equipment
The Baking Profession

7. Modern Styles
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• Fernand Point (1897-1955): simplified and lightened
classical cuisine.
• Nouvelle cuisine: included simpler, more natural flavors
and preparations; lighter sauces and seasonings; and
shorter cooking times.
• Emphasized artful plating presentations.
• 1971: Alice Waters’ restaurant, Chez Panisse, opened in
Berkeley, California.
• Good food depends on good ingredients.
• 1980s: development of fusion cuisine, which includes the
use of ingredients and techniques from more than one
regional cuisine in a single dish.
The Baking Profession

8. Baking Professions
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Pâtissier : Pastry chef.
Confisseur : Confectioner or candy maker.
Décorateur : Prepares decorative cakes showpieces, and
sugar work.
Head baker: The worker in charge of the production in a
retail bakery.
Boulanger : Prepares yeast goods.
Glacier : Prepares ice cream and frozen desserts.
The Baking Profession

9. Professional Requirements
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• Mastery of skills
• Eagerness to work
• Commitment to learning
• Dedication to service
• Professional pride
The Baking Profession