Master Baker. From A to Z and from theory to practice

The purpose of the book is to help students and young people, who are just starting out in the magical world of pastry making, to acquire professional knowledge, but also to explain to established craftsmen why some things they used to do mechanically are done, while at the same time giving smart ideas and solutions to problems.

The book begins with a large reference to all ingredients used in the production of bakery products. For each ingredient, the method of production, its composition and its technological usefulness are indicated. Extensive reference is made to flour and yeast. It is essential to be very familiar with each ingredient. If, for example, we do not have the right flour, it is impossible to make a good bakery product.

The main topic of this book is the technology of bakery production. It starts with a presentation of the production technology of bread. The production process from kneading to baking is presented in detail. At the same time, the machinery used is presented and a detailed description of what exactly happens in each process is given. Then the production technology of all bakery products is presented in detail. For each of them, the quality characteristics and the basic production recipe are presented, which is the starting point for developing the production technology. The role played by each ingredient in the specific product and the detailed production process are examined. Finally, the most common problems are presented and explained why they occur and how they are solved.

The last section is dedicated to quality and business issues. Quality assurance systems, quality control and the operation of the research and development department are presented. The book ends with a discussion of all the other activities that the manager of any company must deal with. Finance, purchasing, costing, administration and of course sales.

I believe that the person who has acquired all this knowledge and put it into practice is the Master Baker of the future.

Short curriculum vitae

Nikolas Paraskevas holds an MSc degree in Food Technology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and has been working with flour and its products for 26 years. He has served as a seminar instructor, production manager at the Cibus – Katselis bakery and is a technical consultant at Thrace Mills. At the same time he writes articles in Bakery and Confectionery magazines.