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Baker & Pastry Chef

Hospitality & Tourism

Mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Hospitality & Tourism

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
  2. 2Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking.
  3. 3Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery.
  4. 4Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.
  5. 5Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
  6. 6Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers.
  7. 7Observe color of products being baked, and adjust oven temperatures, humidity, or conveyor speeds accordingly.
  8. 8Check the quality of raw materials to ensure that standards and specifications are met.
  9. 9Check equipment to ensure that it meets health and safety regulations, and perform maintenance or cleaning, as necessary.
  10. 10Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.
  11. 11Apply glazes, icings, or other toppings to baked goods, using spatulas or brushes.
  12. 12Decorate baked goods, such as cakes or pastries.
  13. 13Operate slicing or wrapping machines.
  14. 14Roll, knead, cut, or shape dough to form sweet rolls, pie crusts, tarts, cookies, or other products.
  15. 15Direct or coordinate bakery deliveries.
  16. 16Order or receive supplies or equipment.
  17. 17Prepare or maintain inventory or production records.
  18. 18Develop new recipes for baked goods.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Baker
  • Mixer
  • Bakers
  • Panner
  • Scaler
  • Sponger
  • Pie Baker
  • Pie Maker
  • Pan Dumper
  • Pan Puller

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
AgricultureDraws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Home Science (SRT)Draws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Production and Processing76%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Customer and Personal Service75%
  • Food Production68%

    AgricultureHome Science (SRT)

  • English Language65%

    English

  • Mathematics62%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Administration and Management60%

    BusinessEconomics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsAlmost never
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

9%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Welder

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Bakers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org