Assistant Bread Baker
Bostock Bakery – East Linton, East Lothian
Salary: From £29,000 per year, dependent on skills and experience
Tips: Equal share of staff tips generated across both our East Linton and North Berwick locations
Contracted hours: 45 hours per week
Normal shift pattern: 5:00am–2:30pm, five days per week
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Weekend availability is essential
There are no regular night shifts. However, overnight or adjusted working hours may occasionally be required during particularly busy seasonal production periods, such as Christmas and Easter.
About Bostock Bakery
Bostock Bakery is an independent artisan bakery based in East Linton, producing high-quality sourdough breads, viennoiserie, pastries and savoury products for our East Linton and North Berwick locations.
We are looking for an experienced Assistant Bread Baker to join our production team.
This is a hands-on position within a busy, high-volume artisan bakery where quality, consistency and attention to detail are essential. The successful applicant will have at least two years’ experience working in a similar professional bakery environment and must be comfortable producing bread in high volumes while maintaining consistently high standards.
Applicants must have a solid working knowledge of sourdough bread production, including mixing, fermentation, dividing, shaping, proving and baking.
This role would suit someone who takes genuine pride in their work, understands the importance of consistency and can work efficiently as part of a professional production team.
The Role
As an Assistant Bread Baker, you will support the bread team with the daily production of Bostock Bakery’s sourdough breads and other bread products.
Your normal shift will begin at 5:00am. You will work from the daily production schedule, assess doughs already in production, prepare and mix new doughs, divide and shape bread, manage fermentation and proving, and bake products to the required standard.
You will be expected to work efficiently and independently while communicating closely with the rest of the bread and production teams.
This is not an entry-level position. Applicants must already have relevant professional bread-baking experience and be confident working within a busy, high-volume production environment.
Main Responsibilities
Your responsibilities will include:
- Mixing sourdough and yeasted bread doughs accurately and consistently
- Following recipes, production sheets and fermentation schedules
- Monitoring dough temperature, hydration, strength and development
- Assessing fermentation and making appropriate adjustments when required
- Dividing, pre-shaping and shaping bread by hand
- Organising doughs through bulk fermentation, proving and retardation
- Preparing and maintaining levains, starters, soakers and preferments
- Loading, steaming and operating commercial deck ovens
- Monitoring bake quality, colour, crust, structure and consistency
- Producing high volumes of bread without compromising quality
- Weighing and preparing ingredients accurately
- Ensuring products are completed on time for dispatch and service
- Completing production and food-safety records
- Monitoring ingredient and packaging stock levels
- Reporting shortages, quality concerns, mistakes or production delays promptly
- Maintaining excellent food-hygiene and food-safety standards
- Cleaning mixers, benches, ovens, equipment and production areas
- Supporting other areas of the bakery when required
- Helping the wider team meet daily production deadlines
Cleaning is an essential part of this role. Every member of the bakery team is responsible for maintaining a clean, organised and safe working environment throughout the shift.
What a Typical Shift May Involve
A typical shift will begin at 5:00am with checking the production schedule and assessing doughs that have been fermenting, proving or retarding overnight.
You may then prepare levains and ingredients, mix several doughs, divide and shape bread, manage proving schedules and bake products using our commercial deck ovens.
Throughout the shift, you will monitor product quality, communicate with the bread team, complete production records and maintain a clean and organised workstation.
Production requirements can change from day to day, so you must be comfortable adapting your workload while maintaining consistency, organisation and attention to detail.
There are no regular night shifts. Some overnight or adjusted working hours may occasionally be required during peak seasonal production periods, including Christmas and Easter.
What We Expect From You
We expect every member of our production team to:
- Arrive on time and be ready to begin work at 5:00am
- Maintain reliable attendance and punctuality
- Work with purpose and urgency without compromising quality
- Follow recipes and production instructions accurately
- Take responsibility for assigned tasks
- Maintain consistent standards across every production batch
- Recognise and communicate quality issues before products reach customers
- Communicate problems before they affect the wider production schedule
- Ask questions when unsure
- Accept instruction and constructive feedback professionally
- Remain organised during busy production periods
- Support colleagues when another area of production requires assistance
- Maintain a clean and safe working environment
- Treat colleagues with professionalism and respect
- Work effectively both independently and as part of a team
Essential Experience and Skills
Applicants must have:
- At least two years’ experience working in a similar artisan, craft or high-volume production bakery
- Experience producing bread in significant volumes while maintaining consistently high standards
- A solid working knowledge of sourdough bread mixing and baking
- Experience assessing dough development and fermentation
- Experience dividing, shaping, proving and baking bread
- Confidence using commercial bakery equipment
- The ability to follow detailed recipes and production schedules
- Strong attention to detail
- Good organisational and time-management skills
- The ability to remain calm and productive during busy shifts
- Good communication skills
- A reliable, flexible and professional approach to work
- Availability to work weekends
- Flexibility to work occasional adjusted or overnight shifts during peak seasonal periods
- Reliable transport to East Linton for a 5:00am start
- The legal right to work in the UK
Public transport may not be available for the required starting time. Applicants must consider how they will travel to East Linton before applying.
Desirable Experience
The following would be advantageous:
- Experience working with naturally leavened and high-hydration doughs
- Experience using commercial spiral mixers
- Experience operating commercial deck ovens and steam systems
- Experience preparing levains, starters, soakers and preferments
- Knowledge of different flour types, grains and their characteristics
- Experience completing bakery production records
- Food-hygiene or food-safety certification
- Experience supporting or training less-experienced team members
Physical Requirements
This is a physically demanding production role.
Applicants must be comfortable with:
- Standing for extended periods
- Repetitive weighing, dividing and shaping tasks
- Lifting and moving flour, ingredients, dough tubs, trays and equipment
- Working around hot ovens and bakery machinery
- Working in warm, cold and occasionally noisy environments
- Cleaning commercial equipment and production areas
- Maintaining a steady and efficient pace throughout a busy shift
Reasonable adjustments will be considered where appropriate.
Training and Development
You will receive an induction covering Bostock Bakery’s products, recipes, equipment, production systems and food-safety procedures.
Although previous professional bread-making experience is essential, training will be provided on our specific products, methods and quality standards.
For the right person, there will be opportunities to develop greater responsibility within the bread department and progress as the bakery continues to grow.
Salary and Staff Benefits
We offer:
- Salary from £29,000 per year, dependent on skills and experience
- An equal share of staff tips generated across both our East Linton and North Berwick locations
- A full-time, permanent contract
- 45 contracted hours per week
- No regular night shifts
- On-site staff parking
- Staff lunch provided during weekend shifts
- Staff discount
- Workplace pension
- Statutory holiday entitlement
- Training and professional development
- Opportunities for progression within the bakery
- The opportunity to work with high-quality ingredients and artisan production methods
- A hands-on role within an experienced bakery team
Our Working Environment
Bostock Bakery is a professional, fast-paced production environment with high expectations around quality, consistency, cleanliness and teamwork.
We want to work with people who care about the products they make and understand that successful bakery production relies on punctuality, preparation, communication and personal responsibility.
Constructive feedback is a normal part of working within our bakery. Applicants should be willing to learn, adapt and contribute positively to the wider team.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a short covering note to:
[email protected]
Your application should include:
- A summary of your relevant bread-baking experience
- Details of the types and approximate volumes of bread you have produced
- Details of your experience working with sourdough
- Your current notice period or earliest available start date
- Confirmation that you can work from 5:00am
- Confirmation that you are available for weekend work
- Confirmation that you can work occasional adjusted or overnight shifts during peak seasonal periods
- Confirmation of how you would travel to East Linton for a 5:00am start
Applications that do not demonstrate the required professional bread-production experience may not be considered.
Recruitment Process
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an initial interview to discuss their experience and suitability for the position.
Applicants may then be invited to attend a practical working trial so that we can assess their bread-making knowledge, practical skills, organisation, pace and ability to work within our production team.
All working-trial arrangements, including the duration and terms, will be confirmed in advance.
References and evidence of the right to work in the UK may be requested before employment begins.
Pay: From £29,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Store discount
Ability to commute/relocate:
- East Linton EH40 3DE: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Experience:
- bread baking: 2 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person
