Head of Pastry

Staple Bakery; West of England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free bread and pastries

House coffee blend

Employee discount on retail products

Job summary

Staple Bakery in Easton, Bristol, is seeking a Head of Pastry to lead the pastry team, shape our daily production quality and develop new items for the counter. You will own the pastry program and help guide seasonal changes.

You will work closely with the owner to grow the bakery, expand production, and build a pastry section you’re proud to lead with a small, collaborative team.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with laminated doughs.
• Experience leading or mentoring others.
• High attention to detail across pastry production.

Responsibilities

• Plan and run pastry production from mixing to finishing.
• Maintain consistent quality across batches.
• Train and support the pastry team.

Skills

Laminate doughs

Team leadership

Attention to detail

Job description

We’re looking for a Head of Pastry to join Staple Bakery in Easton, Bristol, and help us build a bakery known for exceptional bread and pastry.

We’re early in that journey, with an expanding business and ambitions to stand alongside the best bakeries in Bristol. You’ll take the lead on pastry, with real influence over what we make, the standards we work to and the team you build around you.

Working closely with me, Bahram, the bakery owner, and our Head Baker, you’ll help decide where we take Staple next—and have the creative freedom and responsibility to make your mark as we grow.

A little about us

Staple is a neighbourhood bakery in Easton, Bristol. We’re only a few months old, but our home has been part of the community for much longer.

When East Bristol Bakery was about to close, we took it over because we wanted to keep a bakery in the neighbourhood. We rebuilt the space from the ground up, giving it a fresh start as Staple.

We care about making things well, using the best ingredients we can find and putting products on the counter that we’re proud of. Over time, we’d like Staple to become somewhere people come together, too.

We’re planning run clubs, bread and pastry classes, and videos that share what goes on behind the scenes.

Taking on an old bakery meant that we inherited a small production space, so within the next six months we plan to open a second unit a stone’s throw away.

That will give the team more room to work and make space in the shop for products we love, including local honey, milk and eggs, alongside other goods from small independent brands.

The role

We’re looking for a Head of Pastry to lead our pastry team, look after the quality of our daily production and develop new ideas for the counter.

Our cinnamon buns and pistachio croissants-our take on the almond croissant-are already best sellers. Our cream-filled pastries, including our diplomat cream kouign-amann, have become customer favourites too.

There’s plenty to build on, and plenty of room for your own ideas. Alongside our core range, we’d like to introduce five or six changing pastries each season.

You’ll have the creative freedom to develop that menu and take new products from an initial idea through to daily production.

You’ll lead two pastry chefs de partie, work alongside our Head Baker and report directly to me, Bahram, the bakery owner.

Your day-to-day work will include:

• Planning and running pastry production, from mixing and lamination through to finishing.
• Keeping quality consistent across every batch.
• Training and supporting the pastry team.
• Developing new products and seasonal menus.
• Creating clear recipes, production schedules and processes that everyone can follow.
• Keeping the section organised, clean and running smoothly.

What we’re looking for

Strong experience with laminated doughs is essential. You should be confident making croissants, pain au chocolat and Danish pastries, with a good understanding of fermentation, butter quality and dough handling.

You’ll also need experience leading or mentoring others, even in a small team, and an eye for detail that carries through from the first pastry of the day to the last.

Bread-making experience would be a welcome addition, particularly if you can support our Head Baker through the full process. Experience in a high-end bakery or patisserie would also be a plus.

Working at Staple

We’re still finding our feet in some areas. We’ve had a few bumps along the way, and our recipes, routines and production systems aren’t all as consistent or well established as we’d like them to be.

Part of this role will be helping us improve that. We’re looking for someone who’s comfortable working through practical problems with the team and putting clear, reliable ways of working in place. You won’t be expected to have every answer on day one, but you will need to be happy taking an active part in those improvements.

Shifts start at 4am and last 8-10 hours, across four to five days a week.

As we expand into the new production space, we expect the role to grow to include a larger team and a wider range of products. You’ll have a say in how that develops, as well as the opportunity to build a pastry section you’re proud to lead.

What we offer

• Creative ownership of the pastry menu.
• Room for your role and responsibilities to grow with the bakery.
• Free bread, pastry and our own house coffee blend.
• Access to our retail products at cost price.

If you enjoy making excellent pastry, developing ideas and helping a small team do its best work, we’d love to hear from you.