Head Baker

Ballerina Farm; Midway, Northern (UT, KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Health insurance

Job summary

Ballerina Farm in Midway, UT seeks a Head Baker to lead our naturally leavened bread program with yeast fermentation, precision, and craft. You will cultivate starter systems, refine formulas, and mentor a bakery team while prioritizing ingredient integrity and farm‑driven methods.

The role requires deep technical baking knowledge, leadership, and a hands‑on ethic. This on‑site position follows early-morning production schedules to support seasonal and special orders.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional bread baking experience with a strong focus on sourdough
• Deep understanding of fermentation, dough development, and baking techniques
• Experience leading, training, or mentoring others in a bakery setting
• Calm, focused leadership style with a hands-on mindset

Responsibilities

• Lead daily production of naturally leavened breads and sourdough products
• Maintain and manage healthy sourdough starters and fermentation schedules
• Execute mixing, shaping, proofing, scoring, and baking with precision and care
• Balance flavor, texture, crumb structure, and crust, allowing quality ingredients to shine
• Create bread that is visually refined yet honest - beautiful through craft, not excess
• Uphold a consistent approach to form, scoring, and bake aligned with Ballerina Farm’s aesthetic
• Adapt processes thoughtfully based on seasonality, flour variation, and production volume
• Ensure consistent execution across all bread offerings
• Develop, document, and refine formulas and baking processes
• Identify quality issues early and adjust technique, timing, or process as needed
• Train and mentor bakery staff in bread techniques and fermentation fundamentals
• Set clear expectations around cleanliness, organization, timing, and attention to detail
• Lead by example with steady presence, patience, and craftsmanship
• Plan daily and seasonal bread production in coordination with pastry and operational teams
• Support ingredient planning with a focus on quality, efficiency, and minimal waste
• Maintain a clean, organized, food‑safe bread bakery
• Ensure compliance with food safety and sanitation standards
• Uphold Ballerina Farm’s values of integrity, simplicity, and care in every detail

Skills

Sourdough baking

Fermentation knowledge

Production planning

Leadership

Training staff

Education

Utah Food Handler's Permit

Tools

Starter management

Job description

Head Baker

Ballerina Farm

Midway, UT | On-Site

Full-Time

About Ballerina Farm

A family-run enterprise based in the high mountain valley of Kamas Utah, Ballerina Farm aims to make the world a more wholesome place starting with the soil beneath our feet. What began as a family sharing their farm life and a love for the food raised and grown, has become a worldwide community with aspirations to guide anyone who wants to live a more rooted and intentional life in harmony with nature. Today, initiatives span, content, agriculture, food production, retail, e-commerce, hospitality, and a growing collection of products and experiences inspired by creation, nature, the farm, the growing team, and our friends around the world. We take pride in creating things with intention, quality, and care—from the food we produce to the products we offer and the experiences we create for our customers. At the heart of Ballerina Farm is a desire to share the beauty, simplicity, and richness of farm life with people everywhere.

About the Team

Our food team is at the heart of Ballerina Farm, transforming the produce, meat, and milk produced right here on our farm into delicious ingredients, CPG products, and meals for our community. Our team prepares food for everything from world-class events to busy Saturdays at our Midway store, bringing together a high level of culinary skill, creativity, and craftsmanship.

As a member of the team, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from experienced culinary professionals, including chefs with extensive experience in world-class kitchens and culinary education. Our team includes experience from Ballymaloe Cookery School, one of Ireland’s most respected and renowned culinary schools, where our culinary leadership has taught for 15 years. This is an opportunity to develop your skills while working hands‑on with exceptional, farm‑raised ingredients in a growing food program.

The Role

The Head Baker leads the bread and sourdough program at Ballerina Farm, stewarding naturally leavened breads rooted in traditional technique and expressed through a simple, honest, farm‑driven approach. This role requires deep technical knowledge of fermentation, dough handling, and baking, balanced with humility, discipline, and respect for ingredients. The Head Baker sets the standard for quality, consistency, and process while building systems that allow handcrafted bread to scale without losing its integrity.

What You’ll Do

• Lead daily production of naturally leavened breads and sourdough products
• Maintain and manage healthy sourdough starters and fermentation schedules
• Execute mixing, shaping, proofing, scoring, and baking with precision and care
• Balance flavor, texture, crumb structure, and crust, allowing quality ingredients to shine
• Create bread that is visually refined yet honest - beautiful through craft, not excess
• Uphold a consistent approach to form, scoring, and bake aligned with Ballerina Farm’s aesthetic
• Adapt processes thoughtfully based on seasonality, flour variation, and production volume
• Ensure consistent execution across all bread offerings
• Develop, document, and refine formulas and baking processes
• Identify quality issues early and adjust technique, timing, or process as needed
• Train and mentor bakery staff in bread techniques and fermentation fundamentals
• Set clear expectations around cleanliness, organization, timing, and attention to detail
• Lead by example with steady presence, patience, and craftsmanship
• Plan daily and seasonal bread production in coordination with pastry and operational teams
• Support ingredient planning with a focus on quality, efficiency, and minimal waste
• Maintain a clean, organized, food‑safe bread bakery
• Ensure compliance with food safety and sanitation standards
• Uphold Ballerina Farm’s values of integrity, simplicity, and care in every detail

What You’ll Need

• 5+ years of professional bread baking experience with a strong focus on sourdough
• Deep understanding of fermentation, dough development, and baking techniques
• Experience managing sourdough starters at production scale
• Experience leading, training, or mentoring others in a bakery setting
• Strong attention to detail, timing, and consistency
• A valid Utah Food Handler's Permit
• Deep respect for ingredients, process, and repetition
• Calm, focused leadership style with a hands‑on mindset

What We’re Looking For

• A baker who values craft over speed or shortcuts
• Someone who expresses skill through consistency, restraint, and technique
• A leader who teaches by doing and takes pride in repeatable excellence
• Alignment with Ballerina Farm’s grounded, hardworking, and honest approach to food

About the Opportunity

• This is a full-time position
• This position requires work to be performed on-site in Midway, UT
• The schedule requires early‑morning production, so the Head Baker should expect to work early morning hours based on daily production needs, with flexibility to adjust schedules for baking timelines, production volume, special orders, and business demands.

Benefits and Perks

• Paid Time Off
• Health insurance, including medical, dental, vision, and more.

Ballerina Farm is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and respectful workplace for all employees and applicants. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, and local law.