Specific Competencies and Skills Tested in this Assessment:
Safety and Sanitation
- Identify causes and prevention of kitchen accidents
- Demonstrate safe and sanitary procedures for operating and maintaining large equipment, hand tools, and small wares
- Exhibit familiarity with laws and rules, pertaining to the food service industry, of regulatory agencies such as OSHA
- Identify safe food handling processes
- Identify causes and signs of biological, physical, and chemical contamination
- Describe use, storage, and disposal of types of cleaners and sanitizers, and their proper use
- Identify proper methods of waste disposal and recycling
- Identify and describe microorganisms related to food spoilage and food-borne illness, including growth environments
Business and Math Skills
- Perform basic mathematical operations pertaining to the food service industry (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, conversions)
- Weigh and measure accurately
- Calculate preparation temperatures based on known variables (e.g., friction factor)
Identification, Classification, and Properties of Ingredients
- Identify, compare, and contrast ingredients and their sources
- Explain the strengthening or weakening effect of ingredients in the production of doughs and batters
- Select specific ingredients and/or substitutions appropriate to method and desired product outcome
- Identify and describe physical, chemical, and biological leaveners
- Identify and use herbs, spices, and flavor extracts
Baking Preparation (Mise en Place)
- Demonstrate mise en place by planning assignment inventory of ingredients, equipment, and tools
- Break down assignments into tasks
- Utilize convenience products if and when necessary, preparing a sequenced and prioritized timeline
- Demonstrate a variety of cooking methods; baking, frying, and steaming
- Display understanding of basic bakery production and planning principles, including the importance of planning to the overall operation of a baking facility
Basic Baking
- Read and prepare standardized recipes/formulas and menus
- Define terms related to baking methods, processes, and techniques
- Describe, compare, and contrast yeast and laminate dough types and related methods and processes
- Describe, compare, and contrast quick breads, including muffin and biscuit dough types and related methods and processes
- Describe, compare, and contrast pie dough types and related methods and processes
- Describe, compare, and contrast fruit pie filling methods
- Describe, compare, and contrast creaming and two-stage methods as they relate to cakes, cookies, quick breads, brownies, and short dough
- Describe, compare, and contrast egg foam method as it relates to sponge, génoise, and angel food
- Describe, compare, and contrast frosting, icing, and glaze types and methods
- Describe Pâte à Choux and products derived from it
- Describe, compare, and contrast custard types and related methods
- Describe proper gluten development in relationship to product outcomes
- Relate cooking times and temperatures to methods, products, and ingredients
- Indicate order for adding ingredients given various methods
Product Merchandising
- Determine methods of promoting baked goods, including seasonal merchandising strategies
- Create menu item descriptions for bakery goods
- Demonstrate food presentation techniques
- Discuss proper labeling requirements
Purchasing, Receiving, Inventory, and Storage
- Describe proper techniques of receiving and storing fresh, frozen, refrigerated, and staple goods
- Examine various inventory systems (FIFO)
- Discuss ethical issues as they relate to purchasing
- Order food requisitions from appropriate/reliable sources
Nutrition
- Discuss various alternatives to increase the wholesomeness of baked goods
- Interpret food labels in terms of the portion size, ingredients, and nutritional value
- Discuss ways of preventing food allergies (e.g., gluten)
Human Relations and Career Skills
- Demonstrate effective communication skills, employment skills, personal traits, and interpersonal skills
- Identify career opportunities in the baking industry
- Identify professional organizations and explain their purposes and benefits to the industry
Written Assessment:
Administration Time: 3 hours
Number of Questions: 187
Areas Covered:
Safety and Sanitation: 15%
Business and Math Skills: 13%
Identification, Classification, and Properties of Ingredients: 16%
Baking Preparation (Mise en Place): 8%
Basic Baking: 26%
Product Merchandising: 7%
Purchasing. Receiving, Inventory, and Storage: 6%
Nutrition: 5%
Human Relations and Career Skills: 4%
Sample Questions:
Food most likely to spoil rapidly tend to be
A. high protein
B. high acid
C. low moisture
D. gluten free
When using pastry flour instead of cake flour in a recipe, typically the cake would lack
A. volume
B. color
C. taste
D. freshness
Yeast is killed at approximately what temperature?
A. 90 degrees Fahrenheit
B. 100 degrees Fahrenheit
C. 140 degrees Fahrenheit
D. 160 degrees Fahrenheit
Pâte à Choux is a pastry made
A. in a proof box
B. in the refrigerator
C. on a stove top
D. on a wooden table
The process of slowly whisking hot liquid into egg yolks to prevent curdling is known as
A. folding
B. emulsifying
C. tempering
D. conditioning
Performance Assessment:
Administration Time: 4 hours and 45 minutes
Number of Jobs: 4
Areas Covered:
21% Soft Dinner Roll Dough
Participants will scale, round, and shape and dough into rolls and loaf, prepare and apply egg wash, proof the dough, bake and cool.
23% Cake Decorating
Participants will slice the cake in half, fill and ice the cake, decorate the cake with writing, borders, leaves, and a flower, and follow instructions for storage and display.
31% Fruit Pie
Participants will scale, ingredients, mix, ingredients for pie dough and crumb topping, then refrigerate dough, roll, trim, and flute two pie shells. One shell will be left empty for evaluation; the other will be filled, topped, and baked. Participants will follow instructions for storage and display.
28% Pâte à Choux
Participants will scale ingredients, cook paste, mix ingredients, pipe with a pastry bag, bake the product to correct doneness, and follow instruction for storage and display.
Sample Job:
Soft Dinner Roll Dough
Maximum Time: 1 hour
The participant will follow the formula/recipe provided and prepare the soft dinner roll dough.