Bakery Opening Checklist (Free Template)
In a bakery, opening starts hours before the doors do. The ovens, the bake order and the display case all have to come together for the first customer at 7. This checklist is for the early baker and the front-of-house opener in a small bakery or bakery café. It follows the bake from the oven to the shelf and makes sure nothing prepared the night before gets forgotten.
Free, no sign-up. Edit it, print it, share it with your team.
What you'll need
- Today's bake list
- Oven mitts and a peel
- Labels and a marker
- Starting cash for the register
The checklist
Turn off the alarm and switch on the ovens first.
Deck ovens can take 45 minutes or more to heat. Set them to the temperature of the first bake.
Read today's bake list and any special orders.
Special orders go to the top of the list. Check their pickup times.
Check the dough that was left to proof or retard overnight.
Look at the volume and feel it. Move anything under-proofed somewhere warmer and bake it later in the order.
Check the fridges and the walk-in.
Note anything unusual and record the readings if you keep a log. Follow your local food safety rules.
Bake in the order on the list, longest bakes first.
Usually breads before pastries. Set a timer for every load, even if you know it by heart.
Use dry oven mitts and the peel for every load.
Take a second to make sure the path from the oven to the rack is clear.
Watch out: Wet mitts let heat straight through. Change them as soon as they're damp.
Cool everything on racks before it goes in the display case.
Warm bread goes soggy in a bag. Pastries need a few minutes before you fill or glaze them.
Label anything that contains allergens before it goes on display.
Use your bakery's allergen list. If you're unsure about an item, ask the head baker.
Watch out: Never guess an allergen. Check the recipe, or don't sell it until you know.
Fill the display case, with the bestsellers at eye level.
Put the fullest trays at the front. A full-looking case sells more than a half-empty one.
Count the starting cash into the register.
Check that the card terminal is on, and restock bags, boxes and napkins.
Start the coffee machine, if you serve coffee.
Follow the coffee shop opening checklist for dialing in.
Unlock the door at opening time.
Write down what time each item came out of the oven, to fine-tune tomorrow's bake times.
How to adapt it
- Keep the bake list on a whiteboard by the oven, or as a QR code next to it.
- Track what sells out early and what's left at close, and adjust quantities.
- Write each item's oven temperature and bake time into its own procedure.
- If the baker and the front-of-house opener are different people, give each their own part.
Turn this template into training your team will actually open
In ShowHow, your staff read each step on their phone, with photos, in their own language, and you see who has confirmed it. Start from this template or film yourself doing the job.
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