People who work in a bakery are bakers — their work involves mixing batter, kneading dough, and cooking baked goods in hot ovens. The earlier term was bakehouse, which was replaced in the US by bakery in the 19th century.

Austria is one of the top baking countries in the world. The market is saturated with a large number of bakery products retailers in the country. Germany, Italy and Switzerland are among the top export destinations for Austria's baked products. The country exported baked products worth $789 million in 2022.

A bakery is a building where bread and cakes are baked, or the shop where they are sold.

Bakers began to prepare bread at home in an oven, using grist mills to grind grain into flour for their breads. The demand for baked goods persisted, and the first bakers' guild was established in 168 BC in Rome. The desire for baked goods promoted baking throughout Europe and expanded into eastern parts of Asia.