An optimal control method was combined with commercial CFD software for the optimization of heat flux during a baking process. The objective function was defined in terms of the transient heat flux, the temperature and the humidity of the baking product. The optimal control was achieved by the conjugate gradient method. The minimum energy consumption for a desired final baking product temperature and humidity was estimated. This study confirmed the relationship between the heat flux and baking product quality attributes and showed that optimal control models represent reliable tools to support decision making for complex processes such as baking. The proposed optimal control approach is general and could be easily extended to other processes. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.