Bread boom – bread making tips and trends.

The enthusiasm for baking at home has been in the spotlight in recent years, and even more so during ‘lockdown’, in turn putting pressure on foodservice operators such as cafés to make sure that their own breads are up to scratch, particularly if making their own.

TOP TIPS

Making your own bread? Bread making is a science that requires patience, strength, and skill, and to do it well, you need to understand the steps that are required, advise Green’s Cakes, a company that specialises in home baking products and ingredients.

The fi rst step is accuracy. Weighing ingredients on a kitchen scale is more accurate than measuring volume with cups and spoons, and because of variances in humidity, fl our mills, and room temperature, you may need to adjust how much fl our you use, they point out (you will develop a knack for knowing when to use more or less fl our or water over time).

The second step is mixing. There are two types - the straight-dough method (where you combine and mix the ingredients and then knead the dough until it is smooth stretchy) and the sponge method. This second method involves mixing together the yeast, water, and part of the fl our, allowing it to rise. When the dough has doubled in size, you then add the remaining fl our and ingredients before kneading the dough. The sponge method allows the fl our to hydrate before it’s mixed more, resulting in a lighter, airier product in the end.

Bread BOOM

RISING AND PROOFING

The third step is letting the bread rise fully before putting it into the oven. You need to let the dough fully rise and ferment fi rst. As the yeast feeds on sugars in the bread, gas is released and captured in the bread’s gluten matrix — and the dough rises. This rising is considered complete when the dough has doubled in size. The length of time it takes varies based on the type of fl our, amount of yeast, and temperature. While the dough is rising, keep it in a warm, draft-free place. You can help it to stay moist by placing a damp tea towel over the bowl.

Once the dough has roughly doubled in size, gently fold it down to redistribute the gas. Do not do this too many times, as you could end up with a very fl at-baked product (one to two times should be enough).

Proofi ng the dough. ‘Proofi ng’ refers to the fi nal rising of the dough. It’s helpful if you have an oven with a bread-proofi ng setting, but not essential. For each recipe, the length of proofi ng required is different, but usually, it’s anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

BAKING

The fi nal step is the baking process. After the dough has been proofed, you might want to top it off with some seeds — or brush it with an egg wash for a golden glaze on the top? Or even to score it with a knife. Just be careful at this stage not to jeopardise your work by defl ating the dough…

When you place the dough into a hot oven, you’ll see a quick, initial rise, referred to as oven spring. This is normal; a result of when the gases from the yeast get trapped in the gluten matrix, allowing the bread to rise and hold its form. Whatever you do, avoid opening the oven. If you do, you’ll allow cool air to enter, which could disrupt the baking process

Other tips Green’s Cakes would recommend is using a stand mixer with a dough hook. With a stand mixer, you can mix a dough in as little as fi ve minutes - perfect for making large batch preparations in the foodservice setting. They can be an investment, but a highend model will last for years, they add.

RISING APPEAL

Consumers are currently eating the most bread at lunch time (57%) (Delífrance Bakery Trends Report 2021), so it is imperative that operators create on-trend lunch options to provide your customers with tasty and appealing choices.

In combination with improved quality and a wide range, sales of bakery products overall have risen by 23% (The Great British Bakery Report) so it’s clear that they present an opportunity for operators of every size, and cafés and coffee shops in particular who traditionally draw a lunchtime consumer.

At the same time, UK consumers continue to be more adventurous with their food choices, with 44% of adults wanting to see more breads with added ingredients for that added indulgence (Delífrance Bakery Trends Report 2021). This refl ects a more sophisticated and global palate, showing that speciality breads or bread alternatives have never been more popular and indicating that getting the right product to refl ect the demands of the market is of the upmost importance for foodservice operators.

As the biggest tortilla manufacturer in the world, and a UK-based manufacturer, Mission Foods says that it has focused on offering a diverse and inspiring product portfolio with an international fl avour enabling operators to expand their menu choices to more speciality bread options. These options aren’t just restricted to plain wraps, however.

The company’s Flavoured and Bar Marked options, for instance, also help operators create inspirational menus that stand out from the competition. From Chocolate to Beetroot & Chia to Multigrain, there is a specialist wrap for any occasion, giving operators and chefs the chance to experiment and excite their customers, leading to repeat business and helping to steal a march on their competitors. And with a vast library of recipes and in-depth channel knowledge to draw upon, the company are also well placed to support operators in getting the most from their menus and to help to create stand out meals too.

Pizza potential

With half of diners prepared to pay more for a sourdough pizza(according to eepl - Schulstad Bakery Solutions - Pizza & Sourdough Pizza Base Survey October 2021), Lantmännen Unibake UK has announced plans to help operators tap into the increasingly popular premium pizza trend with a readymade pizza dough that’s enriched with sourdough.

The company is extending its range of conveniently frozen dough pucks with the introduction of Schulstad Bakery Solutions (SBS) Sourdough Pucks (220g). Available for operators to order now, the new product provides outlets with an on trend dough that’s full of fl avour, combined with the convenience and versatility to create their own shapes and formats.

Pizza continues to be one of the top food items ordered out of home, with 87% of consumers buying a pizza once a month when either dining in at a restaurant or for takeaway, their survey also found, but not any old pizza will do though, it seems. In fact, their survey found that over half (57%) of consumers agreed that a good pizza is freshly made with 43% stating that the use of quality ingredients is an integral element of a decent pizza.

As consumers become more discerning, there has been a signifi cant rise in gourmet menu items, providing a truly authentic experience, which diners are willing to pay a premium for, the company claim (according to their own survey fi ndings, half would pay extra for a pizza using a sourdough base – up to £3.03 more than a standard base).

The SBS Sourdough Puck boasts a superior San Francisco sourdough fl avour, a fast bake and a crust that lifts and bubbles to deliver an artisan appearance, whilst bringing a subtle sour fl avour to enhance rather than overpower the overall pizza. Like the existing SBS Dough Pucks range, the new Sourdough Pucks are also frozen for maximum convenience and minimum wastage, ensuring the dough is always fresh and helping to deliver consistent high-quality results, claim the fi rm.

Kate Sykes, marketing manager at Lantmännen Unibake UK, says: “We recognise that creating the perfect pizza dough is a long process, particularly when using sourdough. This is precious prep time, that could be better spent elsewhere. With our new Schulstad Bakery Solutions Sourdough Pucks, the hard work is done for you, ensuring you meet demand for a premium offering, delivering delicious and consistent gourmet pizzas to your customers every time.

“With pizzas increasingly growing in popularity, this low-cost solution versus a potential high selling price for the fi nished product, enables outlets to maximise their profi ts, providing the fl exibility to add different toppings in order to hit margins, without compromising on quality. The addition of sourdough, also provides the option for diners to trade up and operators to drive further revenue.”