On a roll

The versatility from bread and bake off products now on offer to cost sector caterers can improve menu options and keep costs down. Sheila Eggleston reports.

Being the ultimate comfort food, bread has been the saviour of a category hit by soaring prices of commodities such as wheat, oil and sugar. According to figures reported in the UN's Food & Agricultural Organisation food price index, the price of wheat in particular rocketed because of natural disasters worldwide such as fires in Russia resulting in an immediate export ban, floods in Australia and droughts in South America. Fortunately the new product development forecast last year has helped buck the trend a little and helped revitalise menus, and a raft of new concepts are kicking in this year.

Analyst Menurama's report on emerging trends in January 2010 flagged up rustic bread as one to watch which distributors such as 3663 have capitalised on. Its range includes products such as Bakehouse multi seed rusticata and Délifrance muesli pave.

Brakes says that as well as artisan bread, it has expanded its La Boulangerie range of world bread to match the UK's growing taste for different world cuisines. It believes Moroccan and North African food is going to be massive in 2011, so it has launched Khobez bread which it claims is a first for foodservice. Khobez, it says, is a very pliable, slightly leavened North African flatbread with a distinct toasted flavour that can be used like a wrap.

Among the products flatbread specialist Mission Foods plans to launch at this year's food and drink show IFE at ExCeL, is a Moroccan spice flatbread that contains cumin and cinnamon with sultanas and a hint of lemon, which it says will be ideal for mezze platters. It is also launching a breakfast bread made with cranberry pieces and infused with orange oil.

Head of foodservice Fraser Chynoweth says: "There are a number of trends that have been predicted to be big opportunities in 2011, including Mexican cuisine, sharing platters, as well as demand for healthier options on menus aimed at consumers who want to reduce sodium levels in their diet. Our range of authentic flatbreads cater for these trends and we're looking forward to demonstrating how operators can maximise opportunities and drive sales."

French supplier Bridor has just launched an elegant collection of bread and pastries created by top craftsman Fabrice Prochasson. Its 'Arc en Ciel' [rainbow] range is artistically coloured bread that can be used to create original finger food ideas, luxury snacks, creative dishes or simple and stylish sandwiches. By taking bread, cutting it to different shapes and matching them with the flavours of different ingredients, the company says caterers can create endless possibilities.

The bread is made with traditional French 100% natural flour, with no added colouring, and is light in texture. It comes pre-cooked and frozen and takes just 12 minutes to bake at 120°C in any oven. Three pure butter puff pastry swirls, with generous fillings of naturally flavoured confectioner's custards, have also been added to its frozen bake off range. These include: matcha green tea and cranberry; frangipane and pickled citrus fruit; and praline and hazelnut.

Ian Toal, managing director of Delice de France UK & Ireland, says bake off or 'ready to bake' bread is a huge category for the company as its customer base has traditionally always demanded products they can bake off in the outlet on a cyclical basis to ensure their customers receive the freshest bread possible.

"Bake off products provide the perfect solution for busy customers who don't have the time to start baking from scratch each day, but are still looking to offer delicious fresh products. We believe that nothing is more enticing to consumers than the tempting aroma of our freshly baked products. Bake off products also have the additional benefit that anyone from low to high skill can complete the baking process and receive a perfect end result each time," says Toal.

Depending on the product, the company recommends that these goods are oven baked straight from frozen and, because they have a shelf life of just one day, they should be sold on the day of bake off. To keep them fresh for as long as possible after bake off, it says they need storing at an ambient room temperature.

Toal says its bestsellers are classic French demi baguettes, which were the first products it sold more than 25 years ago. However, in addition to that it has seen great growth in sandwich bread like ciabatta and panini. Croissants are a clear morning favourite among consumers but there have been movements recently towards pain aux raisins, he adds.

"By offering a range of pastries on breakfast menus, customers can capitalise on time restricted consumers looking for quick breakfast solutions. Our bel aux raisins, a flaky pastry croissant with juicy raisins, is another popular choice.

"We will continue to look into the healthier bread opportunity and will be working on repositioning many of our existing lines to highlight their healthy attributes. For example whole grain, which more consumers are searching for in their food choices. In recognition of this we are proud to have the official whole grain stamp on our La Brea Bakery whole grain loaf."

According to Dr Oetker Foodservice, bread is classed as a comfort food and during the economic gloom has become increasingly attractive, and has lots of potential, particularly in the education sector, as a substantial snack or a meal accompaniment.

Foodservice controller Cheryll Snowden says school caterers now need to offer a bread option with every meal in accordance with the nutritional standards from the School Food Trust.

"What is a good sign is that the number of primary school pupils choosing a sandwich as part of a school lunch rose by 3% from 2005-2009, giving caterers reassurance that kids won't turn their noses up at bread based options as long as they are appealing.

"In a wider sense, there is the challenge that daily usage of bread is down from 75% of UK bread eaters to 67% from 2005-2009. The reason for this may lie in the fact obesity has become a major health issue for the nation, not least in kids. According to NHS statistics in December 2010, almost a quarter of children are overweight or obese by the time they start primary school, and more than a third unhealthily heavy by the time they leave.

"Analyst Mintel suggests the way round this is to broaden appeal by offering healthier bread varieties high in fibre. Is this achievable though when it comes to lunchtime alternatives that are not just nutritious, but entice children away from an unhealthy lunchbox?"

Dr Oetker has just added the Healthier Option soft bap mix to its range, which just needs water added to transform it into bread products. It says the launch is helping school caterers bake consistently soft, moist rolls and bread accompaniments with no barriers, whether creating 'grab and go' snacks for mid morning breaks or sandwiches and accompaniments for lunch.

"Many school caterers believe the FSA nutrient based standards reduce variety and stifle creativity due to a limited number of recipes that can be used to achieve compliance, which means baking from scratch is no longer an obvious solution," says Snowden. "They are turning to suppliers for support.

"With our soft bap mix, school caterers can add their own ingredients to create a variety of healthy options for pupils that take minimum time and effort." It's not just the product that counts but equipment too. Lincat's development chef Paul Hickman says bake off allows caterers to produce freshly baked, high quality products, without the need for a large production area, specialist equipment or extensive training and its ECO8 and ECO9 convection ovens are ideal for the job.

"The ECO8 is a convenient plug in unit which is ideal for many establishments, even relatively small cafés. The ECO9 is larger and more powerful and may be used more as a specialist oven for baking off chilled or frozen convenience bakery products such as baguettes and croissants. But both can be installed on a countertop or on an optional floor stand," he says.

Rational says it has designed the baking mode on its Self Cooking Center to ensure the precise regulation of humidity, temperature and airflow is done automatically. All the baker has to do is to select the degree of browning and the oven does the rest.

New to RH Hall's range is the Alfa 43 oven. Manufactured by Smeg, its larger internal cooking chamber creates a bigger space between the cooking trays and, with the new back mounted fan, an improved cooking result is achieved through an increase in circulation of the air flow. Its fast recovery time also makes it ideal for refrigerated or frozen products.

The company says that with the increase in eating on the go, bake off has become more popular and there is an opportunity to maximise sales with a versatile system. However attractive designs are a must when installing into prominent positions to encourage customers to try and buy, it adds.

Managing director Ray Hall says: "We believe in keeping abreast of industry trends. It is important to work with major food companies and suppliers. "In this way we can provide not just a piece of equipment, but a complete business solution.

"We've recently created a new team for our customers called the Food Solution Division to spearhead this philosophy, which is expert in creating new concepts, working closely with these companies and our customers in our dedicated development kitchen facility, offering a valuable hands on environment to develop new menus and concepts."