To increase bread and roll consumption, bakers need to become more innovative. In some cases, that means offering food service customers new options. Take premium toast and open-face sandwiches, which are quickly becoming popular items on menus across the country.
That’s why Lantmännen Unibake USA, Lisle, Ill., launched the Top Toast initiative for its Euro-Bake brand earlier this year.
“Top Toast is a program we developed to help operators leverage the profitable artisanal toast trend,” said Scott Rosenberg, director of marketing and customer service. “Fresh, local and seasonal ingredients paired with Euro-Bake’s top-quality breads create the perfect artisanal toast recipes for any operation.”
Recipes such as Brussels Sprouts Salad Grilled Toast use flavorful ingredients like smoky bacon, fried Brussels sprouts and zesty lemon atop new, thinly sliced, crusty sports bread that contains seeds, grains, whole wheat flour, honey and apple pieces. Another way to increase bread consumption is to target the snacking occasion. Canadian baker Boulart has done that by rolling out ciabatta bites, an off-shoot of the brand’s best-selling product, the ciabatta baguette.
“We noticed that one of the most prevalent trends of the past few years has been snacking, and we wanted to find a way to make our bread available in single-sized snacking portions,” said Michel Saillant, Boulart founder and c.e.o.
The Lachine, Que.-based baker said the bites retain the flavor of artisanal ciabatta bread with a crisp crust and moist interior. At the National Restaurant Association show in May, the bites received a FABI award for product innovation. A little creativity goes a long way in capturing the consumer’s imagination.
