KANSAS CITY, MO — With eccentric pairings seeing an uptick in modern food culture — the “swicy” trend is dominating this flavor fusion — the artisan bread industry has also seen a rising inclination for unconventional flavor pairings.
Among the numerous loaf options at Chicago-based Hewn are flavors such as Polenta, Pumpkin Seed and Rosemary, Cranberry Walnut, Picholine-Olive Country, and Caramelized Onion Rye. The bakery approaches its product variations with a traditionalist outlook. It creates made-from-scratch breads daily that omit preservatives, additives, chemicals and commercial yeast.
“We look at essentially trying to make the wheat stand out,” Ellen King, founder and co-owner of Hewn. “We’re very forward with the grains that we’re using rather than trying to add different things that distract from that.”
Customizing artisan breads that incorporate customer feedback is one way to drive foot traffic into stores and diversify bakery cases. Small State Provisions in West Hartford, CT, produced a garlic loaf with Asiago and basil as a direct result of customer preference for new flavor combinations.
Current flavor trends also influence Small State Provisions’ process when the bakery sees a capacity for it. Kevin Masse, founder and owner of Small State Provisions, dabbles in bread varieties only on occasion, such as when he noticed other bakeries sweetening traditionally savory bread with fresh fruits or brown sugar and cinnamon.
“A lot of bakeries are taking focaccia towards the sweet side, so we created a Peach and Blue Cheese version,” he said.
Offering a sweeter version resonated with customers who were looking for something a little different and encouraged the more trepidatious ones to embrace the unique flavor combination.
Hewn also saw success with incorporating seasonal fruit into its menu, yet kept the trend toward healthier baked goods in mind by letting the fruit’s natural sweetness shine throughout its products.
“If we use blueberries, we toss them with a tiny bit of sugar and vanilla and then bake them,” Ellen said. “Customers get the baked sweetness of the blueberries without the excess sugar.”
Creating distinct artisanal baked goods caters to modern bread preferences, which prioritize authentic, non-commercial ingredients. Product trends will always shift with generational consumerism, but classic, simple artisan recipes sustain these changes.
“The future of the industry looks really bright,” Kevin shared. “For so long, there was a trend away from people wanting to eat bread, but now there’s been a return to focus on the craft of making bread — making slow bread — that’s not made in a tunnel oven with yeast.”
Connecting with local farmers for grain sourcing and staying true to the simplistic ingredients of artisan bread can generate opportunities to attract new customers to neighborhood bakeries … and ensure the industry is alive and well for generations to come.
This story has been adapted from the September | Q3 2024 issue of Craft to Crumb. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
