WASHINGTON, DC — The baking industry is gearing up for the upcoming International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) World Bread Awards USA 2024, created by The Bread Bakers Guild of America (BBGA) and Retail Bakers of America (RBA).
Scheduled for Oct. 7-8 at the Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute in Chicago, the competition honors the art and skills of bread-making with fifteen categories for bakers to enter. In addition to the contest, RBA and BBGA will provide several educational opportunities for participants.
Set for Monday, Oct. 7, the education sessions will include:
- Hands-on Demo: Flatbreads of the World | 10 a.m.
- Bakers will embark on a culinary trip around the world with Melina Kelson, CMB, education and events manager for the BBGA. This session will explore a range of flatbreads from different cultures. Attendees will leave the class with an understanding of the impacts of conduction on flatbreads, how steam preserves the texture of flatbreads, and the impact and evolution of simple lamination techniques.
- Hands-on Demo: All about Levain | 10 a.m.
- This course will explore the production of six levain breads and cover the use of preferments in bread formulation and production. The six breads include ancient wheat sourdough bread, beer bread, tourte auvergnate, wheat germ sourdough baguette, milk levain brioche, and walnut porridge sourdough.
- Explore The Local Grain Economy, From Seed to Slice Seminar | 10:30 a.m.
- Participants can join the Artisan Grain Collaborative for a panel discussion on the growing demand for local foods and sustainable supply chains and how farmers and millers are working to meet the demand. Attendees will hear from a midwestern small grains farmer, a local miller and an area bakery about their involvement in the local grain economy.
- The Good Jobs Strategy: Smart operations and investments in people make for a strong, profitable business | 1:30 p.m.
- The Good Jobs Institute will lead an introductory session with tips on how to improve business performance and employee experience by investing in people and making operational choices that increase productivity, contribution and motivation. The discussion will cover four operational choices that have been proven to lower employee turnover and increase profitability.
- The Science of Sourdough | 3 p.m.
- In this course, bakers, R&D personnel and other food industry professionals will learn the science behind sourdough and sourdough flavors. The course will cover the fundamentals of fermentation, the biodiversity of microbiology of sourdough and the impact on flavor in a finished product.
Information on registration and fees for the education sessions is available on the event website.
Registration for the competition closes Sept. 30.
