2. Khachapuri, Georgia

Khachapuri is a traditional Georgian delight of cheese-filled bread. The bread is leavened and allowed to rise. It is usually in the shape of a boat but can be done in many other ways - with cheese in the middle and a crust which is ripped off and used to dip in the cheese. The filling contains cheese, eggs, and other ingredients.[2]

3. Parathas, India

The famous flaky flatbread in this whole-wheat Indian treat. It can be made either plain or with sweet and savoury fillings depending on the occasion. The dough is laminated by folding and rolling the dough over thinly spread fat, employing a technique similar to that used for croissants or puff pastry.[3]

6. Khobz, Morocco

Serving as one of the homiest breads, you might find this easy-to-make flatbread with almost every Moroccan dish. The basic khobz uses nothing but flour, yeast, salt, and water, as well as the occasional sesame seeds for flavor. Their texture is beautifully light and fluffy, perfect to absorb sauces while eating.[4]

7. Pandesal, Philippines 

A breakfast stable at any Filipino household is the pandesal. The name literally means "bread of salt" which refers to the point of salt used on the dough, made with few simple ingredients such as flour, water, sugar and yeast. Bakeries all around the country use this as their cash cow.[5]

#1: Batter be perfect

When using frozen eggs for your batter, make sure that the egg is completely defrosted. If not, it will make the batter too cold – not allowing it to perform correctly when it’s set in the oven!

#2: Getting the perfect cream cake

When mixing the wet ingredients, save yourself the bother of too many utensils by just adding oil and water in the same jug. The hydrophobic nature of the oils allow it to simply float above the water; you do not need to weigh and keep each item separate.

#3: Blueberry blast

Using frozen fruit is generally the way to go if you are looking to save time and cost. In today’s uncertain world with the COVID-19 pandemic, many bakeries are stocking up on ingredients that can be frozen without impact.

In the case of blueberries, they have the tendency to reduce the temperature of the batter when introduced. Therefore, you simply raise the temperature of the water used in the batter by 4-5°C. This allows your baked item to rise well and have the right amount of volume! 

#4: Scrumptious Carrot Cake

What’s more satisfying than the perfect combination of a cake that achieves the flawless balance of density, sweetness and spice? That’s right – look no further than our Carrot Cake mix!

A pro-tip for you: when baking, ensure you squeeze all the juice out of the carrot; the water from the carrot makes the batter thin. However, when making the batter, you can use the carrot juice and add to the water quantity needed – it works wonders for the flavor of the cake. 

Bringing new technology to the bakery

The advent of the industrial revolution brought along machines that aided bakers. Innovations in industrial ovens and ingredients such as preservatives and food additives ensured baked products could be mass-produced and stay fresh longer.

Adolph Levitt, a Bulgarian immigrant living in New York, along with an engineer, devised what he called the Wonderful Almost Human Automatic Doughnut Machine [3] that could produce 1,000 doughnuts per hour in the early 1920s! Since then, industry pioneers Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts have revolutionized mass production, and a single store has the capacity to produce 12,000 doughnuts per hour!

With an eye towards the future, chefs at the Culinary Institute of America are getting trained in cutting-edge technology that applies to bakery products as well. The latest being: utilization of 3D printing to create experience in desserts, such as printing the glass in which desserts are served from sugar, or whipping up intricate cake decorations in minutes.

A sheer display of American ingenuity

One of the pioneers of cake mixes, P. Duff and Sons, had an idea that involved the use of molasses and flour. While their original patent for a cake mix required consumers to just add water, later studies showed that consumers were not “emotionally invested” enough in the process. The psychologist Ernest Dichter told cake companies to switch up the recipe so that home bakers would have to add fresh eggs, and this simple tweak was considered a major breakthrough in the modern cake mix – leading to companies like General Mills, Pillsbury and others earning millions in profits from these products[4]!

American bakery influences in the Middle East

The bakery trends in the Middle East is heavily influenced by various cultures which call the place home. Chief among these is the snacking trend, and American snacks are extremely popular across the Middle East[5].

These include bars, snack products with chia seeds, sesame seeds, bagels, among others. In sync with the trend in the U.S., Middle Eastern consumers also seek healthier options when it comes to baked goods, but don’t mind the occasional indulgence. Millennials are catching on to brands that resonate with them on social media, offer holistic health options, and are Instagram-worthy[6].