Bread is one of those foods that inspire strong feelings in people. But people who love it really love it – and will go out of their way to get it. So why not let that inspire the bread products on your menu? Could you fine-tune your appetizer menu with a salty focaccia? Bake a simple bread in-house to elevate your sandwich menu (and lure bread-loving guests who smell it baking)? Could you even swap out the kind of bread or roll guests expect to see in a dish – and replace it with something fun and flavorful? Delicious as bread may be, many consumers scrutinize their consumption of bread products – whether due to allergies or digestive issues, or simply because they want to consume more whole foods and fewer processed ones. Making changes to accommodate them could mean ramping up whole grains in certain menu items, swapping in a vegetable where a wrap or crust might otherwise be used, or trying vegetable-forward options that mimic the flavor and mouth feel of bread. Keep these varying consumer needs and preferences in mind when you set your menus this year. Where is there room for customization with a bread substitute that is just as – or nearly as – appealing to guests? Chances are you have more guests asking to forgo the bread on sandwiches and wraps these days, whether to accommodate a food sensitivity or in an aim to consume fewer processed foods. Lettuce wraps have become a go-to substitute – and when packed with the right combinations of protein, spices and condiments as fillings, they can lend texture, color and crunch to a dish, all while helping guests eat their veggies.
Crescent rolls aren’t just for your bread basket. They’re more versatile than they seem, elevating both the appearance and craveability of your appetizers, sandwiches and entrées. Roll crescent dough around pepperoni, asparagus or the filling of your choice for bite-size appetizers. Encase scrambled egg and sausage in crescent roll dough for a winning breakfast sandwich, or layer turkey, ham and your choice of cheese in egg-dipped crescent roll dough for a melty baked sandwich. Crescent roll dough works well as a flaky, buttery crust too, so use it as a base for a savory pie on your entrée menu.
The complimentary bread-and-butter basket has become a relic from the past at many restaurants around the country, but according to recent menu trends research in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles by Flavor & the Menu, that’s just leaving space for bread to occupy a more important place on the menu. The report says some restaurants are elevating bread by focusing on creating small-batch varieties of butter – with such flavors as olive and lemon, bacon fat and malt to make the bread more special – while others are raising their bread game with homemade biscuits, cornbread and grilled focaccia. The showstopper in the trends research was a bread sharing platter at Chicago’s Tied House, where a bread course including locally made breads and a range of housemade spreads such as miso butter, crème fraiche with honeycomb, green tomato marmalade and chicken liver mousse sells for a cool $32.
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