A 50/50 joint venture between Total and Corbion named Total Corbion PLA, announced the start-up of its 75,000 tonnes per year PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) bioplastics plant in Rayong, Thailand.

A new concept from Arla Foods Ingredients will help cookie manufacturers tap into the high-protein and healthy indulgence trends while overcoming technical challenges.

Metal detection specialist Fortress Technology will reveal its latest pathogen cross contamination deterrent - the Meat Pump Pipeline at the International Production & Processing Expo. Its IPPE launch coincides with the new BRC Global Food Safety Standard Issue 8 audits commencing in February.

Salt of the Earth, Ltd., announced exclusive distribution agreements for Australia, Poland, South Africa, and Thailand of its clean-label  flavour enhancement and sodium reduction ingredient.

Flexible screw conveyors in popular sizes are now available for shipment in two to five days as ready-to-assemble packages with Flexicon’s Quick-Ship Program, the company announced.

Chudleigh’s, the beloved family-owned Canadian bakery that started on a family’s Ontario-based apple orchard, announced the launch of their  single-serve pies and cakes in the U.S., at H.E.B. stores throughout Texas.  

Olivio, maker of the margarine and rich butter-alternative spreads, has announced it will now source all of its olive oil directly from California.

Kason Corporation has introduced a new Air Classifier Mill with higher capacity than any model previously offered by the company.

The rising costs of ascorbic acid have prompted baking industry manufacturers to search for an affordable alternative dough strengthener, a problem for which DuPont has found a solution.

Vanillin and ethyl-vanillin ingredients provider Solvay Aroma Performance created a non-GMO vanilla replacement that promises to mask “off-notes” and “enhance taste.”

When it comes to white chocolate, vegan offerings are rather limited.

Riding the tail feathers of a festive Thanksgiving season, industry bakers are now poised to serve up delectable yuletide sweet Christmas treats. And none is more excited for the season than celebrity baker, chef, and self-admitted “Christmas nerd” Anna Olson, whose nostalgic holiday memories continue to inspire her culinary journey to this day.

A plated dessert provides a sweet chance to relax and indulge at the end of a meal. The dessert needs to complement the menu, fit with the style and ambience of the restaurant or venue and be pleasing to the palate. Most importantly, the plated dessert is the last impression a customer leaves with, as it lingers on tastebuds.

Bakers Journal had the privilege of interviewing the busy, internationally-known pastry chef who began his illustrious career at the age of 16.

As Canadian consumers continue feeding their appetites for low carbohydrate, reduced sugar, and gluten-free foods, bakers such as Chef Jan Campbell-Luxton bake on, unburdened by the latest food trends.

James Beard Foundation Award nominee, Chef Greg Wade of Publican Quality Bread is modest, but pleased with the nod from the American Who’s Who in culinary excellence. “It’s nice to be thought of and recognized as one of the best bakers in the country, and I’m hopeful for next year…it’s just pretty cool. It’s a pretty wild experience,” says the young chef.

Artisan breads are all the rage. Prefermentation, the process of using bread dough made hours in advance, to add to the final dough, is the new norm. Think biga, poolish, sourdough and levain. Mix in a vast variety of grains and seeds to really ramp up flavour and basic white bread just can’t compete.

The future of bread seems to lie in the past: Consumers and bakers are now asking where their wheat is cultivated, how is it processed, what is added to the dough, and what methods are used to bake it.  “Traditional baking” is the future of artisanal breads, and this issue looks at how chefs are following ancient recipes and using old fashioned wood fired ovens to satisfy our appetite for good quality, home made bread.

Bakers are always concerned with keeping an eye on future trends while keeping traditions alive, and working with wood-fired ovens meets both concerns.

It all began with the simple, but controversial question: Which city has the best bagels: Was it New York, Toronto, or Montreal?

The wood-fired outdoor oven outside the Montgomery Inn Museum is a 19th century tool used to teach 21st century students.

Ksenia Penkina’s Mirror Cakes are, as the kids say, “internet famous.” Images of Penkina’s highly glossy, reflective cakes have gone viral on the internet, garnering over 400, 000 followers online and attention from celebrities such as George Takei to non-Hollywood cake lovers.

Chef Allen Susser recommends using mangoes at their ripest. This recipe was launched at the South Beach Mango Festival.

Vegan baking is on the rise. If you are on the hunt for a yummy vegan cupcake recipe to offer your customers, try this sweet potato recipe from Kelly Childs and Erinn Weatherbie of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe in Burlington, Ont.

Toronto – Muskoka Brewery and Ace Bakery of Toronto teamed up to create bread recipes using three seasonal beers, Winterweiss, Shinnicked Stout and Harvest Ale, and offer classes on how to make them. The London Free Press reports. | READ MORE

Pizza New: A whole new era for the world’s favourite food, by chef Stefano Manfredi, looks at what happens when pizza is made using different stone-milled flours, various fermentation procedures and free of the strictures of tradition. It includes recipes for pizza rossa, pizza bianca, Roman pizza, and filled, fried and sweet pizzas such as the delicate dessert recipe below, “Pillow of dreams.”

These brownies were inspired from her chocolate bar that is infused with cherry fig black tea, as well as the chai brownie recipe in Raelene Gannon’s book tea from cup to plate, which was published in 2015.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Rhubarb Pie

Coconut Passion Fruit Domes

Pineapple Dream Bars

Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Banana Cookie

Chocolate Brioche

Scientists have developed a natural way to prevent discoloration of pastry dough during storage using a combination of white wine and lemon juice.

Breakfast has evolved from an early morning dish to grab-and-go snacks or all-day meals.  In 2018 we observed consumers loving quick, easy and nutritious breakfast choices like overnight oats and high protein breakfast cookies. Social media is flooded with breakfast from the iconic avocado toasts to innovative, healthy pancakes for the grab-and-go market.

With the legalization of cannabis, many companies may need to revise their health and safety rules, and know their employees' rights.

Over the years, the very low carbohydrate, high protein diet has been marketed and rebranded. In the course of my twenty-plus year food and nutrition career, I’ve seen it go from Atkins to keto.

Now, in its second year, WSIB’s Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards recognized outstanding health and safety programs in small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

This summer, ice cream served in exotic cones is a popular trend with chefs and restaurants around Canada and the United States. Croissants, Cruffins (croissant-muffin hybrids), and even traditional Hungarian chimney cakes are seen in bakeries, pop-up shops and food trucks.

Summer is a time where consumers desire healthy, refreshing and fun food and beverage options to enjoy with their friends and families. Here’s a perspective on satisfying summer flavour trends:

Researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) have found that the cleanliness of restaurant employees is vital to customer perceptions of food safety, equally as important as a clean environment and hygienic food preparation.

Did you know that nine out of every ten bites of food we eat today start with a seed? Seeds are important in our food ecosystem. Seeds – specifically the ones often called “super seeds” such as chia, flax, pumpkin, hemp, sesame and sunflower seeds – are garnering a lot of attention in the North American baking world these days.

Aquafaba, the fancy, latinate term for “bean water,” is a cost-effective egg substitute that lends itself well to vegan and allergy-free pastry. Rebecca Coleman, the author of “Aquafabulous! 100 + Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba,” was first introduced to this versatile ingredient through social media.

Inclusions and topping add flavour, colour, texture and elegant design elements to baked goods and desserts. Dried fruit, fresh fruit, a variety of nuts and candies are popular options. So, just how can bakers and pastry chefs use these items for product development and to enliven their menus?

Bakery merchandising can be a simple and cost-effective way to enhance your customers’ shopping experience, and most importantly, boost your sales. Give passing pedestrians a chance to see something they might not have seen before: Turn your bakery into an experience, not just the to buy treats.

Dry ice cleaning is similar in concept to sand, bead and soda blasting, in that it cleans surfaces using a media accelerated in a pressurized air stream. But, dry ice cleaning uses solid CO2 pellets or MicroParticles, accelerated to high velocities to impinge on the surface and clean it. The particles turn from a solid to a gas upon impact, lifting dirt and contaminants off the underlying substrate without damage.

Doesn’t it seem that business is more competitive than it used to be? ABC, a company that previously dominated their marketplace, suffered staggering losses in their previous fiscal year. It became blindingly apparent that what had worked in the past was no longer effective, and the company president had no idea how to fix things.

Joan was sitting at a round table when a hand descended over her right shoulder and slapped a piece of paper down on the wooden surface. A permission slip lay before her. Joan wondered, “Why do I need a permission slip?” 

 Marketing intelligence firm, Mintel stated that Ketogenic diets, or “Keto” diets have gone from niche to fad: But how can bakers appeal to this market?

Technology is bringing new opportunities and profitability to many sectors. It’s a driving force challenging the most established companies to modernize and to stay relevant. Compared to other industries, the food sector has been slow to adapt as brands continue to get away with misleading country of origin information, price fixing and erroneous labels.

Improving profitability is one of the first steps to expanding and growing your bakery. Many of these easy tips can be done quickly to immediately improve your bakery’s profitability and sales, and these ideas can be implemented with great ease.

Tri-Mach Group announced the opening of their new Western Division, based out of the Winnipeg area.

The first five weeks of the back-to-school period means an increase in sales for certain baked goods. Parents who stock up on lunchtime staples and snacks for their children buy more of a certain kind of treat in early autumn than any other time of year, including winter holidays.

The words you use in your bakery's social media account and your display case matter: Are you using "trigger words" that fire up your sales? Read on to find the words that consumers responded to the most when buying pastry.

Recreational marijuana will officially become legal in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018. Canada is only the second country in the world and the first G7 nation to implement legislation to permit a nationwide marijuana market. To the south, nine states and the District of Columbia now allow for recreational marijuana use, and 30 allow for medical use.

Back to School” is a deeply nostalgic term. It brings me back to the smell of new notebooks, fresh pens, and a chance to start anew. With this edition of Bakers Journal, students of all ages are learning something new, and with it, the olfactory memories of school supplies means the smell of something delicious in the oven.

Aurora, Ont. – The Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College will offer short-term and part-time training in culinary skills, commercial brewing and viticulture in Aurora, Ont.

Charlottetown – The Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College in Charlottetown recently opened up its new facilities – which include a restaurant and cafeteria – to students after months of renovations. The Guardian reports. | READ MORE

With their semester coming to an end, students in the Advanced Baking and Pastry graduate certificate program at Durham College (DC) were put to their final test – create a Pop-up Bake Shop in which to package, market and sell their creative concoctions.

George Brown College's chef school held its annual gingerbread house competition on Tuesday, Nov. 29, with 23 entries vying for prizes.

Belgian pastry chef Mathieu Dierinck, a technical advisor to the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Wieze, Belgium, made a stop at George Brown College in Toronto in late October to provide to demonstration to a crowd of industry professionals and students.

There is no language barrier when it comes to high-end patisserie.

On Thursday, May 12 Cacao Barry, in cooperation with George Brown College in Toronto, hosted a demonstration by chef Ramon Morato, an award-winning cookbook author and the global creative innovation leader with Cacao Barry, based at the Chocolate Academy training centre in Barcelona.

Customers are curious about what you do, how you do it, and how they can execute some of your tricks of the trade at home. Just look at the programming line up on Food Network Canada, the abundance of food and drink magazines lining the checkouts at your local grocery store, and the buffet of websites, blogs and social media accounts catering to self-proclaimed “foodies.”

Three creative star chefs and Cacao Barry chocolate proved an irresistible combination for students of George Brown College’s baking program.

To borrow from Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changing, and nowhere is that more evident than in the baking and pastry programs across the country. And the students are changing, too.