Bread Basket

[wingding]

The simplest biscuit or parker rolls will be very popular if they are FRESH BAKED,and well made to begin with.If you can't freeze pre made biscuits,you'll have to teach your guy how to make good ones,and pay attention to details.A good breadstick is great too.You can flavor tham all sorts of ways,once you have a good basic recipe,and you can make a lot at once,and they will keep well.With a basic convection oven,it's silly to get overambitious about starters and such.If you're working with a prep guy who can't really understand bread that quickly,it will be impossible to get really quality bread.I've been down that road.Keep it simple,if you can't make it yourself.

[nervousnelli]

Is it sacrilege to want some garlic or sesame flatfread? Or some rye crisps?

[Louisa Chu]

Your breadbasket sounds really good. But maybe too good? If you're also concerned about boosting dessert sales? Rolls, biscuits, etc. - I'd think your customers would be full by the time they get their apps much less dessert. How about some more visually interesting, intensely flavoured, less filling, drier items that store well and have good mouthfeel? Like variations on grissini, puff pastry twists, flatbreads, etc? Personally I like a salty, fatty, slightly spicy start. Something as simple as long, thin puff pastry twists with seeds, herbs, spice, etc. Do you need a breadbasket throughout your meal/menu?

[TrishCT]

Simplicity and convection got me thinking....

When I travel to Canada every little hole in the wall place and convenience store serves piping hot, fresh croissants.... they buy them pre-formed and bake them in the convection oven... couldn't be easier...and man are they good....

[Wendy DeBord]

If I read your post right, then you probably only want 1 more selection to compliment what you have now.

You already have 1 sweet bread, 1 herbed bread and 1 crunchy bread. Doing a sweet potato biscuit is another sweet bread and it's heavy. I think you need something "plain" for fussy eaters. Maybe a potato roll or and egg bread.

I know this isn't exciting at all, but I try to be practical and think of the customers. I believe you want something to compliment (no more herbs) the entire menu and something that's not heavy. If their full, they won't buy dessert.

[ronfland]

The bread basket at Cafe Boulud included a pumpkin seed bread that I thought was MAGNIFICENT. My vote is for pumpkin seeds! (It was a sourdough bread btw.)

[bripastryguy]

Sinclair,

I am planning on dropping the corm bread in place of another sweet product, as well I may do pretzel rolls with kosher salt.

[Holly Moore]

Alas. It appears popovers are not to be.

Another idea then. When I dined at La Ferme de mon Pere, Marc Veyrat paired the breads with the courses. I don't remember the details other than a saffron based bread with the fish courses.

[bripastryguy]

Ran the bread sticks and pumpkin biscuits (had some canned pumpkin, I didnt want to see it stay on the shelf for a year) I will switch to sweet potato, then yukon gold. The reception was great. The customers loved them. We are planning a honey mustard butter.

[bripastryguy]

Ran the pretzels, warm (shaped in stick form) with a whippe dbutter made with honey and whole grain mustard. A customer threatened the waitress not to take the bread basket away and then begged for more pretzels. The simplest things can make people happy.