Savory baked goods ideas for a bake shop

[andiesenji]

I mentioned on the cornucopia thread that I have made cream horns, and filled them with a fluffy, savory cheese filling. I used cream cheese, sour cream, Stilton and herbs. Alternate cheeses are grated asiago, parmesan, romano, even kasseri. I also used whipped pimento cheese with bacon bits.

The base was just grated sharp cheddar beaten with cream cheese and pimentos and seasoned to taste. If I am serving people who like spicy - I add some ground dried chile, mild to hot, depending on whom I am serving.

For these, I only wrap half of the cone to make a half-sized horn.

[andiesenji]

Bristol Farms has in-store bakeries and they make an onion/cheese roll that is shaped like a cinnamon bun, with toasted onion and cheddar rolled into it where one would usually find the cinnamon/sugar - then it is topped with more cheese and toasted onion.

Those are absolutely delicious and they usually sell out soon after the stores open as they make a limited number.

[Mooshmouse]

As I had expected, you guys are nothing short of fabulous. This is exactly what I love about eGullet... look at this plethora of ideas, all of them mouthwateringly tempting! One of the things that I appreciate most about your suggestions is that they're all practical from an ingredient cost standpoint, always a significant consideration in a business application.

John and Rona... I, myself, am a huge fan of knishes. My husband has never quite understood my love for them -- the whole starch inside starch thing -- but, then again, he's not a perogy fanatic either. And biscuits, fresh out of the oven with a king-sized pat of butter, must be one of life's most divine pleasures. Honey butter, Badiane... I heart that idea!

Rona, the Starbucks cinnamon straws I'm thinking of are, indeed, the crunchy ones. They're fairly flaky. If that's what you're talking about, they'd translate excellently into a savoury version.

Katie... mini mascarpone cheesecakes... how luxurious!

Carrot Top, I Googled for a recipe of lard bread: it sounds amazingly good. PamR, mochihead and CanadianBakin', focaccia rounds would also be rather practical in this application. I'm wondering: in the case of a savoury bread, would people be expected to eat something with it, like soup? I know I wouldn't and neither would most of you, but I'm thinking of the non-foodaholic masses. Swisskaese, the antipasti focaccia that you mentioned with aubergine, sweet potato and tomato slices: are those toppings for the bread, or are they accompaniments? If they're toppings, now that would be a bread to die for.

Rehovot, good call on the savoury mini muffins... what an ingenious suggestion!

And andiesenji, your savoury cream horns would be delicious, but I am sold hook, line and sinker on your mention of an onion/cheese variant of a cinnamon bun.

Thank you once again, everyone, for all of your marvelous input. I'll be sending my friend the link to this thread and will report back on which of these ideas actually pan out at her coffee shop.

[JanMcBaker]

How about a savory bread pudding? I suddenly thought of one I had made from a French vegetarian cookbook. I'm at work so don't have the book at hand. It used most of the usual bread pudding ingredients-- milk and/or cream, eggs, bread. I'm pretty sure it also had gruyere in it. It was pretty good too. Let me know if you need more info and I'll get you the recipe.

[I_call_the_duck]

Empanadas, Jamaican beef patties, char sui baos (roast pork buns).

[Pam R]

How about phyllo triangles stuffed with spinach and feta.

oh oh! or burekes (I love burekas). Same idea with puff pastry rather than phyllo.

John and Rona... I, myself, am a huge fan of knishes.  My husband has never quite understood my love for them -- the whole starch inside starch thing -- but, then again, he's not a perogy fanatic either. 

They aren't limited to startch in starch. You can fill them with mushrooms or spinach and feta, cottage cheese, broccoli or vegetable mix and cheddar, meat, etc. Actually... knishes are rather like a bureka - but best made with a stretch-strudel dough.

PamR, mochihead and CanadianBakin', focaccia rounds would also be rather practical in this application.  I'm wondering:  in the case of a savoury bread, would people be expected to eat something with it, like soup? 

I don't think so - but I think they should have a good quantity of toppings. In one of my previous food-service experiences we sold them on their own (though we always had soup too).

[tsquare]

I second savory bread pudding. Also called strata. A local place makes them in muffin size pannetone wrappers. You can buy them at the airport too.

Macrina Bakery and Cafe, Seattle, makes cream biscuits with black forest ham and romano cheese. I detour for these every now and then. They are fabulous - and in the cookbook.

[Zucchini Mama]

Joie,

It's always nice to have a choice of savories in a coffee shop. Liberty on Main has two versions of a savory Danish--one with potato and ham, and one with spinach. I like the concept, but the dough is too sweet for me.

This cookbook has some great savory tarts in it and good recipes: Once Upon a Tart ...Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau with Carolynn Carreño. I like the rosemary whole wheat crust.

I like a savory tart with squash, caramelized onions, lots of herbs, and a good cheese.

I also like the idea of some fancy piggies in blankets. You could use really interesting sausages wrapped in bacon and cheese and baked in a nice bread dough. Your French is better than mine, Moosh, so you could think up some cute names for them: "Les petits couchons qui rêvent(?)"

Focaccia went out of style for a while I think, but let's update it and bring it back. I like a thinner focaccia base heaped with olives, caramelized onions, etc.

Zuke

[CanadianBakin']

  PamR, mochihead and CanadianBakin', focaccia rounds would also be rather practical in this application.  I'm wondering:  in the case of a savoury bread, would people be expected to eat something with it, like soup?  I know I wouldn't and neither would most of you, but I'm thinking of the non-foodaholic masses. 

Rehovot, good call on the savoury mini muffins... what an ingenious suggestion!

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Joie - the bakery on Granville Island that has the wonderful Foccacia only sells baked items and nothing else so you don't have the option of soup. They are so filling as is.

Re: Savoury mini muffins, you might want to go back and check the take-out menu at the Secret Garden Tea Company as they have savoury mini muffins.

[Swisskaese]

Swisskaese, the antipasti focaccia that you mentioned with aubergine, sweet potato and tomato slices:  are those toppings for the bread, or are they accompaniments?  If they're toppings, now that would be a bread to die for.

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Those are the toppings for the bread. They do a mix of all of them and they make them with just tomato, aubergine, sweet potato, onion, etc.

[prasantrin]

I ended up staying late at work today, so I didn't get to go for cheesesticks today. But I did make a trip to the French bakery at my school, and I purchased a number of savoury items.

From top left, clockwise, we have tuna croissant, bacon croissant (that's a huge dab of mayonnaise in the middle, my all-time favourite petit pate (ie fancy sausage roll), and a petit boul (sp?). In the middle of the petit boul is a whole lot of cheese--maybe camembert. I was thinking it would be nice using a variety of cream cheese spreads. They had potato croissant, too, but there was much less chance that I would eat it, so I just got the tuna. The potato one looks just like the tuna one, but with potato sald in the middle instead of tuna.

The only ones I'm actually going to eat are the petit pate (snack for tomorrow) and the petit boul (half today, half tomorrow). The rest will probably be given away. I find them to be quite greasy, so I can't eat too many at once.

[rooftop1000]

How about a savory bread pudding?  I suddenly thought of one I had made from a French vegetarian cookbook.  I'm at work so don't have the book at hand.  It used most of the usual  bread pudding ingredients-- milk and/or cream, eggs, bread.  I'm pretty sure it also had gruyere in it.  It was pretty good too.  Let me know if you need more info and I'll get you the recipe.

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dont forget the bacon bread pudding mentioned on Daniels pork thread

tracey

[Mooshmouse]

How about a savory bread pudding?  I suddenly thought of one I had made from a French vegetarian cookbook.  I'm at work so don't have the book at hand.  It used most of the usual  bread pudding ingredients-- milk and/or cream, eggs, bread.  I'm pretty sure it also had gruyere in it.  It was pretty good too.  Let me know if you need more info and I'll get you the recipe.

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Jan and tsquare, the bread pudding idea sounds great. Once I get some feedback on all these ideas, I'll send you a PM for that recipe. Thanks!

Macrina Bakery and Cafe, Seattle, makes cream biscuits with black forest ham and romano cheese. I detour for these every now and then. They are fabulous - and in the cookbook.

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Cream biscuits?! Just when I thought buttermilk biscuits couldn't get any better! *drool*

It's always nice to have a choice of savories in a coffee shop. Liberty on Main has two versions of a savory Danish--one with potato and ham, and one with spinach. I like the concept, but the dough is too sweet for me.

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Nice call on the savoury danish, Zuke. A reconnaissance mission to Liberty might be in order... care to join me one day?

Re: Savoury mini muffins, you might want to go back and check the take-out menu at the Secret Garden Tea Company as they have savoury mini muffins.

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Gracias, CanadianBakin'... I might have to add Secret Garden to that reconnaissance mission.

...a petit boul (sp?).  In the middle of the petit boul is a whole lot of cheese--maybe camembert.  I was thinking it would be nice using a variety of cream cheese spreads.

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Holy Mother of God, Rona! Now that's taking one for the team, girl! Much as I love me my meat, that camembert-stuffed petite boule is really speaking to me. Yelling at me, actually, to go and eat some cheese. Now.

dont forget the bacon bread pudding mentioned on Daniels pork thread

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Tracey, I wonder... if I special-order some from Daniel, would he FedEx it to me?

[prasantrin]

Holy Mother of God, Rona!  Now that's taking one for the team, girl!  Much as I love me my meat, that camembert-stuffed petite boule is really speaking to me.  Yelling at me, actually, to go and eat some cheese.  Now.  

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It was tough, but somebody had to do it!

I finally made it to my favourite cheesestick bakery today. They only had two left, so of course I had to buy both...and a few other things!

From left to right: Ham and egg danish (with a cute little quail egg, I think!), sembei, sesame stick, and cheesestick (I ate the other one already).

The sembei had white and black sesame, and sugar but no soy, so it wasn't really a savoury snack, though it wasn't really sweet, either. The sesame stick was a little sweet, too. And the ham and egg danish had a puff pastry base, and I think it was a ketchup glaze on the ham. I just really love that little egg yolk.

Edited to add: the cheesestick is about 1 cm wide, and 30 cm long. I think they use sharp cheddar, because the cheese-flavour is quite strong, and that's unusual for Japanese breads with cheese.

Edited November 25, 2005 by prasantrin (log)

[Ling]

How about a curry-flavoured cream biscuit, with curried chicken salad? I would add diced apples or grapes for some sweetness too.