BREAD BUFFET
BREAD BUFFET
WHAT IS A BREAD?
Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of
flour and water, usually by baking. Bread is made in various forms, flavors,
sizes and served with any meal of the day. It is eaten as a snack, and used as
an ingredient in other culinary preparations, such as sandwiches.Bread is the
staple food of the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and in European-derived
cultures such as those in the Americas, Australia, and Southern Africa.
Main Ingredients Used in Bread Making
Flour-Binding
agent, Absorbing agent, Gluten formation, Nutritional value, affects flavor.
Sugar- to
provide food for yeast which in turn produces carbon dioxide. Sweetness
provider, affects symmetry, Impacts
crust color, Nutritional value.
Yeast- Yeast is the leavening agent in the dough. It
releases Co2 as a result of breakdown of sugar.
Salt- It imparts taste to the bread. Brings our
flavor & Controls yeast activity.
Fat-
Nutritional value, affects flavor, Shortening agent & tenderizer, improves
eating qulaity.
Liquids-
Water, or some other liquid is used to form the flour into a paste or dough.
The weight of liquid required varies between recipes, but a ratio of 3 parts
liquid to 5 parts flour is common for yeast breads. Instead of water,
recipes may use liquids such as milk or other dairy products, fruit juice,
or eggs. These contribute additional sweeteners, fats, or leavening components,
as well as moisture.
Bread Buffet
A BUFFET is a system of serving meals in
which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve
themselves. Buffets are offered at various places
including hotels, restaurants, cruise lines and many social
events and mostly a European concept. Buffet restaurants normally offer
all-you-can-eat food for a set price.The buffet is a given a name based on the
cuisine, occasion, theme or by the course of a meal. Like a salad buffet has a
display of a variety salads on the same
lines A BREAD BUFFET is a display of various breads in different forms &
sizes set as per the standards & requirement.
A BUFFET PRESENTATION: is all about selling food through presentation, so it is
important that the food displayed looks palatable and enhancing structures of
food or inedible sculptures are present.A good design serves a function. The
function of a buffet is to serve the guest. Therefore, a properly devised
buffet design places foods logically. Guests should be able to identify what
they are eating and reach the food easily with appropriate service tools.
·
Selling food
through presentation
·
Food displayed
should look appealing and palatable
·
Elevating the
buffet using edible or inedible structures & sculptures
·
It has to meet
the objective of serving the guest.
·
Food placed on
the buffet should be logically planned & laid.
·
Guests should be
able to identify what they are eating and reach the food easily with
appropriate service tools.
·
Food displayed
should have variety in terms colour, texture, ingredient combination, taste,
size & so on.
·
Food on the
buffet should maintain the right temperature & hygiene values have to be
considered.
ROLE
OF BREADS IN A BUFFET
Bread in a European
buffet display is either acts as an accompaniment to the other course of the
meal or can be consumed directly as a course like breads displayed in a
Breakfast buffet.
Most of the breads
have a common crust color of golden brown which adds a rustic look to the
buffet which in turn elevates the other food color combinations in the buffet.
The breads can
either be displayed for consumption or as an eye appeal like a Bread showpiece.
Various displays
like swans, huts, bamboos, castles, etc, can be made from bread called dead
dough.
They enhance the taste of other course of meal
when they consumed along with them.
The combination of
such edible and inedible breads when displayed in a buffet are called buffet
breads.
nedible breads when displayed in a buffet are
called buffet breads.
Types of Bread Buffet
· A hotel, cruise line or any food
manufacturing unit which has a bakery that functions in multiple areas of the
organization displays different types of Bread buffets as per the need.
·
Bread buffet can be laid in various forms:
·
Breakfast Buffet
·
Pastry shop Buffet
·
Coffee shop Buffet
·
Buffet
for the occasion (Banquet function, Festival, Seasonal, etc..)
·
Gala buffet
Breakfast Buffet
A breakfast buffet has a separate
display of breads as they are the main components of a European style or
continental style breakfast.They mainly include highly nutritious breads made
with rich ingredients like milk, egg, fat, nuts, high fibers and dry fruits.The
main motto is to serve a healthy and heavy breakfast because breakfast is the
most important meal of the day providing maximum energy for all day’s work.Because
of such reasons, it is a vast buffet with numerous variations in breads, their
textures, colors and fancy shapes.
Coffee Shop Buffets
Coffee shops are basically all-day
dining restaurants where buffets are laid out for mainly lunch and dinner. Such
buffets include breads where they are served as accompaniments for the continental
section.Some of these breads are not freshly baked as they are used as
garnishes or bases for some of the European dishes.These breads are not very
overpowering keeping in mind that they do not dominate the taste of other
dishes.They are mainly seen to be served as burger buns, bruschetta, pita,
accompaniments for soups like bread rolls, grissini, loaves & other
international breads.
COFFEE SHOP BREAD BUFFET SETUP
Pastry Shop Breads
A pastry
shop/bakery sells freshly baked breads
made with highest quality of ingredients.Because of this reason they are expensive and mainly
bought by in- house guests of the hotel.Even the packaging of the breads are
done in fancy wrapping papers and decorative boxes.These breads are also
decorated with the most eye catching garnishes, colours and textures to attract
guests.Pastry shop displays breads like Baguette, Sour dough bread, Country
style breads, lavash, grissini and various artisan breads to make it visually
appealing.
Bread Buffet for the Occasion
Banquet Bread
Buffet – Lavish Banquet parties like Weddings, Receptions, Birthday
celebrations, Anniversaries, etc.. Which has a European banquet menu where the
food is displayed course wise, on the same lines the breads are also displayed to
accompany the soup & main course. Usually it comprises of 3 to 4 types of
bread unless & until the guest specifies any special list. Festive Bread
Buffets - On famous festivals like Christmas, Easter, Harvesting season, theme
based buffets are often laid out, showcasing the tradition and culture of the
festival or occasion through food.Breads being the staple diet of many, are
thus seen on such buffets. Famous festive breads like Hot cross buns, Stollen,
Panettone, Kuglehopf, etc.. Are some of the Festive breads.
HOT CROSS BUNS are a traditional part of easter breads. Other
breads are lemon kolaches, meringue pies etc,.
Butterhorns, winter squash rolls, nut breads are breads served
on thanksgiving.
Harvest sheaf bread is a particular bread made upon the
beginning of the harvest season.
Gala Buffet
Gala Buffets
are grand & huge buffets that
include wide range of food from around the world.Gala Buffets are widely
observed on almost every cruise ship.Gala Buffets include a combination of fresh
breads and mature breads, low fat and high fat breads, aromatic breads and
mellow breads, etc.A gala buffet holds a wide variety of loafs, soft roll
breads, hard roll breads, quick breads and many more. They range in terms of
taste, colour, textures, presentations and much more giving the guest every
kind of option possible.To increase the eye appeal, many artisan breads are
also displayed. Big edible sculptures of bread may also be spotted as
centerpieces of buffets.
FAMOUS BUFFET BREADS AROUND THE WORLD
The following is the list of most
common breads usually found in the bread buffet & that are famous all over
the world.Breakfast – Brioche, Croissants, Danish pastry, Bagels, Chelsea bun,
Banana bread, other high fiber breads, etc..Lunch & Dinner – Soft rolls,
Hard rolls, Multigrain bread, Assorted loaves, Fancy rolls, Bread sticks,
Focaccia, Braided breads, etc.Festive & Classical Breads – Ciabatta,
Panettone, Stollen, Harvest Festival Sheaf, Lavash, etc.
Edible Bread Sculptures
Bread is not always made for
consumption. They are often made to shape dough into different shapes and
baked, these shapes are then assembled to make a model or a sculpture. These
inedible bread sculptures increase the visual appeal of a buffet presentation.Dead
dough, also known as bakers clay, is basically a dough without yeast, or
any leavening agent. Dead dough is also known as weaver’s dough. A dead dough
sculpture is an inedible bread sculptures which is used to beautify buffet
counters. These are also used as center-pieces for wedding buffets, hotel
buffets, etc.
Example
of Dead Dough
Salt Dough
Salt dough is
a modelling material made from a mixture
of flour, salt and water. It can be used to
make ornaments and sculptures, and can be dried in the
oven or microwave. It can be sealed
using varnish or polyurethane, and can be painted
with acrylic paint, or coloured using food colouring, natural
colouring, or paint mixed in with the flour or water. It is commonly used to
make simple sculptures such as apples, leaves, or mushrooms, or more complex
shapes such as trees, birds and animals. It is often used to make
christmas decorations or birthday gifts, souvenirs, or in spring rituals
in Eastern Europe, and sometimes for weddings and winter rituals.
Key Points in displaying a bread buffet
A
buffet presentation requires a vision or a design before implementing it. A
chef may be good at production but to present it in a way where it appeals a
guest is a skill not everyone possesses.While laying a buffet, similar looking
breads should not be placed next to each other Breads with the same taste
should not be kept together. Some breads will have a hard crust, some will be
soft while some look flaky, a symphony of such textures is important.But most
importantly it is difficult to make it look vibrant because of the lack of
bright colours in bread. So creating something appetizing from that is a
challenge. For this, frills and props can be used. Also, bases on which the
breads are placed could be of a contributing factor.Dead dough sculptures or
salt dough sculptures should be made in respect with the them of the buffet.
Just because it looks good doesn’t mean it can be put on a buffet. It might
look disconnect and an irrelevant component in a buffet.
Other
Props Used for Bread buffet
To make display of
breads catch customer’s eye or to make it look appetizing, various props are
used. They are as follows:
Wooden boards
Acrylic boards
Bread baskets
Glass vase
Wooden stands
Stainless steel
wheels
Glass show cases
Limitations of Bread Buffets
There
are pros and cons to every aspect. Bread buffets have the disadvantage of
looking monochromaticAll
the breads basically have the same colour and it fails to catch the eye of the
guest Also, breads are best served when freshly baked. So it leads to a lot of
wastage if buffets go unconsumed. Lastly,
breads always leave crumbs even if it is touched just a bit, thus it gives a
messy look to the buffet reducing the visual appeal
Conclusion
All
the breads basically have the same colour and it fails to catch the eye of the
guest Also, breads are best served when freshly baked. So it leads to a lot of
wastage if buffets go unconsumed. Lastly,
breads always leave crumbs even if it is touched just a bit, thus it gives a
messy look to the buffet reducing the visual appeal
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