Artisan Bakery

Modern bread due to usage of bleached flour and addition of dough conditioners, emulsifiers and mold inhibitors is being distanced by the consumers who are health conscious. Their preference is now shifting to healthier and wholesome ingredients. The result is the increasing popularity of artisan bread. Loosely artisan bread could be designed as one which is produced by using traditional methods and ingredients. Ashok Malkani takes a look at the increasing popularity and the future of this increasingly popular delicacy

- Ashok Malkani

Mention the word “artisan” and people at once conjure up images of a person who endeavors to create decorative interest in the surroundings. The word literally means “one who produces something in limited quantities, often using traditional methods. It can also be applied to the food we eat.

In the modern world, artisan baking is a delicious alternative to the regular run-of-the-mill foods made on assembly lines. One often hears the word ‘artisan baker’ bandied about quite often these days. The Oxford English Dictionary defines an artisan as: “a skilled worker who makes things by hand”. This would mean that any baker with skill and experience could justifiably call himself or herself an artisan, and the bakery baking these products would be an artisan bakery.

What exactly is an artisanal baker, does he have to be specifically qualified and does the term ‘artisanal’ describe the baker or the product and process? These are questions that have been niggling the minds of the layman.

Rajat Sachdev, Pastry Chef, Sofitel Mumbai BKC describes artisanal baker as “a craftsperson who is trained to bake a hand-crafted loaf of bread. Artisan is used to describing products that are produced by non-industrial methods. These products are handcrafted and are made with natural ingredients. Basically, the artisan is used to describing the process of bread making.”

Raymund Pardiwalla, Executive Chef, Gokulam Grand Hotel and Spa, Bangalore, claims, “An artisan baker is a craftsperson who is trained to the highest ability to mix; ferment, shape and bake a hand crafted loaf of bread. They incorporate the science behind the chemical reactions of the ingredients and use them to create the most optimal environment for bread to develop.