The future chefs of Madrid prefer the new varieties of bread such as the Kalamata olive loaf. The future chefs of Seville like the classic breads with a smooth and encompassing flavour, such as the Gran Reserva Rustic Bread. Young chefs of Barcelona highlight the importance of selecting the best bread to accompany each dish.
Young chefs reclaim bread as a “combination element” in today’s modern restaurant. The chefs, who participated in a blind tasting test held by Europastry in the Madrid, Seville and Barcelona Hospitality schools, consider that bread is “an ingredient more than a dish, which seeks to complement the food by integrating flavours and textures in the same way as with wine or oil, and not as just another food.”
Almost 50 young chefs, students from the latest Advanced Culinary course, participated in the tasting in which the organoleptic characteristics (smell, texture, colour and flavour) of the different types of bread from the Europastry Gran Reserva range were meticulously analysed - without knowing their origin - with the aim to discover future culinary trends.
Although most of the young chefs, almost 85%, valued the quality of the breads tasted, there were interesting differences between regions in the predilections for using them in cooking. While the young Madrid chefs, almost 85%, prefer the new bread trends such as the Kalamata olive loaf or the Gran Reserva Cereals Mix for their ability “to provide a new twist to cuisine”, Seville chefs consider the flavour is “too intense” and may “detract from the main aspect of the dish”. Therefore, 75% were more likely to use the more classic breads such as the Gran Reserva Rustic Bread which “offers a smooth and encompassing flavour to contrast the dishes”.
The young Catalonian chefs scored all the breads with an average of 8.5, with no great differences between the new trends and the classic flavours and advocated the “careful selection of a bread for each dish.”
When selecting the most suitable bread to accompany the dish, the Seville chefs differed from the others because they prefer a “not very crusty” cut. Conversely, the Catalan chefs (75%) as well as the Madrid chefs (90%) prefer “a crusty bread with grain”. However, they all sought a “balanced bread” that presents a “good combination between crusty cut and spongy crumbs that stay fresh while working with the bread in the kitchen”.
The young chefs highlighted the importance of bread durability and conservation in the restaurant so that it can be handled while maintaining all its qualities and presented to the diner as freshly baked. “Restaurants need a high quality product that is also par-baked, offering the advantage of frozen storage without losing organoleptic qualities and cooking it just before serving.
The Gran Reserva has a preparation process that involves more than eight hours in time with triple natural fermentation and the use of natural yeasts, as well as the use of natural ingredients with no additives or preservatives, which makes it a bread such as those of times gone by.