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The escalating demand for bakery items for health-conscious Indians has paved way for innovations in the bakery industry. Consumers are opting for newer options and the industry is experiencing a fortification of bakery products, with trends shifting towards the use of ragi, whole wheat, oats, and other natural ingredients.

Innovations

Innovations in the sector have powered the rise of many new cafés. These cafes are set up primarily keeping in mind the consumer’s taste and their dash for healthy eating habits. Apart from healthy food, going organic will satiate one’s cravings for desserts without any harm. Items like whole wheat, ragi, oats, natural honey, and sugar free products are used for baking cakes and other baking items. Wide selection of breads are made through  exotic variants like wheat, rye, five-grains, multigrain, cracked wheat, flute, baguettes and ciabatta, and other baked goodies like brioches, croissants, cookies, muffins, cakes, scones, strudels, brownies, pies and puffs.

These can include eggs in various avatars, freshly-made sandwiches, rolls, wraps and baked beans on toast. However, constant product innovation is a major challenge for bakeries and cafés. Given that many of the food products offered at bakery cafés are best enjoyed fresh, efficient production and inventory management is a must-tackle challenge.

Ritika Agarwal who is a nutritionist told BE, “The baking industry can go all organic by just substituting the refined and processed flours with whole foods and ingredients like oats, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour; raw cacao instead of the processed chocolates and by using healthy alternatives like raw honey, dates, agave, palm sugar instead of white sugar and so on.”

On asking why people should include use of ragi, whole wheat and natural products in their diet, she informed, “Whole grains are rich in fibre since they are not processed and are also rich in nutrients. Ragi is an excellent source of calcium and is low on the glycemic index. It would be great to use in baking recipes and also helps to keep blood sugar stable. However one needs to avoid whole wheat if one is planning to go gluten free.”

Healthy Recipe: Choco-Chia Tart with Berry Love (Recipe by Ritika Agarwal)

 Makes 10- 12 mini tarts

Prep time: 15 minutes approx

Cook time: 30 minutes approx.

What is it?

A blood - sugar stabilising, nutrient-balanced dessert with a good dose of proteins and healthy fats!

Ingredients :-

1/2 cup chia seeds, 2/3 cup rolled oats, 2/3 cup brown rice flour, 2/3 cup raw cacao powder, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/3 to 1/2 cup raw honey (depending on the sweetness you prefer), 1 tbsp coconut oil plus extra for greasing the pan

For the topping-

1/2 cup chopped strawberries, 1/3 cup blueberries, chopped

1 tbsp grated orange zest, 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves, 1 tbsp coconut sugar, 1/2 cup water

Instructions:-

Preheat the oven to 175 C. Grease a mini tart pan with coconut oil.

Process the chia seeds, rolled oats, brown rice flour, walnuts, raw cacao powder in a food processor until it is all blended well and into a coarse crumbly powder; it doesn’t have to be very fine though; something that can be held together once it’s pressed.

Then add the honey and 1 tbsp coconut oil into the powder-crust. And whisk it well until properly combined. Fill in the tart pans with the dough, pressing it down. Place the tart pan in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or so or until done properly. Remove from the pan and allow cooling.

For the topping-

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add water. Then add the strawberries and the blueberries. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes, stirring them continuously. It will turn liquidy. Then add in the orange zest and the mint leaves, and continues to cook for another 2-3 minutes, until it is all blended in. Once done, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the berry mix into a small bowl. Add the berry mix over the tarts. Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves. Serve warm or slightly chilled (you can keep it in the fridge for a while to chill) as per your preferences. Enjoy!