In This Issue:

Fall Menu Choices

Keep students coming back for more

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Keeping Up with the Trends in Baking

2011 is said to be the year of pies, high-end junk food, mini plates, comfort dishes, and ice cream – are you keeping up with the trends to offer new and exciting dishes throughout the seasons? Keep up with the trends with Sysco and BakerSource.

Consumers want convenient, healthy breakfast options – all day long
Mintel predicts that breakfast will increase 4.1% in 2011, with convenience and health leading the charge. To accommodate this trend, operators can increase their take out and grab and go options, such as healthier breakfast sandwiches, and multigrain and bran muffns. Pre-made mixes offer operators the flexibility to develop new flavor combinations and keep customers interested. Offer a "Muffin of the day" bundled with a coffee beverage for one price.

Breakfast with an ethnic twist
When consumers do take the time to sit down to breakfast, they are experimenting with new flavors. The number one trend in the Breakfast/Brunch category is ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g., Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes) according to the Nation's Restaurant News Chef Survey: What's Hot in 2011.

Pancakes and waffles are a great way to experiment with new ethnic toppings. For a Hawaiian flair, add coconut flakes, and serve with a passion fruit or guava flavored syrup, or crushed pineapple whipped into butter. For a Latin flair, sprinkle cinnamon onto cooked waffles, drizzle with dulce de leche and top with whipped cream for a breakfast spin on the churro.Add a Southern twist to your breakfast menu and offer customers something different to start their day: Cornbread Pancakes made with BakerSource Corn Muffin Mix.

Less means mini
Mini desserts, small plates, bites, and snacks are here to stay in 2011. With pre-made mixes, it's easy for operators to adapt portion sizes. Think mini carrot cake bites, mini cinnamon rolls, mini chocolate torte bites, and silver dollar pancakes. Whether you are a small operator running a coffee shop or a regional chain serving all day parts, everyone can get on the mini trend. Making items mini-sized offer higher profit margins, and entices customers to order more. In the café environment, operators can offer various sized products to appeal to consumers throughout the day, to meet the all day breakfast trend with mini muffns, cinnamon rolls, and smaller breakfast sandwiches. Dessert flights are a great way to capitalize on the small plates trend at full service establishments. Think chocolate three ways: Chocolate Marbled Mini Cakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and Chocolate Chip Fudge Cookies, all fresh-baked with BakerSource Baking Mixes.

The Grand Finale
The 2010 Dessert Consumer Trend Report from Technomic reported that consumers have been eating more desserts over the last three years, and 62% of chefs reported ice cream to be the hot dessert trend for 2011, according to the Nation's Restaurant News Chef Survey: What's Hot in 2011.

 

To wow guests, think of up-scaling ice cream with interesting toppings, shells, and combinations, such as rich chocolate brownie chunks, fruit, or waffle cones. Comfort food has been an ongoing food trend over the last few years, and this year comfort foods appear in the familiar forms of savory and sweet "junk" food, according to the 2011 trend report from hospitality consultancy group, Andrew Freeman & Associates.

BakerSource Baking Mixes make it easy to add a twist to a familiar favorite, for example:

Fresh Basil Cornbread
Yield: 32 mini loaves

Ingredients:

• 5 lb. (full box) BakerSource Corn Muffin Mix 5912282
• 32 fl. oz. (4 cups) water 8 fl. oz. (1 cup) buttermilk 8 oz. (1 cup) sour cream
• 8 oz. (4) eggs
• 4 oz. (1/2 cup) butter, melted
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup finely chopped basil (loosely packed)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

Method:
Place BakerSource Corn Muffin Mix, water, buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, butter and salt in mixer bowl. Using a paddle, mix on low speed 30 seconds. Scrape bowl and paddle. Continue to mix on low speed 1 minute. Add basil and chives. Mix on low speed 30 seconds.

Scale batter into 32, prepared 3-1/8 x 2-1/2 x 15/16- inch mini loaf pans (4 1/4 oz. batter each pan).

For standard oven, bake at 400°F 20-25 minutes; for convection oven, bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Mini Boston Cream Pies
Yield: 7 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 5 lb. (full box) BakerSource Classic Yellow Cake Mix 5908371
• 48 fl. oz. (6 cups) water, divided
• 7 lb. (12 cups) prepared vanilla pudding
• 16 fl. oz. (2 cups) heavy cream
• 24 oz. (4 cups) mini chocolate chips

Keeping Up with the Trends in Baking
2011 is said to be the year of pies, high-end junk food, mini plates, comfort dishes, and ice cream – are you keeping up with the trends to offer new and exciting dishes throughout the seasons? Keep up with the trends with Sysco and BakerSource.

Place 20 oz. (2 1/2 cups) water and BakerSource Classic Yellow Cake Mix in mixer bowl. Using a paddle, mix on medium speed 3 minutes. Change to low speed and mix 1 minute while gradually adding balance of water. Scrape bowl and paddle. Continue mix on low speed 2 minutes.

Using a #20 scoop, scale batter into paper-lined muffin pans. For standard oven, bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes; for convection oven, bake at 300°F 15-20 minutes.

Slice top off of cupcakes and fill with vanilla pudding. Place cupcake top over filling.*

Place cream in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 1/2 - 2 minutes or until cream is thoroughly heated. Add chocolate chips. Using whisk, mix until smooth.

Ice cooled cupcakes. Chill until ganache is set.

*Alternate Prep: To make cupcakes, follow steps 1-6. Using a #230 tip and pastry bag, fill cupcakes with vanilla pudding. Prepare ganache following steps 8-11.

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