Though it’s not a raw ingredient, bread has been ingrained in cuisines across the world for millennia. It’s also steeped in tradition and even the lexicon, from “breaking bread” to “earning your daily bread.” The earliest breads used a basic mixture of ground grains or seeds along with water, sugar, and eventually yeast. Though the basic formula has remained largely unchanged, bread now boasts thousands of varieties, from baguettes and bagels to soda breads and naan.
About a decade ago, concerns around gluten and a backlash against processed food dinged bread’s reputation. And while some specialty diets, like paleo and keto, eschew the typical grain-based breads, alternatives have emerged, with ingredients like nuts, cauliflower, coconut flour, and tapioca.
On a restaurant menu, bread can be found in just about every course, with a complimentary bread basket at the start of the meal to desserts like bread pudding at the finish. Bread also remains the original and arguably most popular carrier, serving as the base for infinite varieties of sandwiches, toasts, tapenades, jams, dips, and more.
Given bread’s long history and versatility, operators may overlook it as an opportunity for innovation, but with novelty-loving consumers—not to mention a COVID-era rise in at-home baking—restaurants can still bake in more pizazz.
