Cake and Bread

This purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between exposure to wheat flour, soya flour and fungal amylase and the development of work-related symptoms and sensitization in bread and cake bakery employees who have regular exposure to these substances. The study populations consisted of 394 bread bakery workers and 77 cake bakery workers whose normal jobs involved the sieving, weighing and mixing of ingredients.

The groups were interviewed with the aim of identifying the prevalence, nature and pattern of any work-related respiratory symptoms. They were also skin-prick tested against the common bakery sensitizing agents, i.e., wheat flour, soya flour, rice flour and fungal amylase. The results of personal sampling for sieving, weighing and mixing operations at the bakeries from which the study groups were taken were collated in order to determine typical exposures to total inhalable dust from the ingredients, expressed as 8 hour time-weighted average exposures. Data from the health surveillance and collated dust measurements were compared with the aim of establishing an exposure-response relationship for sensitization.

The prevalence of work-related symptoms in bread bakery and cake bakery ingredient handlers was 20.4% and 10.4% respectively. However, in a large proportion of those reporting symptoms in connection with work, the symptoms were intermittent and of short duration. It is considered that the aetiology of such symptoms is likely to be due to a non-specific irritant effect of high total dust levels, rather than allergy. None of the cake bakers and only 3.1% of the bread bakers had symptoms which were thought to be due to allergy to baking ingredients. Using skin-prick testing as a marker of sensitization, the prevalence of positive tests to wheat flour was 6% for the bread bakers and 3% for the cake bakers.

Comparable prevalences for soya flour were 7% and 1 % respectively. However, the prevalence of positive skin-prick tests to fungal amylase was 16% amongst the bread baking group with only a single employee (1 %) in the cake baking group having a positive test. Furthermore, this employee had previously worked in a bread bakery. The difference in rates of sensitization to wheat flour between the bread and cake bakers is not statistically significant, whereas the difference for soya flour is at the borderline of statistical significance (p=0.045).

In contrast, the difference in fungal amylase sensitization is significant at the 0.1% level. For both bread and cake bakers, the 8 hour time-weighted average exposures for each of the activities showed a wide variation with mixing having the lowest average exposure and sieving the highest. Out of the allergens studied in this investigation, fungal amylase is the principal sensitizer in large scale bread bakeries, with the main source of exposure being the handling of bread improvers. In contrast, the risk of sensitization to wheat flour is low in both bread and cake bakeries. The absence of positive skin-prick tests in the subgroup of cake bakery employees who regularly handle fungal-amylase-containing flour suggests that their levels of exposure are below the threshold for sensitization to amylase.

By T. A. Smith and P. Wastell Smith

Ranks Hovis McDougall Limited King Edward House, 27/30 King Edward Court, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1TJ, UK

Source: http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/5/321?ck=nck

Jesse Tan, 29, has got more than just good looks in common with his identical twin brother Jerry: they are both organic bakers.

Working from the rustic little family-run Rainforest Bakery in Chulia Street, the brothers are starting to make a name for themselves by providing decent hand-made organic breads to Penangites which, once tasted, are never forgotten.

“Home-made bread is heavier, and the tastes and textures are completely different,” Jesse instructed us. “We use different methods to bring out certain unique fragrances”.

It all started when father Tan Boo Geok opened up the Rainforest Restaurant, a cafe-style eatery attached to the Olive Spring Hotel which is connected to the bakery. It was one of the first places in town to serve affordable, authentic western food like home-made soups, Lassi, salads and fresh or grilled sandwiches to backpackers.

“Our foreign guests kept commenting on the many different types of breads that they miss from back home,” he explained.

Jesse enrolled on a local baking course, after which he started making his own bread. However, this was not enough and he took off for London where he learnt a lot about organic baking.

“‘Organic’ does not just mean the ingredients used, but also the method of making the breads as well. We don’t use enhancers, preservatives, improvers or conditioners,” he explained.

They stick to tried-and-tested traditional methods which rely purely on good basic raw material: flour, salt, yeast and water. That is why the breads are heavier, with more body and uneven textures, a more satisfying experience altogether.

Over the next three years, he toured Europe, working and spending time in as many different types of bakeries as he could in countries like France, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic €“ all places which are of course famous for their baguettes, ciabattas and brot (bread).

“Whenever I hit a town or city I would try and get into a local bread shop and learn from the head baker,” he added.

A few years ago, he finally returned to the family business in Penang, where he brought Jerry up to date on what he had picked up abroad.

Nowadays the brothers share the title “Chief Baker”, producing fresh bread every morning from the premises in Chulia Street.

They introduce a new type of bread or roll every month, experimenting with different flours and ingredients, and continue to receive feedback and ideas from expatriate friends and guests who visit their establishment from all over the world.

“Jerry and I discuss new ideas between ourselves and give each other feedback,” he said.

The Rainforest Bakery is open from Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 8pm. If you’re interested, give them a call at 04-261 4641.

by HELEN ONG

Helen Ong is a self-confessed foodie who loves to hunt down the best of Penang. She is the author of the book Great Dining in Penang.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2008/9/21/sundaymetro/2042104&sec=sundaymetro

Have you ever wondered where that fresh loaf of bread you pick up at 9 a.m. comes from?

I’ve always wanted to know, and that led me and Burnaby NOW photographer Larry Wright to the Valley Bakery in North Burnaby, where bakers Paul Tsarouhas and Joseph Cho start work at 4 a.m. each day and prepare a wide variety of breads, pastries and cakes that people are able to enjoy as soon as Valley’s doors open at 9 a.m.

In the fifth instalment of our six-part series on Tough Jobs, you’ll read about a man who loves being a baker and the power of positive thinking.

Tsarouhas told his story about how he’s always wanted to be a baker, ever since he was a child in Montreal.

His passion for his craft kept us awake at a time when we were tired from a full night of following people on the midnight shift.

Tsarouhas also told us that he believes in mind over matter: If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

The only problem Tsarouhas ever had with working an overnight shift was when he had to start at 10 p.m. and finish at 6 a.m. the next day.

But, as Tsarouhas will explain, it isn’t the number of hours or the pay that distressed him enough that he had to go to his boss, Jack Kuyer, to ask for a change.

Here’s the story of Paul Tsarouhas and Joseph Cho at the Valley Bakery.

- – -

Working a 10-to-6 shift doesn’t seem that hard, but don’t try telling that to Valley Bakery’s Paul Tsarouhas.

“I could never get my head around starting work on one day and finishing the next,” said the 29-year veteran baker. “I’m much more comfortable starting work at 4 a.m. and finishing at noon.”

Yes, the 10-to-6 shift Tsarouhas refers to was an overnight shift that began at 10 p.m. one night and didn’t end until the next morning.

Tsarouhas and Joseph Cho are the first bakers in at the longtime North Burnaby business, and, by the time the store opens at 9 a.m., there are rows upon rows of fresh breads, buns, pastries and cakes for customers to buy.

On a recent weekday, NOW photographer Larry Wright and I had the opportunity to see the overnight work being done at Valley Bakery.

“We’re about halfway done today’s order of 400 loaves of bread,” says Tsarouhas just before 6:30 a.m., when we poke our heads through the back door. “It’s been a good day so far.”

Tsarouhas is feeding trays into the oven that goes down almost two metres from eye level.

Each tray of bread takes approximately 20 to 40 minutes to bake at temperatures between 375 and 475 F.

The aroma of fresh bread is heavenly, but the Greek man with the big, hearty laugh doesn’t have time to savour the smell.

It’s Tsarouhas’ job to know what’s gone in the oven and what has to come out.

“I don’t need to look at the clock to know when I have to take something out,” he says.

“We’ve got a really good system here, and it works that I work well with Joseph.”

When the two come into work at 4 a.m., Tsarouhas begins mixing the dough while Cho gets supplies out of the fridge and begins the table work of shaping the various breads, buns and pastries.

Cho’s in his second stint at Valley Bakery, and he’s talking while portioning out two-kilogram slabs of dough that will be made into hamburger buns.

Continue reading:

http://www.canada.com/burnabynow/story.html?id=665ba357-2267-45f7-b9cf-bcf6870c1448&p=2

MANILA, Philippines—What was started as a hobby by a young housewife way back in the 1970s has now bloomed into a highly successful enterprise whose creamy cakes, delectable pastries and delicious meals have practically become an integral part of every Filipino celebration.

Turning 29 this year, Red Ribbon Bakeshop Inc. now has 200 branches nationwide—the latest of which just opened in Zamboanga City—and 25 in the United States. And at the rate it is going, Red Ribbon stands a good chance of beating its rival to the No. 1 slot in terms of branch network in no time.

Since the Jollibee Group took over Red Ribbon—with about 130 branches then—from its founders, Danny and Tess Moran, in 2005, the bakeshop’s network has grown by an average of 25 branches a year.

Red Ribbon president Joseph C. Tanbuntiong expects faster growth in the coming years, given the Jollibee Group’s all-out support for the bakeshop.

Reinventing itself

The job of keeping Red Ribbon’s growth momentum falls in the hands of Tanbuntiong, who joined the bakeshop only last April from sister firm Jollibee Food Corp., and marketing director Albert Cuadrante, also a newbie in Red Ribbon.

Both know that the job on hand calls for much more than just putting up new branches in record time. They know they have to continue reinventing Red Ribbon to keep up with the changing tastes and requirements of the market, and to stay in great shape for the tight competition in the P8-billion bakeshop industry. This, however, needs to be done without losing the Red Ribbon charm that has captivated the hearts of many Filipinos for many years now.

Taste, look and feel

To keep its loyal customers and win new ones, Red Ribbon leaves nothing to chance when it comes to its products and services. “We make sure our products taste and look great, and are affordable,” says Cuadrante.

Its production mill continuously churns out new cakes, pastries and meals that appeal to both the eyes and the palate, and are easy on the pocket. To date, Red Ribbon’s Cakes by Design Centers have more than 500 specialty cakes for all sorts of occasions one can think of—birthdays, graduations, marriage proposals, weddings, anniversaries. These are on top of the traditional cakes and pastries Red Ribbon is known and which are readily available in every branch of the bakeshop.

One can now find and get from Red Ribbon the types of cakes that, in the past, can only be bought from specialty or independent bakeshops at more affordable prices and with added service. It offers photo cakes-while-you-wait (photo cakes used to be ordered days ahead from specialty bakeshops), character cakes, as well as cakes originally designed by the buyers.

Innovations

Red Ribbon also has “localized” cakes carrying themes of the locality where a branch is situated, such as Muslim-theme cakes in the South. It also studies and adapts to the preferences of the people in the areas it serves.

For instance, certain branches in the United States have loyal Latino customers, which Cuadrante says, is a fast growing market for Red Ribbon branches in the United States. So they came up with cakes and pastries that these particular customers want, such as the Tres Leches, ube and mango cakes.

Visual identity

Taking a step ahead, Red Ribbon took into its fold two of the country’s top fashion designers—Frederick Peralta and Rajo Laurel—to design beautiful wedding cakes that take inspiration from the latest trends in the wedding fashion world. The two came up with a wide array of wedding cakes lineup—from the classiest for the grandest weddings to the simplest yet elegant types for simple weddings.

One of the many developments that transpired after the Jollibee Group took over Red Ribbon was the change in the brand’s visual identity. Without losing the old charm, the new owner injected in the brand a more contemporary and dynamic look. With this comes the new store look with a more modern, contemporary design that will give customers a delightful dining experience. The change in the stores’ look is ongoing, but the new ones now sport the new look—with the Red Ribbon colors such as chocolate, mocha, mango yellow and ube violet dominating the stores.

The Tanbuntiong-Cuadrante-led team will also pursue the aggressive opening of new stores in the country and overseas. Its first foray abroad outside the United States, according to Tanbuntiong, will likely be Mexico simply because Mexicans have the same palate as Filipinos.

Branch network expansion can be done by the company itself or through franchising. Of its 200 branches nationwide, almost 50 percent are franchise stores. But Red Ribbon is very strict when it comes to choosing its franchisees to ensure that the quality of its products and services will not be compromised.

“They have to meet our capital requirement and they have to have good locations. We check their background, we want to make sure we share the same values and commitment. We make sure they will abide by our standards and support our objectives,” Cuadrante says.

The Red Ribbon management is involved in every step of the establishment of a franchise store, even in the recruitment of its staff. Once a franchise store is on stream, it has to undergo regular audits by the mother company. Red Ribbon has a scoring system for its franchisees and it rewards with incentives those who do well. For those who don’t, corrective actions will be undertaken.

“It is like entering marriage. We don’t want to end up in divorce,” he adds.

Source: http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20080921-161907/When-success-tastes-just-as-sweet

Cooking schools, some with Montreal’s most celebrated chefs, offer classes in every type of cuisine. Some are geared for kids

Learn to cook from a chef this fall, whether it’s how to make a traditional loaf of bread, a top restaurant dish you have tasted, or a quick lunch.

The number of professional chefs who have turned teacher has risen like a batch of well-kneaded dough, and courses offered are showing a new level of imagination and entertainment. There’s even a cook-your-

dinner course that is geared to singles interested in meeting other men and women as they help sauté or stir up a meal.

Chefs’ courses are proving popular. One new series, organized with some of Montreal’s most celebrated chefs, is completely booked until Christmas, but you can get on the waiting list for early 2009.

The three big categories of cooking courses remain strong: Italian and Mediterranean, Asian, and vegetarian courses are being offered as usual, some by veterans, some by newcomers.

Which brings up the point that many of the courses in today’s annual list are well known to The Gazette’s food writers, but others are not. In the case of the latter, we have tried to find out as much as possible about the new courses and suggest you do the same before registering. If it’s a new course and offers single sessions, we recommend to take one before committing to a series.

There’s an increase in children’s cooking courses; one school is ready to take pre-schoolers but most are geared to children of elementary school age. Parents who introduce their youngsters early to kitchen skills are likely to find that the effort pays off.

Today’s list begins with the baking category, starting with courses in bread-baking from two experienced baking chefs:

Marc-André Cyr, whose baking experience includes a stint at the Old Montreal restaurant Olive & Gourmando, will teach how to make a variety of loaves, some using flour from the heritage grain red fife, plus Boston brown bread and a slow-rising “no-knead” loaf.

Dominique Homo, a Normandy-born baker who worked with the late French bread guru Raymond Calvel, has set up a professional kitchen to give group classes.

Pastry and cake decorating classes are more numerous. Take note, too, that both the Académie Culinaire and Pearson cooking schools are offering baking classes with their staff chefs.

Source: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=9ee1a229-6866-47c8-b69c-5593f14d1362

Welcome to the site. Enjoy the stuff!