The aroma of something fresh

Eating healthy

Today, in a world where nearly everything is laced with a healthy dose of preservatives, the few establishments which still follow this custom seem doubly precious.

Metrolife speaks to a few bakers to find out why they still make bread the old-fashioned way. Lavanya, the owner of ‘Shawn’s Bake House’, has forayed into the world of fresh bread only recently.

“My bakery used to make cakes and cookies, but about six months back I started supplying fresh bread as well. A bakery should have bread; it’s an absolute must,” she says firmly.

Lavanya bakes this bread twice a week, and supplies it to counters at corporate offices to make sandwiches. She says that the difference between her own fresh bread and the mass manufactured kind is evident to all her customers. “Such companies use preservatives to increase the longevity of their bread, which I consciously avoid. My breads may not have much shelf life, but are much healthier and softer,” she says.

Abraham, the manager of Koshy’s Mechanised Bakery, agrees that the magic of a recently baked  loaf of bread is hard to match. The bakery has modified the traditional bread-making techniques that were used in olden times. “We have mechanised the entire process. Everything, from kneading the dough to moulding it into loaves, is done by machines,” he explains.

Abraham admits that preservatives are sometimes used in the breads, especially in the summer, when the shelf life of each loaf reduces drastically.  “However, all added preservatives are within the recommended amount, and we also bake a variety of wheat bread which is completely free of them,” he says.

These breads are then sourced to different outlets in the City. Chellapan, who runs a Koshy’s outlet near M G Road, says that the fresh bread gives him good business. “Customers tend to prefer it; everyone always wants fresh bread,” he says.  Vibhuti Bane, a corporate chef, is another strong advocate of fresh bread.

“A lot of manufacturers these days use readymade mixes, preservatives and even colours. One of the most rampant frauds today is regarding the sale of whole wheat bread. Manufacturers don’t make this using wheat with husk, but rather simply add caramel to the dough, which actually makes it unhealthier than white bread,” he says.

His bakery bakes a variety of breads, including loaves flavoured with olives and onion, croissants, baguettes, and whole wheat bread. “We use no preservatives, which technically means the breads can’t be stored. This is why we bake fresh batches every day,” he says. But the taste, he maintains, is incomparable.

“The moment you bite into it, you’ll feel the difference. You can taste that there are no chemicals or preservatives in freshly baked bread,” he says.