Whatever happened to Bread?

[seasideBill]

For me, one of the joys of continental touring for many years has been the quality of the bread, particularly freshly baked crusty baguettes in France. I’ve noticed the quality deteriorate in recent years, but this year with the exception of a supermarket in Switzerland and one boulangerie it’s been awful. All you can get is par baked tasteless excuse for bread. A sign of a good baguette is one that’s turned to concrete by evening due to the lack of preservatives and other crap - not so with most now on sale.
What’s going on, it us just lazy bakers? I can get better bread in Cornwall (Da Bara Bakery).

Best bread on this trip in Switzerland

 

[The Wino]

I'd have thought it's the same as here cheaper in the supermarket so small shops dissapear and bigger shops generally want a longer shelf life or if baked in-store do it from part baked that store well

 

[Lenny HB]

Look for the Artisan bakers they tend to be much better.

 

[L' Hobo]

I'd have thought it's the same as here cheaper in the supermarket so small shops dissapear and bigger shops generally want a longer shelf life or if baked in-store do it from part baked that store well

Perhaps the shortage of certain grains because of the war in Ukraine has something to do with it?

 

[The Wino]

Perhaps the shortage of certain grains because of the war in Ukraine has something to do with it?

That's very recent compared to the move towards cheapest is best although as it's the cause of some of the food inflation it's likely to hasten the move. We're in Denmark spent the last week in Germany. I had expected stuff to cost a lot more but diesel here is less than £1 a litre and food at first glance looks a very similar price. Maybe they've had less food inflation recently but the Ukrainian effect is the same on all countries. I suspect a lot in the UK is wage costs.

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[seasideBill]

Look for the Artisan bakers they tend to be much better.

Agreed, but I’ve been disappointed by plenty of them this year. I’m not convinced it’s much to do with ingredients, crap part baked bread has been around for many years, it just seems to have become the norm.

 

[L' Hobo]

Agreed, but I’ve been disappointed by plenty of them this year. I’m not convinced it’s much to do with ingredients, crap part baked bread has been around for many years, it just seems to have become the norm.

Do what I do, make your own at home and flat bread on the road, then you know what's in it.
It's not rocket science and if I can do it, anyone can.

 

[mikebeaches]

Mrs mikebeaches just recounted to me that when she lived with a French family for a month on a school exchange, they had freshly baked bread delivered twice a day by the bakery - once for breakfast and again for lunch.

Perhaps they were a well-to-do family, but I don't think so, it was just the norm in many places fifty-odd years ago.

 

[yodeli]

Unfortunatly, due to high prices (ingredients, electricity, now water, milk etc...)quite a few boulangeries had to shut. You can now find boulangeries with a box for extra euros for those who want to help. Most have seen electricity prices go up to 3 or 4 times their usual bills. Some had to shut the family boulangerie for over hundred years. Terrible time for them indeed.
Some have chosen to change their high standards for lower ones , therefore cheaper.

 

[L' Hobo]

Mrs mikebeaches just recounted to me that when she lived with a French family for a month on a school exchange, they had fresh bread delivered twice a day by the bakery - once for breakfast and again for lunch.

Perhaps they were a well-to-do family, but I don't think so, it was just the norm in many places fifty-odd years ago.

It used to be (probably still is) against the French law to put anything except flour, yeast, salt & water into bread (no preservatives) which is the reason it goes hard.

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[chaser]

Funny thing you said that , I said exactly that yesterday, we had a loaf that we had opened before we went in the van, so took it with us but didn't use it as we eat out, three days after we came back it was still like fresh , gave it to the hens in the end but it had been in the freezer so was out of date before it was opened then had been carted about in a warm cupboard, been got out and stood for another 3 days so it was at least a week from being opened but the couple of slices still in it were still soft and no sign of mould.
I can easily remember when it would have been gone hard in a day.

 

[Langtoftlad]

British bread has got immeasurably better.
Euro bread is less likely to be made locally & supermarkets need to prioritise shelf life over taste

 

[seasideBill]

Mrs mikebeaches just recounted to me that when she lived with a French family for a month on a school exchange, they had freshly baked bread delivered twice a day by the bakery - once for breakfast and again for lunch.

Perhaps they were a well-to-do family, but I don't think so, it was just the norm in many places fifty-odd years ago.

The norm until fairly recently I think. I believe following the “let them eat cake” incident bread became enshrined in french culture as a staple and there was even some requirements to ensure access to bread (egalite) hence the bread delivery vans?

 

[seasideBill]

British bread has got immeasurably better.

Really? Only if you go to an artisan bakery and pay top dollar. The rest is still in the ‘Sunblest’ and Chorleywood process era - some ducks won’t eat that stuff.

 

[chaser]

Really? Only if you go to an artisan bakery and pay top dollar. The rest is still in the ‘Sunblest’ and Chorleywood process era - some ducks won’t eat that stuff.

The loaf I referred to was a Lidl 39p one.

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[Silver-Fox]

Look for the Artisan bakers they tend to be much better.

Ahh that word Artisan so they can treble the price

 

[Deep Owl]

Da Bara cinnamon buns, described by a local we met, as the crack cocaine of the pastry world!! And they are!!

 

[Ridgeway]

The bread shop at the end of my garden is good, but a « ficelle « will set you back about £3. In France we also find it very hit and miss and once we locate a good baker we use them time and time again on repeat trip, almost have a bread map in my mind across France to those we’ve enjoyed.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Really? Only if you go to an artisan bakery and pay top dollar. The rest is still in the ‘Sunblest’ and Chorleywood process era - some ducks won’t eat that stuff.

Shame that is your experience... Does the Sunblest brand even still exist?

 

[Raul]

Perhaps the shortage of certain grains because of the war in Ukraine has something to do with it?

No shortage of UA grain, in fact it comes in vast and cheap quantities, way substandard compared to EU product. In fact some EU countries have banned or restricted UA grain import, due to unfair competition.

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[BikerGraham]

Unfortunatly, due to high prices (ingredients, electricity, now water, milk etc...)quite a few boulangeries had to shut. You can now find boulangeries with a box for extra euros for those who want to help. Most have seen electricity prices go up to 3 or 4 times their usual bills. Some had to shut the family boulangerie for over hundred years. Terrible time for them indeed.
Some have chosen to change their high standards for lower ones , therefore cheaper.

That is such a shame. We are heading to France on Thursday for a couple of weeks and the bread and pastries are one of the things we look forward too.

Will make note of the boxes though

 

[Stealaway]

Shame that is your experience... Does the Sunblest brand even still exist?

Sunblest was made by Allied Bakeries. Their major brand is now Kingsmill.

We always by Hovis Best of Both. Its lasts over a week before it starts getting mouldy and sour.
Our favourite baguette is Carrefour's cheapest at around 0.76c and we have tried many others.
UK Lidl's fresh baguettes are pretty god

 

[yodeli]

That is such a shame. We are heading to France on Thursday for a couple of weeks and the bread and pastries are one of the things we look forward too.

Will make note of the boxes though

I don't know what to hope: that you find one and help, and it's not all of them having a box, far from it , and finding one will mean it's one of the desperate ones, or not find any, which would mean it's not one of the desperate ones. I suppose the small villages host the most humble.

 

[Bleau’s]

We have just had 6 weeks travelling down to italy and back and can only say how much better the bread was with its lack of preservatives , roll on next year when its 8 +weeks.

 

[Chris]

Brexit probably

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[emjaiuk]

It’s noticeable the number of French villages without a bakers now. We are extremely lucky in having two proper bakers in our village, but not one in our local town. We’ve also two butchers but no fresh fish

 

[seasideBill]

It’s noticeable the number of French villages without a bakers now. We are extremely lucky in having two proper bakers in our village, but not one in our local town. We’ve also two butchers but no fresh fish

Last year I used a baguette vending machine outside a campsite in Noirmoutier. It was surprisingly good.

 

[Chris]

Jenben a vending machine thread