Fruit bread is on a roll

Fruit and sweet flavoured breads have risen to popularity therefore how does this popularity impact the bakery production process.

As the renowned English writer Robert Browning once stated, “if thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens” displaying the hearty, wholesome and euphoric flavour inducing nature bread has had on global society. It has been mentioned in previous editions that bread is probably one of the most staple foods worldwide, providing people with the basic nutrients to sustain life. It is safe to say that Browning viewed bread itself as the epitome of food perfection, but in recent years that mentality has been challenged. Bread itself has adapted through its manufacturing capabilities, colour and texture. Most specifically, the ingredients being added to bread have further enhanced the perfect taste of this baked good. In recent years one common ingredient that has grown in popularity in the bread making process is the incorporation of fruits. Fruit-filled breads have begun to fill the shelves in local supermarkets and have appeared on our social media feeds as our friends and family begin to immerse themselves into the world of baking. Nevertheless, this exclusive feature wishes to understand the growing popularity around fruit loaves and how this impacts the commercial production process.  

The history of fruit bread 

Fruit bread, which can also be known as fruit cake, has quite an interesting and extensive history. The incorporation of fruit in bread is not something that is incredibly new as it is believed that the Ancient Romans pioneered this baked good by adding pomegranate seeds and raisins into their bread doughs. As the Roman Empire began to expand, the popularity of fruit bread spread throughout Europe and other invaded countries. This meant the types of fruit added to bread varied depending on the country, and what fruit that country was able to produce readily. Different variations of fruit bread globally include the Italian panettone, German stollen and Polish Keks that are usually consumed during the Christmas period. Subsequently the amalgamation of fruit and bread can hold a lot of cultural value and is intrinsically linked to festivities and the holiday season.  

The typical fruits that are commonly integrated in bread are bananas, oranges, apples, blueberries and cherries. All these types of fruit greatly impact the texture, moisture and flavour of any given dough or bread based. Therefore, picking the correct fruit is an important process that a consumer will have to consider. Over the past decade, fruit in bread has become more common and not necessarily associated with a certain culture or festivity. The fusion of natural fruity sugar and soft starchy goodness has now run full steam ahead. All things considered, let us discuss the various types of fruit bread that have become so popular and why this popularity has occurred.