As popular Kent bread suppliers we’re always on the look-out for stories about artisan bakery and related subjects. Here’s the latest crop, a feast of news from around the globe revealing that bread matters to billions of us, a staple food we love.

Worldwide wheat flour supply stories  

In Sri Lanka, local wheat flour suppliers are facing allegations of vast profits amounting to billions of rupees after a government-imposed ban on unlicensed wheat flour imports. Taiwan is ordering huge quantities of wheat from the USA. Kosovo is suffering a poor wheat harvest and India’s wheat prices are rocketing.

At the same time wheat flour prices are soaring in Punjab, supplies are slowly trickling back into Tunisia’s bakeries, and wheat flour is gradually getting cheaper in Ukraine. A blend of war and wet weather in the northern hemisphere is leaving the whole world short of top quality wheat. At the same time experts are predicting wheat prices will keep rising as global demand soars.

Space bread and NZ additives

The Arab Emirates astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi, has been enjoying bread and honey in space. Now we finally know how runny honey behaves in zero gravity. Just space-walk your way to his Twitter account to see for yourself. It’s rather lovely.

Back down on planet earth, all non-organic wheat bread flour in New Zealand will soon be enriched with folic acid to prevent birth abnormalities. When they did it in Australia, neural tube defects in babies fell by 14% overall and 74% in Aboriginal people.

Decoding sourdough

As a wholesale bread supplier we know exactly how much everyone adores sourdough. Now we know a bit more about it. Scientists have managed to decode a total of 21 chemical compounds that give sourdough bread its unique flavour and fragrance, using something called a ‘sensomics’ approach. The finding has confirmed the crucial nature of fermentation and has even suggested ways to cut the bread’s salt content without affecting the lovely flavour.

Tik Tok’s verdict on the latest Texas Roadhouse Challenge winner

It’s good to know we can rely on TikTok to focus on the important things in life. So how much bread can you eat at one sitting?

The USA is the spiritual home of competitive eating, and now TikTok is getting involved, a network whose members are endlessly obsessed with food-related posts. When a student from Tarleton State University student shared a video of her and her friends winning the Texas Roadhouse Challenge, Tik Tok responded with more than 54,000 views of the group eating an impressive 35 baskets of rolls.  

The challenge kicked off in 2021 when a group of seven Connecticut teens scoffed down an impressive 33 baskets. While some Tik-Tokkers praised the group’s efforts others were less than impressed, pointing out that her team contained more people.

A pricey loaf loved by Gloop

When Gwyneth Paltrow’s Gloop brand rates a product highly, there’s a reasonable chance there’s something a bit weird about it. While we think our frozen bakery supplies are well worth the money, we’re not 100% convinced by the ‘magic’ bread recommended by the Hollywood star, costing £22 a loaf and also known as ‘happy poo bread’. Paltrow calls it ‘legendary’. We call it… expensive.

Give your customers great bread

In foodservice? Like to treat your customers to the best wholesale artisan bread? Try our beautiful frozen artisan breads,  freshly prepared in Kent with love.