Sunday, September 25, 2016

Varieties - Additions to my Menu??

I have a small business selling fresh bread.  My goal is to make and deliver bread to people who live in the vicinity of my home/bakery within 2 or 3 hours of coming out of the oven.  I have chosen the dinner hours (between 6 and 7 pm) for my delivery.   Further, as I do not have a storefront, I take orders in advance and bake to order.  So far, I have less than ten regular customers.  While I would like more, I am concerned about capacity.  I do Not want to resort to doubling the time between coming out of the oven and delivery in order to increase my volume.

Regulation (by the county Health Department) means that I have to obtain approval for any and all bread varieties (via a detailed prescribed label approval process) before offering them for sale.  My renewal comes up in December.  They tell me that they will review 5 new varieties as part of the 'normal renewal fee'.  Additional varieties may be reviewed/approved at an hourly rate which is is equivalent to the revenue anticipated from 30 or more loves.  So, it is always an option if something wonderful comes along.

In my initial application, I became aware that the County wants me to be very specific (and limiting) to the extent that I had to specify whether I was using bleached or unbleached flour.

Because of the approval process for varieties I want to be able to sell, I need to figure out those varieties, the related recipe, the process for baking and then test the acceptance with objective bread people.  All of this before my application date.  And, this identification process takes time - months maybe.

So - The question for you is

What varieties should I add to my menu?  

My criteria?
Well, I want varieties that are
- widely popular
- made with equipment I already possess
- made with ingredients I either already have or which do not require refrigeration
- generally without oil, eggs, sugar or milk.  Powdered dry milk is a possibility.
- easy to pack and deliver
- have a 'wow factor' when tasted
- not including sourdough varieties

Of course, rules can be broken.  For example, I did not include 'plain old white bread' in my original submission and will include it this time.  Another example is focaccia - which uses a great deal of olive oil but testing has shown that it is widely (and wildly) popular - which will also be included this time.

So - I would be grateful if you would help me.  What varieties should I consider for addition to my menu?







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