Bread Winners

But when it comes to the toast that she eats with her morning cup of tea,she can’t be bothered to drive all the way to the bakery.

Except for a period of two years of following a strict fitness regime when she switched to brown bread,she has always loved the white bread. “I know that regular bread is supposed to be unhealthy. But it hasn’t killed me yet,so I don’t see why I should stop eating it.”

Over the last few years,Indians have grown fonder of the bread. This love affair has been triggered by a wide variety of breads made available by neighbourhood bakeries as well as special ones meant for those who are finicky about what kind of loaf they eat. For instance: Mumbai’s Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ) has breads made from rye,five grains,organic wheat bread,while Chandigarh Baking Company (CBC) of JW Marriott,Chandigarh,too has several multi-grain options. Bread companies like Britannia and Wibs,who are into mass production,may not compete with these bakeries in terms of variety,but they have started making whole grain and brown breads,apart from selling the regular white bread. And these are available for less than Rs 25.

Yet,the availability of “healthier options” isn’t keeping people away from the humble white bread that most Indians grew up eating for breakfast. “That the whole wheat bread’s high-fibre content is a healthy option is known to all. But competing with the mass-produced maida bread is a tough task,” feels Tanbir Chahal,a Chandigarh-based catering consultant,who also owns The Good Earth Bakery. “We are trying to reach out to a larger audience but there’s lack of awareness about the difference between white and brown breads and the healthier whole wheat bread. Unfortunately,it’s the lower price that normally wins,” he says.

Mass-produced breads come cheaper — Wibs charges Rs 16 and Britannia Rs 20 — but special stores like LPQ in Mumbai and CBC in Chandigarh price their breads at Rs 100 and above,with their eyes on bread connoisseurs and health freaks.

However,price isn’t always a deciding factor for consumers; it’s the shelf life of fresh breads that matters more. At The Good Earth Bakery,the brown bread is made with a simple recipe using whole wheat,sugar,yeast,water and salt without any preservatives. This reduces its shelf-life considerably. The bakeries that are into mass production of breads,on the other hand,use preservatives,making their product last anywhere between four days and a week from the day of packaging.

The breads at LPQ are baked daily through a process that takes 7-8 hours. “If kept at five degrees and below,it can be kept for two days. As the breads are made from sour dough,the faster they are consumed,the better,” says Alain Coumont,Founder,Le Pain Quotidien.

For Britannia,one of the biggest players in the market,whose major chunk of sales come from their white bread,practising their “Eat Healthy,Live Better” motto is something they take very seriously. “Our breads are meant for the common man,and we have fortified them with vitamins to maintain the quality. So the bulk of our sale comprises this vitamin-rich everyday white bread,” says a company spokesperson.

While nutritionists continue to advocate the importance of high-fibre,whole grain breads,they also believe that fortification in the mass produced options isn’t really a bad thing; thus breaking the myth that white bread is an evil option.

“You have to look at the packet to check the bread’s ingredients,” says Vishaka Shivdasani,a Mumbai-based nutritionist.

“If it says it’s been fortified with vitamins,minerals and iron,then it’s healthier than the other breads that aren’t.”

(With inputs from Jagmeeta Thind Joy and Tora Agarwala)