French bakery manufacturer Bridor has unveiled a range of vegan Viennese pastries to tap into demand for plant-based items.
The range includes two French-style pastries – a croissant and pain au chocolat – as well as filled and topped gourmet pastries including an Orange & Hazelnut Crown (see full list below).
They are made with what Bridor describes as ‘rigorously selected ingredients’ including a margarine with a melting point similar to butter, and French wheat flour to offer the ‘familiar taste and light and crispy texture that consumers expect’. A vegan egg wash substitute, made of pea protein, water and sugar, is also used to offer shine.
The vegan pastry line-up, which is available to bakery and hospitality operators via foodservice wholesalers, comprises:
- Vegan Croissant (70g) – pastry classic with a ‘light and crispy’ texture; available in boxes of 60 pieces
- Vegan Pain Au Chocolat (80g) – chocolate-filled pastry; available in boxes of 60 pieces
- Vegan Raspberry-filled Croissant (90g) – croissant with a ‘creamy and indulgent’ raspberry centre with a pink sugar topping; available in boxes of 44 pieces
- Vegan Vanilla & Hazelnut Crown (90g) – creamy vanilla filling, brown sugar, and a hazelnut topping on a pastry crown; available in boxes of 48 pieces
- Vegan Orange & Hazelnut Crown (90g) – an orange-flavoured crown with a delicately caramelised taste thanks to its brown sugar and crunchy hazelnut topping; available in boxes of 48 pieces
- Vegan Cherry & Flax Seed Crown (90g) – cherry centre with a crunchy brown flax seed topping for a very colourful and indulgent crown; available in boxes of 48 pieces.
The products are delivered frozen – the Danish Crowns can be baked from frozen in 18-20 minutes at 190°C (open damper), whilst the French-style Viennese pastries require defrosting at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before cooking for 15-18 minutes at 165-170°C.
Bridor said the number of people incorporating plant-based products into their diets continues to rise year on year, with 39% of global consumers saying they find the vegan claim appealing when specifically purchasing baked goods [FMCG Gurus: Fresh Bakery Trends in 2021 & Beyond (global consumers)].
“Viennese pastries are a must-stock item for hospitality outlets and operators could be losing out on valuable sales by not catering for those looking for vegan items. With 30% of people identifying as flexitarian eaters, offering a choice of vegan and standard pastry options can significantly boost revenue,” said Erwan Inizan, Northern Europe sales director at Bridor.
January used to be a key launch window for vegan products owing to the rise of the Veganuary campaign, but things seemed to be slower this year leading some to ask has the vegan bakery market has peaked? There are different tactics at play with some operators keeping the fact that some of their items are vegan on the down-low while others are opting to launch products throughout the year away from Veganuary. Plant-based pastries, of the sweet and savoury variety, remain a definite bright spot in the category though, with Greggs among the firms to tap into this.
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