Bread is one of the cornerstone foods of Western civilization. While traditional and modern bread forms-loaves, muffins, scones, baguettes, biscuits, bagels, doughnuts, pita, lavash, naan, tortilla and too many others to list by name-vary by country and even by region, butter is typically a crucial common ingredient. Rich, flavorful dairy products like asiago, parmesan or cheddar cheeses are ideal and on-trend for savory bread applications, while sweet bread items often showcase cheeses such as mascarpone, ricotta or cream cheese.

Bakery chefs can keep on trend and introduce innovative concepts that meet changing consumer demand with the help of U.S. dairy products, particularly cheeses. Learn more about U.S. dairy products in the Product Section.

Bakery Trends

Bakery-cafés are one of the fastest-growing segments in the U.S. restaurant business, with double-digit gains in three of the last four years (Technomics, 2013).  Cheese is a key ingredient in bakery-based menu items, whether incorporated into the uncooked dough, used as a filling or baked on top. 

Artisan cheese breads

Consumers demand more from breads than the ability to contain ingredients for a hand-held meal. Crafted to satisfy the ongoing demand for healthy options and the desire for artisanal foods, high-quality products like cheese breads cater to a growing segment of the market. From asiago-topped loaves to aged cheddar cheese mixed into the dough, cheeses can enhance the aroma, flavor and visual appeal of all types of artisan breads.

Natural cheese boosts bakery-cafés

Bakery-café chains' use of natural cheese in place of processed cheese for sandwiches, entrées and breads is a force behind overall foodservice trends. Virtually unknown and relegated to a few local market specialty bakeries 20 years ago, rapid bakery-café segment growth has spilled into quick service and full service restaurant segments to drive new menu trends and even spin-off chain concepts. The collective use of high-quality ingredients, particularly natural cheeses such as pepper jack, provolone and Swiss, resonates with consumers willing to pay a slight premium for food perceived as healthier and more natural than standard fare.