Everyone has that story about the best "something" they ever ate - that cheese in Vermont, that BBQ in North Carolina. For me, perhaps the best baked good I ever ate was in Brittany at a little bakery on a cold and foggy day. The bakery was closing and they let the two of us in, but just for a moment. I picked the first thing that looked sweet and the woman behind the counter cut a wedge from a large flat disk on the top shelf of the vitrine.
Pure bliss. Puff pastry with a still warm, not too sweet almond filling, topped with sugar. Pithiviers.
For years I have looked for it in bakeries, literally all over the world. Well, now Trader Joe's has it in the frozen case. Pithivier, which dates back to the 1600's is a traditional bakery item from Pithiviers, a town about an hour and a half south of Paris. It is quite simple - frangipane sandwiched between two layers of puff pastry.
Pure bliss. Puff pastry with a still warm, not too sweet almond filling, topped with sugar. Pithiviers.
For years I have looked for it in bakeries, literally all over the world. Well, now Trader Joe's has it in the frozen case. Pithivier, which dates back to the 1600's is a traditional bakery item from Pithiviers, a town about an hour and a half south of Paris. It is quite simple - frangipane sandwiched between two layers of puff pastry.
It comes frozen, uncooked and the directions instruct you to cook it for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees. I cooked up a first and consistent with the "serving suggestion" dusted it with powdered sugar.
It was good, but not great. What was missing? The Pithivier I remember had a sugar crust, so on a second try, I baked one with an additional teaspoon or two of granulated sugar scattered over the top, which caramelized in the oven and added a nice contrasting sweet crunch to the crust.
Pure bliss.
Great, but now for the "so what?" What are the implications for operations and strategy when we see this in the frozen case?
Recent developments in yeast cultures and manufacturing and freezing processes have enabled these frozen baked goods to stay in the bakery case for the two to three months or more required by the supply chain - from bakeries to warehouses to store to home freezer to oven. Some observers think that products that are frozen and then baked at home will be a breakthrough category. Par-baked breads, where the bread is baked 80% and then frozen and shipped and baked off at another location prior to sale have had some success in the frozen case for consumers, but the real impact has been on in-store bakeries, note the success of La Brea Bakery's and other's lines of products.
I believe that there is an opportunity for commercial bakeries who can master these new ingredients and processes to win shelf space and market share in the in-store pastry case, especially with puff pastry based items. Thaw and sell items will lose share and shelf space to a better product. The benefit for the consumer is that we should be seeing more and better pastry items in-store.
Maybe finally we'll be able to get a decent, inexpensive pecan roll out of it..
