Taiwan, China wheat receives international certification; Asian bakers praise its excellent quality

Just as dawn was breaking, artisan bakers from Singapore and South Korea, along with the Wu Pao-chun team, gathered at Banshan Farm in Shenkeng, Taipei, for a cross-border hands-on exchange. This exchange was not a master bakers' competition; the real star was "Taiwan wheat." The masters from various countries not only used Taiwan wheat flour to make bread, but even the yeast had been fermented in advance with Taiwan wheat, then paired with ingredients such as pickled plums from Meishan, Chiayi, and figs from Yunlin. The freshly baked bread gave a soft "crunch" when pressed lightly by hand, and when cut crosswise, it showed large air pockets in the crumb and a thin crust, highlighting the high water absorption and strong baking potential of Taiwan wheat flour.

In recent years, artisan bread has sparked a revival movement in Asia. Bread made with simple natural ingredients such as water, salt, flour, and yeast, without chemical additives, and fermented slowly over a long period is artisan bread. This trend, thanks to the founding of the "Asian Artisan Bakers" community, has given thousands of handmade baking enthusiasts around the world the chance to connect and share across borders. After community co-founder William came to Taiwan for an exchange in the middle of last year, this year he invited Master Wu Pao-chun to jointly hold the "Asian Artisan Bread Forum", and this exchange was the opening act for it.