Asian bakers come to Taiwan, China to exchange skills; Wu Pao-chun prepares a mystery bread
What is Asian bread? For bakers in Asia, should they stay faithful to the classic traditions of bread's birthplace, or adapt to local tastes and find something unique? To find the answer, renowned Taiwanese baker Wu Pao-chun will hold the "Asian Artisan Bread Forum" on March 23, inviting more than 20 bakers from Taiwan, China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia to discuss together, hoping to explore what "Asian bread" might look like.
In addition, the forum will also exchange views on the operating model of Community Supported Bakery (CSB). A-duan baker Wu Chia-lin, who has long followed the development of CSB in Asia, said that besides connecting interpersonal relationships, CSB is also an operating model that drives local wheat cultivation and lowers the carbon footprint, but how to control costs, integrate with the local grain economy and develop local distinctiveness are all major tests for those intending to run community-supported bakeries.
Using CSB to restore the connection between bread and people
In fact, this year's forum also hopes to place greater emphasis on the concept of Community Supported Bakery (CSB). CSB stands for Community Supported Bakery, meaning a platform that uses bakeries to connect local communities and groups; consumers can not only personally understand and take part in the production process, but even build emotional ties, breaking through a simple buyer-seller relationship.
Because it emphasizes local connections, CSB bakers usually want to use locally produced wheat and flour, so although bread is food, it is closely tied to agricultural production.
Food expert Hsu Chung believes that only when CSB rises will it be possible to promote local wheat cultivation, further lowering production costs, and most importantly "enrich consumers' choices in eating bread." No longer will only the elite at the top of the pyramid consume refined bread while ordinary people can only choose traditional, cheap Taiwanese-style sweet breads such as scallion, butter and red bean.
Huo Tou Gong also said that the biggest advantage of flour milled from local wheat is "freshness": from harvest to milling and packaging takes about 2 to 3 months, but imported flour has already been stored for 6 to 8 months because of shipping. In terms of flavor, fresh flour is quite sweet and mellow, and may not even need added sugar.
On the day of the forum, 20 bakers from South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia will discuss the stable operating model of CSB and improvements to Asian taste. Huo Tou Gong said, "After all, this is the key to whether a bakery can survive."
Public and bakers in dialogue, finding Taiwanese bread
This bread forum is expected to be held on the morning of March 23, and welcomes the general public as well as the baking industry. Wu Pao-chun Food Executive Vice General Manager Chiu Yi-hsin believes that whether experts or ordinary people, after joining the forum they will certainly have more understanding and imagination about Taiwanese bread and agriculture, and professional bakers can also absorb more experience.
He revealed that Wu Pao-chun will unveil a new bread that can represent Taiwan on the day of the forum, but the product is still in testing and the flavor remains confidential. "After all, the master is very particular about his work, so please wait and see."
Asian Artisan Bread ForumFor detailed information and the online registration website, please click here
(This article was funded by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation for personnel expenses, but it does not intervene at all in news topic selection and interview writing, ensuring news independence.)