The future of the Baking Industry lies with today’s bakery students, that’s why Bakels are proud to once again welcome selected students from The Worshipful Company of Bakers to the Baking Centre in Bicester, for a three-day Bursary Training Course.

Following the successful course held at Bakels in 2018, the course was refined to give students an optimal combination of theory, commercial and practical knowledge.

The course kicked off with a welcome to the students from Master of the Worshipful Company of Bakers and British Bakels Chairman, Paul Morrow. Paul gave all an insight into the history of the Company and the active focus it has into nurturing the talent of today’s aspiring bakers.

This was followed by an introduction to the Bakels Group by Sales Director, Keith Houliston accompanied with a site tour, giving students a look into the day-to-day operations of a large-scale bakery ingredients manufacturer.

What’s hot

As with any customer relationship, Bakels set the scene by presenting the latest consumer insight and market trends and in combination with visits to all major UK supermarkets, students were given a flavour of the commercial bakery market.

These trends would assist in a product launch task set for the students as part of the course. Concepts were drafted, applications tested and presentations, including a full launch proposal, made to an industry panel. This process gave all a flavour of the key stages and considerations of successfully launching a product to market.

The Baking Centre provided the perfect setting to allow students to create and deliver their ideas, the very facility used by many of Bakels’ customers for live product development and launches.

Sourdough and Artisan Bread

As a thriving trend in all types of bakery business, Technical Support Manager, David Carter, delivered a Sourdough and Artisan Bread demonstration.

From showcasing the basics of sourdough production, to the technical considerations  required for these great-tasting loaves, David encouraged students to get hands on with the Bakels ingredients which can be used to efficiently produce top quality Artisan breads. Country Oven Artisan Bread Complete and Country Artisan Bread 7% Concentrate contain a unique blend of sourdoughs and provides bakers robust mixes from which they can produce great-tasting Artisanal-style bakery goods.

Since sourdough is used to enhance flavour, the full range of Fermdor sourdoughs were exhibited, showcasing a range of bespoke flavour profiles which can be achieved to suit local tastes, in not only breads, but a wide variety of other food categories.

High quality, time-after-time

With a focus for all bakeries being on producing high quality baked goods, consistently, Technical Support Managers Steven Fulford and Gary Thorns demonstrated the operational benefits of a wide range of confectionery mixes for cake and sweet goods production. The team showcased the versatile benefits of using mixes for commercial bakers, with a focus on the seamless introduction of seasonal products for bakery businesses.

The demonstration aimed to bridge the gap between the popularity of scratch home baking for many students, to the competitive world of commercial baking.

Get creative

With an extensive range of technical presentations and demonstrations under their belt, students were given the task of creating their own finished bakery product, which clearly satisfied a consumer demand. Bakels opened it’s doors for students to use a wide range of ingredients, along with anything they required by way of inclusions from the supermarket, to create something that fit the trends.

The course was concluded with presentation of certificates by Sales Director,  Keith Houliston, for students as recognition for their attendance and efforts over the three days. With over 39 years experience in the bakery industry with Bakels, Keith delivered a presentation on careers in the industry. From CV creation to tips on how to stand out, students were given all the tools they require to forge a successful career in baking.