If you have ticked the first two off your list but the idea of baking bread from scratch sounds intimidating, don’t fret. Artisan bakery The Loaf is here to give you a hand with its Sweet Roll Dough DIY baking kit. Simply add fresh milk, egg and unsalted butter, and bake!
Hizmi Ghazali, assistant general manager at The Loaf, tells FMT that the idea came about after they received requests from those who were hankering for a taste of their breads and pastries.
“Our bread is not easy to get a hold of due to our scattered locations. We had numerous inquiries from folks asking us to find a way for them to try our bread.
“This baking kit gives them the opportunity to do that, in addition to releasing their inner baking skills at home.”
While experimenting with the baking kit, The Loaf chef Johnson Lim adhered to three essential requirements – simplifying bread making, maintaining freshness, and sticking to the company’s policy of zero additives.
“The difference between the flour in the kit and the premix flour in stores is that we don’t incorporate artificial preservatives or chemicals.
“Also, the flour in our baking kit is a specially made mixture that is capable of making multiple types of bread,” he explains.
The Loaf’s dough has a buttery and rich texture, although if you’re feeling adventurous, Chef Johnson recommends adding fillings. Bakers can get as creative as they want.
“You can mix up cream cheese, sugar and raspberry sauce before placing it into the dough, and the taste profile will be similar to our famous Oyaki.
“If you lean towards savoury buns, you can play around with fillings such as sausages, mushrooms or leftover curry chicken.”
Apart from fulfilling the demand for homemade bread, each kit sold will also help The Loaf, which has seen its business take a hit due to the MCO.
“We have seven outlets in the Klang Valley, all located in shopping malls, and rental in malls is different from shoplot rentals,” says CEO Gopalan Menon.
“Dining-in was key as we sell beverages, hot foods and bread. Now business is just bread with limited hot food and beverage for takeaway.
“Our current business is at 10% of the revenue we should be making. If landlords do not provide us with rebates, we are definitely going to suffer even further.”
You can help in a small way by buying a baking kit. Each beautifully wrapped set comes with two 250g packs of flour and detailed instructions, so there is no risk of over- or under-measuring the ingredients.
The Loaf will throw in a measuring spoon and whisk at a 10% discount with every two kits sold.
Impress your friends on social media with your bread-making skills. Order your own Sweet Roll Dough DIY baking kit by contacting the nearest Loaf outlet, or visit The Loaf’s Facebook page for more information.