A Passion for Creative Baking: Artisan Breads

My first article for www.cookeatnow.com is already out!
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A Passion for Creative Baking: Artisan Breads
“It is fulfilling to come up with specialty breads exclusive to client needs. It is in itself a creative process.”

Photos from www.artisanbreads.multiply.com

They say a true Filipino meal is never complete without rice. Not for Leslie Rabat, proprietor of Artisan Breads by Pan Italiano. For her, bread is more than a convenient substitute to rice. It is a universal food, which can be a satisfying and a healthy option for any meal.

Truth be told, Filipinos love bread more than they admit. Each time the price of flour or sugar rises; consumers are worried that the taste or size of their trusty bread products will be affected. The wide range of bread products in any Filipino bakery—pan de sal, monay, putok, Spanish bread, kabayan—are all testaments to the Pinoy’s love for bread.

“You would be surprised at how good bread baked with various fruits, nuts, seeds, cheeses, and even spices, can taste,” explains Rabat. This is especially true for artisan breads that are handcrafted with special attention to quality of ingredients and baking methods. Specific breads require specific baking techniques and tools, all in pursuit to create breads that satisfy any food pairing.

Rabat, veteran of the corporate world, started baking bread with “Bun Express”, a hotdog and hamburger cart business, which required they bake their own buns. In 2005, their bread production expanded to a line of Italian breads supplied exclusively to Italian restaurants. Rabat’s passion for creating breads specially customized for the client’s requirements blossomed, “We cater to the chef's imagination. It is fulfilling to come up with specialty breads exclusive to their needs. It is in itself a creative process.”

As with all true passions, Rabat sees it a challenge to craft more and more bread varieties aside from her bestsellers of garlic bread, apple-cinnamon rolls, dulce de leche rolls, raisin and walnut wheat batard, and braided brioche. “I find myself wandering towards bread stores. (When) friends and family come back from recent trips and rave about their recent bread finds, I ask them to describe the taste, texture, color, shape and visuals of breads they are craving for. Coming up with my version is personally rewarding.”

For more information:
Artisan Breads by Pan Italiano
0921 787 8378 or 912 7019
www.artisanbreads.multiply.com
artisanbreadsmanila@gmail.com