There certainly are! In this article we are going to take a look at the many, and varied, baked options available to you in place of traditional sliced bread for sandwiches. Be prepared to elevate your lunch to a new level!
Bagels
Bagels are a fantastic sandwich option and are now available in a wide variety of flavours, as well as gluten free options. Bagels from our local artisan bakers are delicious and the super market's pre-sliced packs are perfect for keeping in the freezer.
We enjoyed reading New Yorker Bagels article which tells us many of the reasons why people love bagels, click here.
Bagels are considered the perfect food primarily for their texture. Taking a bite of a bagel is special, especially when it’s done right. The outside should be crusty by not hard or crunchy, and the inside should be soft and warm. The firm chewiness is the best part, and bagels can even be toasted for even more texture.
If you haven't baked bagels before then this recipe from Sophisticated Gourmet is a great place to start, please do share your bakes with us using #mybakerysolutions
If you already enjoy eating and baking bagels, why not consider trying your hand at pretzels!
Flatbread
Flatbreads are often topped with a variety of flavoursome ingredients, delicious for lunch eaten at home but perhaps not so practical for a packed lunch or lunch on the go.
For a straight forward flatbread recipe try Bake - Eat - Repeat's recipe here.
The recent launch of folded flatbreads in our supermarkets has solved the lunch on the go dilemma. My Deli Kitchen have a selection of flavours including brioche and seeded.
Pitta
Pitta breads have been a cupboard staple in our home for a long time, ready to enjoy with salad and humous. If you would like to try making pitta breads take a look a this BBC Good Food recipe.
British Baker recently spoke with Warbertons about the research they undertook into the market for Pitta bread in advance of launching their new Soft Pitta Breads in April 2021. British Baker reported that 'the brand said pitta is the third largest segment in the sandwich alternatives category but has limited branded presence or growth through NPD. It added that pitta breads deliver well against ‘health and practicality’ needs for consumers, but ‘under index on enjoyment’. As such, it believes there is a ‘clear opportunity to address this with a quality, tasty product’.
A Warbertons spokesperson told British Baker that:
We researched what consumers felt about current pittas and found that currently, pitta breads are seen as the least tasty of the sandwich alternatives. There is a clear opportunity to address this. When you look at consumer feedback on pittas this is proven out with the issues around being viewed as ‘dry’, ‘break/tear easily’ and ‘difficult to open’ and these are the areas we have really tried to address and turn into our key benefits so that we have a unique and strong proposition in pittas.
Read more here.
It is only a small leap from Pittas to fajitas! If you would like to try making your own chicken fajitas you could try this recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Wraps
Genius launched their ranged of flavoured wraps in 2018 responding to the demand for wraps and the need for them to offer more flavour. Wraps are no longer a tasteless holder of delicious fillings, with flavours including beetroot and sweet potato the wrap is now an integral flavour.
Olive Magazine takes us through a variety of fillings in this recipe article.
Looking for something more unusual, we can't resist introducing you to rainbow rolls, take a look at Good Housekeeping's recipe here.
Thins
Thins are a new kid on the block and are available from many supermarkets, this is not a trend we have seen from artisan bakers just yet.
Thins allow the filling to take the limelight!
If you are keen to focus on the filling you could also investigate the cracker market, we recently discovered Peter's Yard, you won't be disappointed!
If you would like to bake any of the sandwich alternatives we have discussed but are not sure if you have the equipment needed please do speak with a member of our team by calling 0800 083 5639 or email us at info@bakerysolutions.com