Are products from local bakeries worth the cost compared ...



Are products from local bakeries worth the cost compared to less expensive, mass produced products?Cul 462Brittany MarkeeConvenience, as defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary, is, “The fact that something is suitable for your purposes and causes no difficulty for your schedule or plans." As the world has progressed and civilizations have waxed and waned, human beings have made every attempt at making anything possible a convenience. This is apparent throughout society, especially in the United States of America. Fast food restaurants, the drive-throughs at those establishments, and grocery stores that carry nearly every type of product (i.e. Walmart) are just a few examples of how the idea of convenience has been ingrained in our culture. Even something as easy as stopping at a local bakery for fresh bread has been taken over by these convenience products. It seems that the economy thrives on its people relying on what is convenient rather than what is best, in terms of quality. So, this begs the question, are people willing to go to local bakeries and purchase higher quality goods rather than purchasing pre-packaged snacks because of their convenience? History of Little DebbieLittle Debbie snacks are actually produced and sold by a company named McKee Foods Corporation which is a privately held company, headquartered in Collegedale, Tennessee (Smith, pg. 1). McKee Foods started back in 1934, during the Great Depression, by a young entrepreneur named O.D. McKee (McKee Foods, pg. 1). McKee had begun selling five cent snacks out of the back of his car in order to get his business on its feet. All he ever dreamt of was running his own bakery so he and his wife, Ruth, eventually bought a small, failing bakery, using all they had left, their family car, as collateral (McKee Foods, pg. 1). Even though money was tight when they first started, the McKee’s pulled through and by 1960 they had began selling their first family pack of baked goods, which they named after their granddaughter, Debbie (McKee Foods, pg. 1). At the time Debbie was four years old, but an Atlanta artist, Pearl Man, made the original artwork for the brand, which made her look older (Smith, pg. 1). The first family pack was produced in August 1960, which consisted of the Oatmeal Crème Pies (McKee Foods, pg. 1). Debbie’s parents did not actually notice that the picture shared her likeness until after the McKee’s bakery started selling the family packs. The family bakery continued growing and eventually the McKee’s sons, Ellsworth and Jack, took leadership roles. By 1964, the company was producing fourteen different products (McKee Foods, pg. 1; Smith, pg. 1). After the company initially became popular, it was selling cartons for only forty-nine cents, and within ten months sold over fourteen million cakes (McKee Foods, pg. 1). Today the McKee company operating under Ellsworth and Jack’s children, which is amazing given the fact that the company started out with O.D. McKee’s dream of having a family run bakery. The company has sold more than 157 billion Little Debbie snacks since they first became available in the 1960s (McKee Foods, pg. 1). Since 2011, Little Debbie snacks were the best-selling cakes in America and they represent a third of the snack cake market (Smith, pg. 1; McKee Foods, pg.1). McKee Foods says they reached the top of the market due to their quality and value, they use secret recipes and the highest quality ingredients. A quote from the company’s website exemplifies the company perfectly, “McKee Foods stands as a living legacy of a young couple with a big dream, O.D. and Ruth shared a strong commitment to family values that remains our company's foundation today.”Running a Bakery in a Competitive MarketRunning a bakery today, comes along with a few problems such as, a competitive market with other bakeries and big businesses that mass produce their products to grocery stores. Trying to stay ahead of the game is difficult if you are not sure what you are doing and you do not know what people actually want. After experiencing culinary school it is clear that in order to run a fully operational and efficient kitchen, the staff is the most important asset to any type of food oriented business. In the food service industry, the key to continuously delivering high quality products while keeping costs low is having dedicated staff members with an acute attention to detail. Although it may seem hard to find responsible staff even for tasks that require little work or skill, such as preparing convenience foods, they do exist or may already be existing staff members who just need proper training. Training programs may be the best route instead of hiring new staff members, it has actually been proven that most staff members respond well to training programs with “increased enthusiasm and new capability” (Moyer, pg. 146). This makes sense given the fact that most people lose interest or do not put as much time and energy into something if they do not fully understand what they are doing, so proper training plays an important role in running any business. In order to ensure respect for quality of food, safety, sanitation, and respect for co-worker’s responsible management is important for a business as well. Proper leadership that exemplifies what the business wants to stand for needs to be represented by an authoritarian figure every day, so staff members embody the standards that a business sets. If a business in the food service industry wants to make sure customers will continue coming back, it is important to keep high quality, fresh ingredients on hand. One of the biggest rules to remember when storing natural foods is that rapid rotation of stock is vital because they do not contain artificial preservatives (Moyer, pg. 137). This means that natural foods have a shorter lifespan than other foods that may have been processed and contain artificial preservatives. This is another reason it is important to keep well trained, responsible staff on hand, so they can keep track of spoilage and dispose of any product that has gone bad before more product becomes contaminated. Keeping up with spoilage will help prevent food costs from going up because other food will not become contaminated and cause pre-mature spoilage. This may also mean buying products at slightly higher prices, in smaller quantities in order to avoid waste as much as possible (Moyer, pg. 137). Natural foods do not contain artificial preservatives which makes storing products in freezers and coolers a necessity. Anne Moyer, the author of Better Food for Public Places, says that “the ideal storage setup would include ample freezer space, one refrigerator for semi-perishable foods such as cold-pressed or additive-free cooking oils, and another refrigerator for day-to-day perishables such as dairy products.” Some businesses may not find this option the best, regarding cost, but that only means that they will have to pay close attention to the products they have on hand. Another important way to avoid food waste with whole foods is careful menu planning, sensible food purchasing, and the proper storage and handling of product (Moyer, pg. 144). Unfortunately, cooking with whole foods causes more food waste than processed products, which tend to create package waste rather than food waste (Moyer, pg. 144). In order to keep costs low so that products can be sold at a competitive price, good management can be trained to turn food waste into something that can be, if done properly, used in other products. Another thing to keep in mind when trying to maintain low prices to compete with other businesses is where the products are being purchased, this is about as important as what is being purchased when a business is trying to stick to a low budget (Moyer, pg. 144). ExperimentIn this experiment, my goal was to find out what matters the most to people when purchasing products while grocery shopping. I also wanted to see if small bakeries still have a foot to stand on when competing against big businesses that mass produce their products. So, I decided to compare freshly baked products to pre-packaged products by having the general public participate in a taste comparison. I chose to compare Little Debbie’s pre-packaged snacks to similar, but freshly baked products. Little Debbie’s was the best choice because it is one of the most popular snack companies that also produces many products that someone could find in a bakery, instead of only selling novelty snacks. This experiment was in no way meant to tear apart McKee Foods Corporation, Little Debbie’s snacks. The choice of using products from one company was simple, this was to ensure the same quality pre-packaged products would be used in comparison to the same quality freshly baked products. When deciding which products I would be comparing I looked at which Little Debbie products were the most popular and which of those were products that would typically be found in bakeries. I chose Little Debbie’s cream cheese danish pastries, cinnamon streusel cakes, and pecan spinwheels in comparison to freshly baked cheese danishes, coffee cakes, and pecan sticky buns. During the experiment, I cut up each product into bite size pieces so it was easier for the participants to eat and compare the flavors of each. Each participant tasted the Little Debbie’s snacks then they tasted the corresponding freshly baked products, and then recorded their preferences on a survey they were given. They were also asked what they typically purchase when shopping. I asked this question to see if the way they answered their taste preferences paralleled with their purchasing preferences. SurveyFifty people from the general public were given a survey based on taste, eye appeal, and their purchasing preference between fresh baked goods and Little Debbie, pre-packaged snacks. The participants tasted pieces of the fresh streusel cake, sticky bun, and cheese danish, which they then compared to the Little Debbie cinnamon streusel cake, cheese danish, and spinwheels. Approximately 89% of the participants said that they preferred the taste of the fresh baked goods. The overwhelming majority stated that they chose the fresh baked goods predominantly because they were more moist, more flavorful, and tasted like higher quality products. Some of the contributors remarked that the pre-packaged snacks left a waxy mouth feel and unpleasant after taste. During the survey, whole portions of each product were displayed so the participants could decide if the fresh baked goods or pre-packaged goods had better appeal. Only 2% said that they preferred the look of the Little Debbie snacks to the freshly baked products. In addition to this, most of the people who said that they preferred the look of the Little Debbie’s snacks, only chose the look of one or two out of the three pre-packaged snacks over the fresh products. Lastly, they were asked whether they typically purchase pre-packaged goods or freshly baked goods. Even though most of the participants said that they had preferred the taste of the freshly baked products, only 73% said that they typically purchase fresh baked goods when shopping. That is a 16% difference between those that preferred the taste of the fresh baked goods and those who actually purchase them. Although that is not a huge change, it still means that several people opt for pre-packaged foods regardless of taste. When asked to explain, they said that they usually buy pre-packaged products because they are typically cheaper and easier to grab. On the other hand, the participants that said they purchase fresh products said that they choose fresh because they believe it is the healthier option.Conclusion of DataThe majority of the people who participated in the survey chose the fresh baked goods rather than the pre-packaged goods overall. However, there were several who said that regardless of taste they still prefer to purchase the pre-packaged, Little Debbie snacks when grocery shopping. They explained that the pre-packaged snacks were the easiest option because they are typically cheaper and they do not have to go out of their way to the bakery section of the store or to an actual bakery. During the survey it was also clear that most of the participants who said that they purchase the pre-packaged goods were of a younger demographic. For instance, some of the participants were children and chose the Little Debbie’s snacks for both taste and purchase preference. While those children most likely do not buy their own snacks from the grocery store, they most likely chose the pre-packaged snacks because that is what they are used to seeing in their pantry. The other portion of participants who said that they purchase Little Debbie snacks rather than freshly baked snacks were college students. Many admitted that they preferred buying pre-packaged goods simply because it was cheaper for them to buy. Others said that these products are easier to grab when on the go because it is one portion, neatly wrapped, and does not make quite as much of a mess. On the other hand, the majority of people who took part said that they prefer buying freshly made products. When asked to explain why, they said; fresh products contain fewer chemicals, no preservatives, taste better, tend to be of a higher quality, and are healthier. There were several participants who were of a younger demographic in this category as well, but all of them admitted to being either a baking and pastry student or a culinary student. So, they admitted that they felt like their answers were slightly biased given the fact that they typically are either making or eating freshly made products. In conclusion, it seems that most people tend to enjoy fresh products more, but there are some who are willing to risk taste for a cheaper, easily available product.HealthIt became very clear throughout the experiment that health was a big reason that people opted for buying freshly made products. This was an interesting observation given the fact that the United States racks up approximately $30 billion a year in doctor and dentist bills, due to poor eating habits (Moyer, pg. 1). However, a growing awareness of the health risks revolving around bad eating habits including, diabetes, diverticulitis, and cardiovascular problems, has spurred changes in eating patterns (Moyer, pg. 1). Now people tend to pay closer attention to what they are actually putting in their body and are paying closer attention to nutrition labels. Many people are starting to realize how important it is to actually prepare food for themselves instead of mindlessly eating pre-packed or frozen meals. In addition to this, people have started picking up canning and preserving food again in order to get the full benefit of having fresh foods on hand within their homes. For a long time, people have been consuming food that has been prepared within “giant, impersonal food service companies which provide meals by the trillions for nursing homes, hospitals, business dining rooms, schools, colleges, airlines, hotels, motels, restaurants, vending machines, and institutions of all kinds” (Moyer, pg. 2). Over the years the food service industry has unfortunately slipped into the habit of focusing on convenience for both businesses and consumers rather than the health of the products they are producing. Anne Moyer made a good point when she stated, “because of demands for higher volume, ease of preparation and substantial profit margins, food services depend heavily on proportioned prepackaged, frozen, canned and instant foods.” This is unfortunately a sad truth; people have gotten so caught up in purchasing and consuming the most convenient products, that they have over looked what they are actually putting into their bodies. In order to assure that these mass-produced products stay as available as possible, they must be able to sustain mass transport and maintain a long shelf-life. This means that whole foods must be “refined, rearranged, repackaged and treated with artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, texturizers, and a host of other additives” before they even reach a kitchen to prepared for service (Moyer, pg. 3). A scary part of this is that people who prepare these foods are not individuals who work in the food service industry, they are typically chemists working in a lab. To them, the food they work with on a daily basis, to achieve the best flavors and shelf life, is no different than paint, plastic, or any other synthetic product they may work with (Moyer, pg. 4).Another aspect of the experiment that caused concern was that all of the children who participated chose the pre-packaged snacks. This is a problem because children are typically creatures of habit and only know their parents have given them to eat in the past. Children are not concerned with how healthy the food is, they are only focused on how what they are eating tastes and suppresses their hunger. This does not mean that the parents are worried about their children’s health, it just most likely means that they are putting together lunches that are easy to throw together on a busy schedule. Another big component of children being exposed to unhealthy foods is the amount of advertisement they experience on a daily basis. Whenever they turn on the television they are immediately hit with advertisements for soda, candy, sugar-filled cereals, and any other unhealthy snack out there (Moyer, pg. 14). Unfortunately, this is how many Americans have developed their poor eating habits, especially young children. Over the years, advertisements have come out, that display convenience foods in order to make getting out of the kitchen easier for people who have busy schedules. This would be a great thing, considering that most people have very little down time during the day, but this has led to the growth of poor eating habits that are hard to break away from. Sadly, children are the prime target for companies advertising unhealthy, sugary products because food like that is what they enjoy eating and they are the most easily influenced.For a long time, there were very few individuals who protested processed foods, until they started hitting college campuses (Moyer, pg. 62). After college students started to express their desire for unprocessed, natural foods on campus; colleges started bringing more natural and vegetarian options into their dining halls. Anne Moyer has expressed that there are four problems with the American diet, “too much sugar, too much fat, too little fiber, and too many chemical additives.” This has started to change after college students started to protest the processed foods that were available on campus. This is interesting because schools are exactly the place that people should be learning about what food does in and to our bodies and which foods are actually good for us (Moyer, pg. 72). Many people face poor eating habits because they have never been offered the proper nutritional knowledge to worry enough about what they are putting into their bodies. Most people simply are not aware of some of the chemicals they are consuming that contribute to diseases, which are caused by a poor diet. Schools should offer more incite, especially at a young age so children can start off knowing what is healthy for them from the beginning. In addition, this should begin at a young age and children should be taught about proper eating habits from their parents (Moyer, pg. 71).PreservingAnother aspect of people choosing freshly baked products instead of pre-packaged was their expressed concern over the amount of preservatives in processed food, and the lack of knowledge of what these chemicals actually do to our bodies. Preserving food started out as a natural way to prevent spoilage in ancient times. People used to salt meat and fish, add sugar in canned foods, and pickled vegetable (Zelman, pg. 1). Preservatives are still used today, but are vastly different than what they used to be, several are now synthetic chemicals. Food preservatives are important to the food service industry, they protect against spoilage from mold, yeast, botulism, and any other organisms that can cause food-born illnesses (Zelman, pg.1). There are actually two forms of preserving foods; physical and chemical. Refrigeration or drying are physical processes while adding ingredients to food specifically to prevent damage from oxidation, rancidity, and microbial growth are chemical processes (Zelman, pg. 1). Even though natural preservatives exist in foods already, many companies use synthetic preservatives to give their products an optimum shelf-life. This is an important thing to remember when purchasing products, there are very few products that exist that do not contain a synthetic preservative because they allow both the companies selling the products and the consumers to benefit. Foods that have preservatives in them do not necessarily make them bad for you it just means that they are available to you for a longer period of time, which is usually something that causes people to cringe. Knowing that something that an individual may put in their body can last on a shelf wrapped in plastic for years with no actual change to the product can cause some alarm. However, it should bring some comfort knowing that all the preservatives that are added into food must be approved by the FDA and must also be declared on the ingredient list on the nutrition labels (Zelman, pg. 1). In addition to this, the FDA has made it clear that companies are permitted to used preservatives in order to hide any type of inferiority. Meaning they cannot purposely make a food product appear of a better quality than it actually is in order to get consumers to purchase their products. “Food additives approved for use as preservatives are listed in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations” (Zelman, pg. 1). This means that if you are ever concerned about an ingredient you do not recognize on a food product you would like to purchase or have purchased you can easily find it on that list to see what it actually is. Something that is interesting, but also may be concerning is that for each preservative the FDA has placed a restriction on it that only allows companies to use a certain amount in their products, anything past the allotted amount may be dangerous to one’s health. Knowing this may cause more concern for people who are already conflicted about purchasing processed foods. However, it is important to remember that most things need to consumed in moderation no matter what it is or how healthy it is. “Safe for food additives is defined to mean, a reasonable certainty in the minds of competent scientists that the substance is not harmful under the intended conditions of use” (Zelman, pg. 1). If there has been a set limit on the amount of preservatives allowed in a product, companies know that they must follow that rule very closely or risk getting shut down and worse.It is absolutely paramount that we, as a society, do our best to preserve our foods in the healthiest ways possible as to not cause the manifestation of diseases. Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, LD, a nutritionist and dietitian, touched on the subject in an article for?Food & Nutrition Magazine. In the article, titled?The Vital Role of Food Preservatives, Zelman states that many of the preservatives that are in use can lead to many forms of illness. For example, “Sodium nitrite/nitrate used in processed meats is an example of compounds that may increase the potential of these foods to cause cancer. Studies have linked eating large amounts of processed meats with an increased risk of colorectal cancer” (Zelman, pg. 1). She also states that although they may have adverse reactions in some people, sodium benzoate and sulfites appear to be a safe preservative for most people (Zelman, pg. 1). Zelman cites a study published in 2007 in?The Lancet, saying that it had evidence linking increased intensity of hyperactivity in young children to the amount of sodium benzoate they consumed. Some preservatives, despite being harmful when consumed, are still allowed by Food and Drug Administration, (FDA), standards. For example, Zelman articulates to her readers that:?Although butylated?hydroxyanisole, or BHA, is listed by the National Toxicology Program as ‘reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,’ the FDA considers it a GRAS substance in minute quantities.?Meanwhile, butylated?hydroxytoulene, or BHT, has been banned in some countries but has not been shown conclusively to be carcinogenic.?Some preservatives actually help ensure consumer safety. Robert Brackett, PhD, the director of the Institute for Food Safety and Health, was quoted by Zelman as saying, “Removing preservatives compromises food safety, and there is no good scientific reason to avoid them.” In?reference to nitrates Brackett stated, “The risk of getting botulism from processed meats far outweighs the risk of the preservative especially when consumed in moderation” (Zelman). This statement alone should relieve some concerns pertaining to preservatives being completely unhealthy for the people consuming them. In reality they actually help prevent sickness. Zelman believes that, despite being surrounded with a multitude of products that are full of harmful preservatives, consuming these products in low quantities will not be nearly as harmful. In terms of technological advancements Zelman states, “Development of technologies such as high-pressure processing and ultrasonic preprocessing with pulsed light are promising — and may yield additional benefits such as reduced water usage, energy efficiency and improved food quality.”?At Home Baking Another aspect that I learned during my experiment, that I had not really thought about before, were the number of people that buy neither freshly baked products nor pre-packaged products. There were several participants who actually bake their own products, but expressed frustrated concerns about how their products have a short shelf-life. During my research, I discovered a great book entitled, Better Than Store-Bought, by Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider Colchie. It is a cookbook that offers great recipes and incite about how products produced at home should be made and stored to ensure the maximum amount of shelf-life. Witty and Schneider Colchie offer recipes that are additive-free under the realms that they believe are the most important and most abused in our society such as, “breads, sausages, corned meats, pickles and relishes (often a gruesome green), candied fruits (ordinarily dyed improbable colors), and pudding mixes” (viii). Personally, I share their ideas behind storing bread. When I bake bread, but do not need to use it at the moment I always make sure the bread is completely cooled before storing it. To get the best possible outcome I wrap the bread, once cooled, tightly in plastic wrap. Then it can simply be placed in the freezer for a later use. In addition to this, once it is time to use the bread, it is then pulled out of the freezer until it reaches room temperature. This process happens in a relatively short period of time so there is no need to take the bread out hours beforehand. Then the bread is wrapped in tin foil and placed in the oven at approximately 350°F, until the bread is warmed and the crust is to your liking. This allows the consumer to continue using the bread in whatever way they would like, because it maintains the freshness it originally had. Unfortunately, I have only ever tried to do this with bread so I am unsure how this method would work with other types of freshly baked products. The only other advice I can offer is to never try to warm up or reconstitute freshness into a bread-like baked product by using the microwave. The microwave will only allow the consumer a short amount of time to eat the product before it becomes rock solid. However, there are several others who offer advice for preserving freshly baked products, like in Preserving Good without Freezing or Canning, by Deborah Madison, she describes the following method for preserving fresh baked goods: After baking, I turn the bread out, and let it cool on a wicker tray. The following day, I slice each of the loaves, and place the slices on smaller wicker trays (slices should not touch). I set these trays on top of my kitchen counters. The bread dries in three or four days. Once dry, the bread can be stacked in several layers in a basket, and it will not mold. I store it this way for a month or more. At first, when it is still not too hard, I toast it, and eat it hot. Prepared this way, it is similar to a rusk (biscotti). When it is too hard, I place it on a steamer, or a couscous pot. The steam softens the bread, giving me nice, fresh “cake bread” (as my children call it).Additionally, Madison provides the reader with another method for preserving goods:Cut ? inch thick slices of bread, and place them in a large, lightweight paper bread bag (as for French or Italian loaves). Put the bag on a fireplace stone (or failing that, a radiator), and light a fire on two or three consecutive evenings. Better yet, place the slices in molds or Pyrex dishes and leave them out in the summer sun all day. Store the bread in a tin can, and use as needed.There are other options for preserving baked goods as well, I have personally frozen raw bread dough to bake it at a later time. Simply, follow the recipe accordingly until the dough has just finished kneading either by hand or on a mixer. Then place the dough in plastic wrap, a zip-lock bag, or any other container that will hold the dough while also fitting into your freezer. Before I do this, I like to coat the raw dough in flour so that it is much easier to remove it when the time comes. Then simply, place the dough in a freezer. The dough can last for months, completely unchanged. When the time comes to bake the dough, pull the frozen, raw dough out of the freezer. Unwrap the dough and place it in a bowl, covered, and allow it to come to room temperature. At that point you are free to continue where you had left off either days, weeks, or months previously.ConclusionConvenience has been built up as a major selling point for large companies in the food industry. It is a way for them to capitalize on the frantic, non-stop, lifestyle of some individuals and the laziness of others. Despite being a quick and easy option, it is evident that Little Debbie snacks are not a healthy option. Not to say that fresh baked goods are healthy options but, they are much healthier than the alternative. Although the idea of convenience appears to have engulfed most of modern American life, it seems that there are some individuals who still do not mind purchasing fresh baked goods from local bakeries. Are individuals willing to pay more for higher quality baked goods or less for convenient options? The answer is unquestionably, yes.Works CitedSmith, Andrew F.?Fast food and junk food. an encyclopedia of what we love to eat Volume 2.Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2012. Print.McKee Foods. "Who We Are."?. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.Moyer, Anne.?Better food for public places. Emmaus: Rodale Press, 1977. Print.Zelman, Kathleen. "The Vital Role of Food Preservatives."?Food & Nutrition. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.Witty, Helen, and Elizabeth Schneider. Colchie.?Better than store-bought: a cookbook. NewYork: Harper & Row, 1985. Print.Madison, Deborah.?Preserving food without freezing or canning: traditional techniques using salt, oil, sugar, alcohol, vinegar, drying, cold storage, and lactic fermentation. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Pub., 2007. Print.43434076390500Are products from local bakeries worth the cost compared to cheaper, mass produced products? By: Brittany MarkeeHoney Pecan Sticky BunsLittle Debbie’s Pecan SpinwheelsCinnamon Streusel CoffeecakeLittle Debbie’s Cinnamon Streusel Cakesright000Cinnamon Streusel Coffeecake:7oz Sugar?t Salt4.25oz AP Flour1T Cinnamon3oz ButterTopping:Directions:Whisk together sugar, salt, flour, cinnamon.Mix in melted butter.Set aside.Filling:7.5oz Brown Sugar1?T Cinnamon1t Cocoa PowderDirections:Combine all ingredients.Batter:6oz Butter1t Salt10.5oz Sugar2.5oz Brown Sugar2?t Baking Powder2t Vanilla3 Eggs6oz Sour Cream10oz Whole Milk1# AP FlourDirections:Beat butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, vanilla, and eggs in mixing bine milk and sour cream in separate bowl.Alternate adding milk mixture and flour into mixing bowl until smooth and well combined.Pour half of the batter into greased 9x13 pan, top with filling, pour other half of batter into pan, then spread filling on top.Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes.right000Cheese Danish: Dough:1 1/3C Whole Milk3 Eggs1# 6oz Butter1oz Yeast2oz Sugar1t Salt1t Cinnamon1# 6oz Bread FlourDirections:Mix milk and eggs in mixer with dough hook.Add yeast and mix. Add sugar, salt, cinnamon, bread flour.Knead until a soft dough is formed. Place in bowl, covered, let rest.Form butter into a 10” square, wrap, then place in cooler.Filling:1# 6oz Cream Cheese3.5oz Sugar3.5oz Butter3 Eggs1.5oz Bread Flour?t Vanilla?C Whole Milk Directions:Beat cream cheese and sugar.Gradually add butter.Add eggs, bread flour, vanilla. Add milk until proper consistency for piping.Simple Syrup:1C Water5oz Sugar?C Corn Syrup Directions:Bring water, sugar, corn syrup to a boil.Book dough with butter four times, be sure to place dough in cooler for 30 minute intervals each time.Roll dough out into rectangle, cut dough along each side, length wise toward the center, approximately 3 inches, with 1 inch in between each cut. The dough should have 3 inch cuts on each side while having a minimum of 3 inches uncut down the center of the rectangle.Pipe the cream cheese filling down the center of the dough.Cross the cut strands of dough over each other on top of the filling, making a crisscross pattern all the way down.Proof Danish until dough doubles.Brush simple syrup on top.Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes on a sheet tray.right000Honey Pecan Sticky Buns:Honey Glaze:4oz Butter10oz Brown Sugar2oz Honey3oz Corn Syrup2T WaterDirections:Combine over medium heat.Dough:1oz Yeast1P Whole Milk6oz Sugar1T Salt2T Cardamom4 Eggs2# 10oz Bread Flour7oz ButterDirections:Combine yeast and milk in mixer with a dough hook.Add sugar, salt, cardamom, eggs.Add bread flour and melted butter.Knead until soft dough forms.Pecan Filling:10oz Butter6oz Brown Sugar6oz Sugar4oz Ground Pecans1 ?T Cinnamon 3oz Chopped PecansDirections:Cream butter and sugars.Add ground pecans and cinnamon.Roll out dough to form a rectangle.Spread filling over dough, evenly.Roll dough length wise to form a long cylinder.Cut cylinder into equal parts, approximately 1 inch apart.Pour honey glaze into a prepared pan, sprinkle with chopped pecans, then place dough circles in the pans, close to each other.Proof until sticky buns double in size.Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes.Invert immediately.Production Sheets: Practice WeekProduction Sheets: Capstone WeekCostingIngredient:Amount:Price:Total:Sugar8# 11oz$27.94/50lb$4.85AP Flour5# 2oz$19.15/50lb$1.96Salt5.5oz$25.38/36lb$0.09Cinnamon5oz$44.03/5lb$2.75Brown Sugar6# 8oz$27.33/24lb$7.40Cocoa Powder1oz$141.04/50lb$0.18Baking Powder1oz$70.18/30lb$0.15Vanilla2oz$74.61/1Qt$4.66Instant Dry Yeast6oz$4.30/1lb$1.61Bread Flour13# 7oz$16.56/50lb$4.45Corn Syrup1# 1.5oz$20.34/1Ga$2.78Honey8oz$71.63/18lb$1.99Eggs40$15.55/180ea.$3.46Butter10# 11oz$99.14/36lb$29.43Whole Milk8# 1oz$19.90/4Ga$5.01Sour Cream1# 8oz$22.87/20lb$1.72Cream Cheese2# 12oz$72.54/30lb$6.65Cardamom3oz$20.35/8oz$7.63Pecans1# 12oz$59.10/5lb$2.03LD Cheese Danish4$1.59/1ea.$6.36LD Streusel Cakes2$3.09/13oz$7.80LD Spinwheels5$1.79/8oz$8.95Total:$111.91Production SheetMonday, April 17th:Make dough for sticky buns, wrap, place in coolerMise out ingredients for:Pecan fillingHoney glazeStreusel toppingStreusel fillingCake batterTuesday, April 18th:Pull out sticky bun dough from coolerPut together and bake off streusel cakeMake sticky bunsPlace sticky buns in proofer until double in sizeBake off sticky bunsWrap and store products once everything has cooledWednesday, April 19th:Cut productsSet up displaySelf-AnalysisOverall, I believe that my experiment to find out what is the most important aspect to people when they are buying products while grocery shopping went well. I was able to easily obtain the information I needed, by offering groups of people a taste test and a quick survey. Two separate groups were surveyed during my experiment, one being the general public and the other being family and friends. I successfully gained the information I needed from family and friends by doing a blind taste test with them to ensure that they would not give me biased responses to my questions. The other group was simply given a taste test and a survey and because they did not share any emotional connection to me I was not so concerned about any biased opinions being expressed. I had intended to take full advantage of the test week, but unfortunately was unable to due to an unforeseen circumstance with faulty gas lines. Regardless of this hiccup, I believe that I planned the following week out properly so that my products would be prepared on time for the presentation to the public. ................
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