JIMMY GRIFFIN

Industry consultant and international tutor

Barnacaf Enterprises Ltd. jimmyg.ie

What’s trending?

With Covid-19 largely behind us, food on the go is likely to rise, with fewer takeaways being ordered. As a result of widespread lockdowns during the pandemic, home baking became very popular. I do think this has led to greater appreciation for skills involved in making and baking consistent products. My feeling is that savory bakery products and viennoiserie morning goods, like croissants, will become mainstream once more. They are convenient, have global appeal and are the ideal breakfast or lunch snack.

Bakery picks

Naturally, I love laminated pastry, croissant and pain au chocolat. These items are very difficult to make correctly, but once perfected they are sublime — the flakier the better. Viennoiserie can be enjoyed in many forms: plain, such as a croissant; or as a filled pastry, such as the popular cruffin. Globally, chefs and bakers are innovating, adding their special touch to classics. For example, French chef Dominique Ansell fried croissant pastry and created the cronut.

Artisanal pastry

I’m not a fan of specific brands; I prefer the originality and creativity of pastry produced by artisans.

Machine favorite

The Rondo pastry sheeter is undoubtedly my favorite machine. It allows me to control the process of lamination and create consistent pastry time and time again. However, most importantly, it saves me valuable time that I can spend on the development of new products. Additionally, the accuracy of the rollers allows the operator to sheet the pastry to a specific thickness, which not only guarantees consistency in product size and weight but also provides accurate costing and financial control over each batch of pastry produced.