Combating with innovation

Artisan doesn’t have to be old and overdone.

Ace Bakery, a unit of Weston Foods Ltd., has introduced the baguette bagel, an innovation the company said combines the texture of a baguette with the convenience of the bagel.

Ace has been baking baguettes for nearly a quarter century and describes the new product as a “baguette on the go.” Ace said the baguette bagel will fit more easily into a toaster than a sliced baguette.

“This exciting new bagel innovation caters to those yearning for the ultimate in taste and convenience,” said Roy Benin, president of Ace. “All bagel lovers will want to try this delicious, new taste sensation.”

Ace described the baguette as its flagship product, baked with only five ingredients, no preservatives, long fermentation periods, and stone-deck baking — a 14-hour process overall.

While the Ace baguette has become a staple at the dinner table, the company said the baguette bagel is targeted at the breakfast table.

“Breakfast is an important meal for North Americans, but we’ve seen that consumers are often uninspired by the options available for a healthy and delicious breakfast,” said Vicki Thompson, brand manager of Ace Bakery. “In France, it is actually common to consume a baguette for breakfast, while for North Americans, baguettes are typically much less frequently enjoyed outside the hours of dinner. Ace Bakery has recognized the opportunity to transform their market-leading French baguette into the shape of a bagel, delivering it to consumers in a way that is more familiar to them.”

Marcus Mariathias, master baker at Ace, said the baguette bagel has a soft, airy and creamy texture that is “not at all dense, like a traditional bagel.”

The company said the it is baked in a stone-deck oven like the Ace baguette, and is made with flour, water, salt, yeast, and malted barley flour, and contains no sugar, unlike traditional bagels.

The product is available in supermarkets in Canada, comes in a package of four and is available in two varieties, classic white and a variety topped with a blend of black and white sesame seeds.

Ace operates artisan baking plants in Toronto; Vaughan, Mississauga, and Scarborough, Ont.; and Gaffney, S.C.