Dish: Multigrain, Lower-Carbohydrate Bread

Bread embraces diet trends without sacrificing flavor

By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 4/15/2004

Tasteless. Rubbery. Awful. Those are terms that Peter Teimori, vice president of research and development for Atlanta Bread Co. in Atlanta, uses to describe the low-carb bread options he found in grocery stores and restaurants when the chain started its quest for a lower-carb product. Teimori's challenge was to improve upon the status quo without compromising flavor or texture and without resorting to a high-fat solution.

"We wanted to stay within our format, which is for the product to be low-fat, healthy and multigrain," he says.

Teimori knew the greatest difficulty would be finding a replacement for flour, the high-carb culprit in standard bread recipes. Researching the methodology behind popular low-carb diets gave him an idea of how much carbohydrate content to target. From there, the chef crafted recipes, swapping combinations of 25 different fibers to do flour's job. Working with a manufacturer in Germany that produces fiber in powder form, Teimori tried everything from tomatoes and pears to apples and bamboo shoots.

ITEM: Lower-carbohydrate bread loaf COMPOSITION: Oat and wheat fibers, flax and sesame seeds, and wheat gluten TIMELINE—R&D THROUGH INTRODUCTION: December 2003 through March 2004 MENU PRICE: $3.99 per loaf food cost: 32%

Once he settled on the right mix, which includes sesame and flax seeds, oat and wheat fibers and wheat gluten, finding the right balance of ingredients was key. Too much gluten made the product rubbery; too little threw off the nutritional balance. If he used too much fiber, the taste suffered. Finally, success arrived.

"I'd put our bread next to any out there," Teimori says. "The consumer will respond because is it a low-carb, multigrain product, that also tastes very good." An ounce contains 5 net carbs.

Although the bread costs 25% to 30% more to make than typical items, Atlanta Bread chose not to charge more for sandwiches built on the low-carb product. The individual loaf price also is comparable to the 160-unit chain's other specialty breads, says Vice President of Marketing Kim Jensen-Pitts, noting that the chain's loaf sales' strategy is more about providing a service to guests than using the bread as a profit-maker.

To market the bread, introduced in units on March 15, the company used local newspaper ads and media releases as well as in-store point-of-purchase materials such as counter signs and window clings. Atlanta Bread timed the product release to be a secondary message to its springtime "Peach Persuasion" promotion, a program featuring peach-based salad, sandwich, iced tea and pastry selections that Jensen-Pitts believes will entice new customers as well as encouraging trial and repeat visits.