Bakery

Wheat crops in the U.S. Great Plains are showing signs that production may plunge more than the government forecast last week as hot weather and a lack of rain erode plant quality and force farmers to harvest early. …

Building on the success of the gluten-free products it already carries, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is expanding its range of gluten-free products and creating additional displays to highlight them in stores. Gluten-free items have always been among the most frequently requested products by customers and in January 2010, Fresh & Easy introduced more gluten-free items, created a labeling system for the products and added a list of all gluten-free products on its website: www.freshandeasy.com/glutenfree. …

Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products is rolling out a new video series that demonstrates its Cottage Bakery brand True Artisan bread’s performance superiority in side-by-side comparisons to non-artisan breads. …

The Bread Bakers Guild of America’s 2011 regional event series, Breadville USA: Exploring Local Baking in America, comes to the City by the Bay on June 18-19 with a sold-out class, “Introduction to Artisan Bread,” which will be taught by San Francisco Baking Institute faculty at SFBI’s facilities in South San Francisco, CA. …

Puratos new innovative chocolate fillings provide options for applications never thought possible. These bake stable fillings have superior flavor and work well for handmade product or industrial equipment. …