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While India has forever used plenty of innovative cooking techniques, from tandoor to steaming, the concept of baking as such is anything but Indian-origin. The concept of bakeries and confectionaries we see at the modern Indian bakeries today are completely foreign and do not have any relation to the Indian culinary techniques or palate. Most bakery products in India were either introduced by the Parsis or the Europeans, ranging from Pav to Croissant.
Today throughout the country, we can find enormous numbers of cafes and bakeries like Glenaries, Wenger’s Bakery, Kayani & Co. etc, that date back to those colonial days. New Indian patisserie chefs like Pooja Dhingra have maintained the standards set by international bakeries while also innovating more in the field. The Indian public too has embraced bakery products for everything from tea-time to birthdays.
Wondering what some of the most popular international bakery products in India today are? Here is a whole list you can refer to and pick from.
1. Croissant
Croissants are delicious pastries with many layers that melt in your mouth because they contain butter. The Vienna Crescent is an ancient Viennese pastry created in the 1600′s and has since become recognised as a French favourite too. A leavened yeast dough is used to make croissants which involves rolling and folding several times resulting in their characteristic texture. Croissants can be enjoyed plain, with chocolate filling, or combined with a cup of hot coffee, making it a much-adored treat appreciated globally due to its tastiness and ability to serve different purposes.
2. Cookies
There is no corner of the globe where cookies aren’t loved. Sweetened baked goods are endless such as classic chocolate chip cookies to sophisticated Macarons. Cookies have their roots in Persia, which is today’s Iran. In fact, it was in Europe where they gained popularity. These usually consist of flour, sugar, butter, eggs, nuts, chocolate or fruits as some unique additives. While either soft and chewy or crispy and crunchy, a cookie always satisfies one physically and emotionally. It is also suitable to nibble on, during parties and with tasty milk or hot tea.
Video Credit: Youtube/ Bake With Shivesh
3. Muffins
Muffins, also known as cupcakes, delights you with a soft, moist texture, many flavors and endless possibilities for their combinations. It is a product from the UK that comes in little single servings in options of sweet and savoury such as traditional blueberry, chocolate chip, tangy lemon poppyseed, and cheesy bacon cheddar. It is ideal for morning tea, snacks, and a sweet course. Muffins, with their soft batter rise in a hot oven to create a sweet-smelling, portable comfort goodie that no one would refuse.
4. Puffs
Savory snacks known as Puffs or pattice are enjoyed by people all over the world. Inspire by delicious pies made in France from flaky dough with different fillings such as vegetables, meat or dairy products that will melt into your mouth, the Indian puffs usually contain potatoes, paneer, chicken or even mutton. To that end, puffs and pattice are eaten either as starters/street food, or just on their own in order to relish different cuisines.
5. Cream Roll
The cream roll of Schillerlocken is Austria’s version of this pastry as it is known in German. It is a wonderful treat made of crispy, mildly sweet puff-pastry rolled into a tube. More often than not, they are filled with rich and creamy, usually flavored from vanilla creams. The dessert is made up of a crispy exterior and a soft velvet interior texture. Cream rolls have an ever-increased reputation in many countries that find them irresistibly tasty; and they help quench sweet cravings.
Image Credit: Pixabay
6. Pastries
Delicious pastries, which are worldly-loved baked goodies that were first found in Ancient Egypt before moving on to the European lands. This refers to a variety of yummy snacks, both sweet and savoury. For example, classic varieties consist of croissants, danish pastries, and turnover with fruits. They come in different fillings, shapes and sizes but are flexible. The pastry which can serve as a breakfast treat or a sweet dessert provides an exquisite mix of taste and texture experience. The exterior of these are generally golden and crispy while they contain surprise treats that are mouth-watering even for different age groups.
7. Doughnut
Some of the sweet foods we enjoy having immensely, the doughnut was invented from the Netherlands, migrated to New York and gained immense popularity across the world from there on. In this case, sweet, dough ball is usually fried, which forms a crunchy outer layer with an inner texture that is moist and airy. There are different flavours of doughnuts including classic glazed and powdered sugar, bacon-maple and matcha to mention a few. This is especially true of doughnuts that may have cream or jam filling, as well as being colourfully decorated with multi-coloured sprinkle toppings. Doughnuts are a good mix of textures and tastes, giving satisfaction during breakfast or desserts.
8. Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a delicious sweet cake that supposedly comes from ancient Greece and yet New York claims that it belongs to them. More often than not, it is filled with a dense cream, normally consisting of cream cheese, sugar, some eggs, placed over a layer of graham crackers or cookies. Texture ranges from being light and a bit fluffy to heavy but velvety, depending on the recipe. Some cheesecakes are flavored with vanilla, chocolate, fruits, and may even have salty components. Cheesecake provides a mouth-watering and scrumptious treat that can be topped with sweetened fruit compote, whipped cream, or chocolate syrup.
