Morning Calls

Fresh-baked items are syncing with morning routines, meeting consumer demand for portability and quality while driving profitability into the afternoon. Muffins, cinnamon rolls, scones and biscuits not only anchor menus, they’re strongholds. Classics are beloved, but baked goods also welcome innovation by way of toppings such as brown butter granola, seasonal fruit, roasted nuts and sweet and salty flavors. Sweet aromas await.

Menu Must-Haves

Items that dominate

Take it Away

Biscuits are an a.m. bright spot, reaching 13% of breakfast menus, a 20% increase over the previous four years. The rise of handheld breakfast sandwiches and Southern cuisine has driven some of the growth.

Good things come in small packages

Miniature baked goods have staying power. Smaller-sized pastries satisfy sharing among fellow diners, the chance to mix and match flavors and the opportunity to cash in on snacking occasions when consumers might not want a full-sized treat.

Tomorrow Morning

Consumers will continue embracing the sweeter side of breakfast:

• Proteins and protein-rich grains will become greater breakfast influencers. Expect rolls and buns to not just have plain but roasted and seasoned nuts to offer bolder flavors
• Higher-nutrient whole grains and ancient grains – oat flour, flax meal and kamut among others – are expected to make greater inroads. They satisfy a younger generation that wants healthier foods
• Clean label ingredients will make a greater impact to meet consumer demand for transparency. Think non-GMO grains, no artificial flavors or colors and natural ingredients
• Salty-sweet flavors are poised to make a larger impact among breakfast pastries, such as salted caramel and bacon, jumping from doughnuts to morning buns

For more inspiration and menu ideas, check out generalmillscf.com

On the Menu

Inside the biscuit

Coffee braised brisket, egg, mustard greens, tomato and Dijon
Division 3, Los Angeles

Housemade chicken sausage, organic egg, cheddar and basil pesto
Bird Bird Biscuit, Austin

Tofu bacon, “omelette,” vegan cheese, avocado and tomato
Water Course Foods, Denver

Peanut butter, banana, honey and bacon
Wandering Goose, Seattle

Smoked sausage, cherry jam and pimento cheese
Fox. Bros. Barb-B-Que/Que-Osk, Atlanta