MORNING GOODS AND PASTRIES


notes that two in three under-35 breakfast eaters are drawn to globally inspired ideas, while smaller, nutrient-dense formats are becoming more relevant as eating habits evolve. Its UK cakes and sweet baked goods research also identifies breakfast as an opportunity for high-fibre products, with 58% of consumers finding high-fibre variants appealing for the occasion.


The texture economy If there is one characteristic running through the latest thinking on morning bakery, it is texture. Puratos’ Taste Tomorrow 2026 research describes texture as a major driver of food enjoyment, with 71% of consumers considering it important. Its analysis of brioche goes further, identifying softness, visual appeal and the sensation of eating as central to the format’s renewed popularity. For pastry manufacturers, this is hardly surprising. A successful croissant is experienced before it is fully eaten: the sound of the first break, the resistance of the outer layer, the release of butter and the contrast between crisp lamination and soft interior all contribute to the product’s identity. But creating those qualities consistently at industrial scale is a very different proposition from producing them in a small bakery. Puratos has identified brioche as one


F


rom brioche and croissants to filled Danish pastries and new-format sweet bakes, the morning bakery is becoming a


more sophisticated proposition. In 2026, manufacturers are being asked to balance indulgence with nutrition, novelty with familiarity, and artisan-style quality with the realities of industrial production. The morning bakery segment is familiar enough to feel reassuring, yet open enough to accommodate almost endless variations on the theme. A croissant can be plain, filled, laminated into a cube, turned into a hybrid or dressed with pistachio, raspberry or chocolate. A brioche can remain a French classic or become a premium burger bun, breakfast sandwich carrier or highly visual sweet bake. What is changing in 2026 is not necessarily the appetite for these products, but the number of expectations being placed upon them. Consumers want indulgence, but


BRIOCHE STANDS AT THE PINNACLE OF THIS CATEGORY


increasingly with a reason to choose it. They want


interesting textures,


recognisable ingredients, premium flavours and formats that feel worth sharing. At the same time, manufacturers are working against higher ingredient and labour costs, tighter production requirements and the need to make increasingly complex products consistently at scale. Mintel’s 2026 research points to breakfast as an increasingly interesting opportunity for sweet bakery. Its UK breakfast analysis


of the most interesting areas of growth in 2026. Its May analysis describes a “brioche renaissance”, with more than 300 new brioche products launched across 50 countries during 2025. The company argues that the format’s appeal comes partly from its ability to provide a familiar base for experimentation. “Brioche stands at the pinnacle of this


category,” Puratos says, linking its rise to consumers’ growing interest in texture and premium softness. The attraction for manufacturers is equally


clear. Brioche can be premiumised without becoming unfamiliar. It can carry sweet or savoury flavours, support fillings and inclusions, move between breakfast and lunch, and adapt to both retail and foodservice. Puratos’ research also highlights the


tension at the heart of this movement. While consumers increasingly want more interesting and internationally influenced flavours, 69% still look for a familiar element when trying something new. Brioche provides precisely that bridge: an established format capable of carrying something less familiar.


AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 25


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