This is one of the less visible sides of


MORNING GOODS AND PASTRIES There is premiumisation, but also value


premium pastry production. Consumers see the flaky layers. They do not see the tolerances that created them. Yet those tolerances are becoming


increasingly important as manufacturers attempt to industrialise products whose appeal is rooted in perceived craftsmanship. From the production engineer’s


perspective, the task is therefore almost counterintuitive: industrialise the product without industrialising away the qualities that make it desirable.


A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN HOW CONSUMERS DISCOVER, EXPERIENCE, AND CONNECT WITH BAKERY PRODUCTS


The new manufacturing equation Bühler’s 2026 work provides another indication of where industrial baking is heading. Its latest developments emphasise efficiency, flexibility, digitalisation and improved energy performance, while its wider commentary around Interpack 2026 identified rising raw material costs, sustainability requirements, health regulation and the need for flexible production as major pressures on manufacturers. Céline Vachet, Head of Product Management Biscuit at Bühler, described the company’s latest systems as combining “efficiency, flexibility, and ease of use”. Although much of Bühler’s 2026 announcement focuses on biscuits, the principles are directly relevant to morning goods: equipment has to be easier to operate, easier to clean, more adaptable and more economical to run. Bühler’s TurbuBake Smart oven, for


example, is designed to reduce energy consumption through an optimised heating and airflow concept, with the company reporting savings of up to 15%. The same is true of waste. If a pastry


designed to produce up to 30,000 croissants per hour, with the emphasis on gentle dough handling and consistent quality. Speed is only valuable when it does not


destroy the characteristics that make a croissant desirable in the first place. Reading Bakery Systems makes a similar point around cutting. Its 2026 technical guidance stresses that precision cutting is essential to maintaining size, shape and uniformity while protecting the laminated layers. Poor cutting can compress or damage those


layers, affect baking performance and increase waste.


line can reduce dough trim, maintain more accurate filling weights or make faster changeovers possible, the sustainability gain and the financial gain are effectively the same thing.


Morning goods therefore sit at an


interesting intersection. They are products designed to create a sense of pleasure and craftsmanship, but increasingly produced through highly engineered systems in which every gram of dough, every minute of oven time and every production change matters.


A breakfast category with somewhere to go What makes the current moment particularly interesting is that the morning bakery is not being driven by one trend.


pressure. There is indulgence, but also demand for protein and fibre. There is fascination with global flavours, but also a renewed appetite for familiar formats. There is a desire for artisan quality, alongside the need for automated production. Mintel’s 2026 research captures this


tension particularly well. Its UK sweet baked goods analysis suggests that portion-controlled and better-for-you products can create new breakfast and snacking occasions, while its breakfast research identifies international flavours as an opportunity, particularly among younger consumers. In other words, the morning bakery


is becoming less about one traditional definition of breakfast. A pastry can now be a breakfast, a snack, an indulgent treat, a social-media discovery or a premium convenience purchase. That widening set of occasions creates room for manufacturers to innovate, but it also raises the technical bar. Dawn Foods’ four 2026 trend territories


— Sweet Connections, Elevated Indulgence, Simple Pleasures and Empowering Choices — perhaps provide the clearest picture of that balancing act. The industry is not moving away from indulgence. It is becoming more deliberate about what indulgence means. The winning products are likely to be


those that give consumers something to notice: a contrast in texture, a premium filling, an unexpected flavour, a recognisable ingredient, a visually distinctive shape or simply an unusually good eating experience. But none of that matters if the product


cannot be manufactured economically and consistently. That is the defining characteristic of morning goods and pastries in 2026. Innovation is no longer happening in isolation in the product development kitchen. It is happening simultaneously in ingredient laboratories, fermentation research, sheeting systems, ovens, software, filling equipment and retail shelves. The croissant may still begin with flour,


butter, yeast and water. The brioche may still depend on eggs and butter. The morning bun may still be recognisable as something that belongs beside a cup of coffee. What has changed is everything happening between the recipe and the customer. And that is where the next generation of morning bakery is being made.


AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 29


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