Magazín !dea 01 [EN]

01/2021 The Kornfeil magazine

Technology

RPA 1000

Testimonial

Dan Cake

Destination

Tartine

Recipe

Croissant

Marketing

Opportunities in times of crisis

01

ISSUE CONTENT

Foreword

Technology

Testimonial

03

TopCrust

Pecud Bakery

07 – 10

13 – 16

News

Testimonial

04

Dan Cake 17 – 18

Technology

RPA 1000 05 – 06

Technology

Personalities

Thermomax

Martin Abrahám

11 – 12

19 – 2O

Jirka Zajíček Ondřej Dulanský 21 – 22

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ISSUE CONTENT

Destination

Recipes

Tartine

Tartine Bread

23 – 25

26 – 28 Croissant 29 – 34

Marketing

Opportunities in times of crisis 35 – 38

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FOREWORD

Dear Bakers, even though all life happens online nowadays, we decided to present news from the Kornfeil world in the very traditional form of a printed quarterly named KORNFEIL IDEA. The IDEA magazine is not only about baking technologies and other boring things, but also about people and bread because these constitute the foundations of our world.

In this issue, we introduce a new construction solution for TopCrust thermal oil ovens since thermal oil is the hot new trend and TopCrust managed to elevate it to one of the most effective baking technologies ever. You can also read our interview with two talented chefs and find a recipe for the world’s most famous bread. Finally, we will show you that an industrial bakery can also produce top quality baked goods.

Enjoy the read

MARTINA KORNFEILOVÁ Head of Marketing and Sales

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NEWS TopCrust in brief Construction solution for Kornfeil multi-level ovens to decrease baking time by 20-25%. More loaves of bread can be baked on the same surface area (14-16 kg/m2) with lower requirements for input energy. Read more on pages 5 to 8.

Vojtěch Kornfeil’s departure

From 31st March 2020, Vojtěch Kornfeil no longer acts as the owner, executive director or an employee of Kornfeil spol. s r.o., Kornfeil Industry and Kornfeil Slovakia. Karel Kornfeil is currently managing the companies together with his daughter Martina.

Let’s welcome our new colleagues Last year, our sales department welcomed some new colleagues.

Marek Heča will be supported by Jakub Knápek, our new sales representatives for the West Bohemia and Northern Moravia regions. After many years, Milan Novotný left our company and has since been replaced by Tomáš Fidler as the export manager for the USA and Europe.

Installation projects in brief Despite complications brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to implement projects successfully. We deeply appreciate our long-term collaboration with KuchenMeister, which operates its bakeries in several European countries and uses the ThermoLine Turbo GTX technology. In late 2020, we successfully completed the installation of a fully

automated production line for form bread bread for United Bakeries and we are very happy that more and more Czech bakeries are becoming our satisfied customers, such as the Střelná Bakery, where we installed an automated bread production line with ThermoStar multi-level thermal oil ovens and an Asistent Com suction machine.

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TECHNOLOGY

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RPA 1000

Baking form bread in a mold has never been easier This year, we developed a new RPA device, which we had planned to include in our trade fair exhibitions. RPA is unique in that it merges a continuous leavening chamber with a multi-level cyclothermic oven, providing high-quality rye-wheat form bread baking. The machine has functions that not only simplify the baking process, but also make it more efficient.

Although we were unable to present all of the sophisticated functionalities at trade fairs, it did not stop us from sharing our product with the world. We came up with an alternative solution in the form of a fully animated microsite which enables you to acquaint yourself with the machine.

Automated placement of dough portions Connection to a central steam manifold with a temperature of 105 °C and pressure of 30 kPa Two baking temperature zones with separate Weishaupt burners Automated tilting of finished products and subsequent cleaning of molds

Read more at www.kornfeilrpa.com

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TECHNOLOGY

TopCrust technology: increased bread quality that saves time and money Although it is said that bread needs love and time, the TopCrust technology enables you to savebaking time while retaining the quality and technical parameters for an extra crispy crust. How is that possible? Kornfeil´s senior designer, Marek Zálešák, who was responsible for the development of this new and unique technological idea will answer this question.

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TOPCRUST

How can multi-level ovens with the TopCrust technology deliver the same or even better quality of bread as regular ovens in 15-20% less time?

The key is a perfect steam management system. Bread is normally baked at approximately 260 °C for about 15 minutes, after which the temperature is lowered. If you did not, your bread would be de facto

mise the product’s quality. Bakers

Why is that?

were looking for ways to perfect

Every baker has a different recipe

the air management system of their ovens. The most frequent being the opening the oven door to let air from the bakery in, but that made the temperature inside drop too quickly. The temperature was also different right behind the door and in the middle of

for German and Austrian rye breads which are famous for their thick, crispy crust. Czech bread usually does not contain as much rye and its composition is different. The baker also needs to try out different

loaves fluctuated.

degrees of steam and air flow. Once

With an oven with the TopCrust tech-

steam in the oven. TopCrust enables

nology, steam is drawn out gradually

you to bake at high temperatures

during the whole baking process.

during the whole process thanks to

Preheated air enters the oven as the

its complex steam and preheated air

hot steam leaves it, ensuring that

management system.

the temperature remains stable and each loaf is as good as the other and

Regular multi-level ovens also have a steam management system. What makes TopCrust different?

baked through to the centre. Each

When you draw steam from the oven,

This air and steam management system is popular especially among Czech bakers.

thing, otherwise you would compro-

TopCrust was developed primarily

the oven, so the quality of individual

cooked due to the large amount of

you have to replace it with some-

with specific baking requirements.

baker can set the amount of steam to be drawn out from 0 to 100 percent.

they find out the perfect proportion, they save it in the system and then just wait until their perfect loaves are ready.

Where does the preheated air to keep the oven temperature stable come from?

The air is sucked in from inside the bakery and is preheated to 180-200 °C by recuperation of the escaping steam, saving up to 7-8 % energy during bread baking. The incoming air allows the steam to be sucked away easily without opening

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TECHNOLOGY the door and ensures the perfect crispness of the crust required by the baker.

TopCrust can also be installed in multi-level ovens. Can you manage air and steam individually for each level or do they all have to have the same setting?

Each level has its own air and stream valve. You can even assemble an oven where only some levels use the TopCrust technology. However, we do not really recommend this solution.

You say that TopCrust is suitable for both small bakeries and large production lines.

Are there any requirements for a bakery to be able to use TopCrust successfully?

Most bakeries are limited by space and need smaller ovens. Therefore, we are glad we managed to develop TopCrust in a way that it is suitable

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for regular sized ovens. The only thing necessary for TopCrust to work is a chimney with a forced flow.

Bakeries with a free flow chimney cannot use TopCrust.

You spent more than a year developing and testing the new technology. What response did you get from bakers?

TopCrust was very successful and became popular among Austrian and German bakers. Czech bakers tend to be more sceptical when it comes to new ideas. We are very grateful to our technologist who visits Czech bakeries. At first, he was a little dubious about TopCrust, but now loves it. Bakers are businessmen as well, you know, so seeing a new technology that can save them money and improve the quality of their product is usually enough to convince them for trying out something new.

How long is the return on

invested capital if they decide to buy TopCrust?

The primary goal is increased bread quality and shelf life, along with customizable settings for the perfect crust. Another benefit is the 8-10% energy savings, which returns some of the capital and increases performance.

Are there going to be any innovations to multi-level ovens in the near future?

I think that at least our design department will have a break from multi-level ovens for a while.

TopCrust is truly an amazing technology and I have a deep trust in it. I also believe that our customers will be satisfied for now. Our current focus is on other types of ovens in order to get ahead of our competitors, as we did with TopCrust.

No other producer offers a similar system.

TOPCRUST

TopCrust developed

Small bakeries and large production lines Suitable primarily for baking bread Multilevel thermal oil ovens

Benefits of the TopCrust technology

Up to 20% shorter baking time

Marek Zálešák

Senior designer

Up to 5% lower loss after baking Crispier crust Shelf life extended by 1-2 days

32 years Technical secondary school in Strážnice, mechanical engineering Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

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TECHNOLOGY

ThermoMax thermal oil rack oven ThermoMax thermal oil rack ovens guarantee

rack ones. Gentle radiant heat ensures delightful

homogenous baking and delightful softness.

softness of both sweet and semolina pastries,

Rye form bread always baked through to the

but is also strong enough to bake three racks full

center with a super crispy crust. The baking

of form bread loaves all through to the center.

process is similar to multi-level ovens, but the manipulation with racks technically makes them

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THERMOMAX

Benefits

Baking by gentle radiant heat Perfect homogenous bread baked through to the center Maximum temperature stability Ideal heat distribution and curves for all kinds of baked goods

Standard equipment

A new generation control panel

Premium equipment

Automated door opening

Manual opening door

Escape valve for baking of bread products Placement rack for baking right on the oven racks

How does a thermal oil oven work Rack ovens are powered by thermal oil boilers situated outside the bakery in a separate boiler-room.

They enable several ovens to be connected as one system.

Technical design Operated in a fully automated mode Operational status and temperature of the boilers are displayed on the oven’s control panel inside the bakery Expansion and draining tanks constitute an essential part of the system in order to meet all safety and hygiene requirement

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TESTIMONIAL

Pecud Bakery winner of the title “Bread of the Year 2018” in the Czech Republic

Baked goods from the Pecud Bakery are well known in the region of Teplice. The bakery supplies more than 350 bakery shops. Pecud bread is their trademark. That is why, after many years, they decided to invest in new equipment and had an automated bread production line Kornfeil installed to replace the original cyclothermic tunnel oven.

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TESTIMONIAL The bakers quickly became accustomed to using the new device and won the title “Bread of the year 2018” only a few months after the multi-level oven equipped with TopCrust technology was put into operation.

What did we accomplish

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Customer expectations The main requirement of the bakery owners was that the new production line had to provide a wide range of both consumer and artisan breads of the highest quality.

They also wanted it to be as automated as possible while decreasing production costs.

Choosing the right solution Based on these requirements, we centered the production line around several ThermoStar thermal oil ovens with the new TopCrust technology. With TopCrust, we managed to cut baking time by up to 15% and increase the quality of the bread. TopCrust ensures that all loaves come out properly baked, with a perfect crust and soft center.

Process automation Many things have to be done before the dough gets to the oven In the Pecud Bakery, it all begins in the automated continuous leavening chamber. Once it has risen, portions of dough are moved using the passing table to the moistening table, with the AsistentLine placement machine subsequently placing the prepared loaves in the ovens. The whole process is fully automated.

The production line produces loaves of bread of different weights and shapes.

Environmentally friendly solution The production line is equipped with the EkoBlok device, which makes the Pecud Bakery one of the most environmentally friendly bakeries in the Czech Republic.

The EkoBlok device converts all outlet energy into hot water which is then used to heat the leavening chamber.

PECUD BAKERY

Would you like a similar solution for your bakery?

If you own a bakery producing a wide array of bread, do not hesitate to contact us. We will design an automated or semi-automated production line according to your needs.

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TESTIMONIAL

Dan Cake The KuchenMeister Group always uses the best ingredients and technologies, therefore we are also very proud that they chose our thermal oil tunnel oven for their DanCake Bakery.

The Danish bakery Dan Cake chose to install our ThermoLine TURBO GTX thermal oil tunnel oven because it meets their requirements for variability and temperature homogeneity.

The wider the selection of baked goods you want to offer, the higher the requirements for variability and temperature homogeneity, along with aspects like oven temperature management and input power reduction. We faced all these challenges when developing our new ThermoLine TURBO GTX

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thermal oil oven with variable heat exchanger.

The continuous oven is 2,500 mm long and 1,000-3,500 mm wide and combines thermal oil power as the primary carrier, vertical turbo power and heat convection. Temperature homogeneity ensures precise air flow management during all phases of the baking process. The air flows vertically in the oven and both air flow speed and volume can be adjusted. Every oven segment is equipped with one heater for top heat and one for bottom heat.

The ThermoLine TURBO GTX combines two independent heat carriers, namely thermal oil and convection. With the possibility of temperature regulation, Dan Cake can now save up to 10% energy and minimize odor emissions thanks to steam condensation.

The ThermoLine TURBO GTX thermal oil oven is suitable especially for bakeries offering a wide selection of sweet pastries, such as muffins and poppy seed strudels.

DAN CAKE

ThermoLine TURBO GTX This represents a revolutionary solution for the baking of products that require a precise temperature curve, enabling you to regulate temperature during each phase of the baking process separately.

Energy savings By regulating convection and radiation intensity, you can save up to 10% energy. Steam condensation minimizes odor emissions. The condensate produced is used by the heat exchanger as a condensation agent to stabilize the pressure conditions between the interior of the bakery and the oven. Excess condensate flows into the sewer system.

Management The system ensures optimal power and technology management, temperature measurement and management, as well as management of the thermal oil circuits.

The unique ThermoLine TURBO GTX thermal oil oven solution is suitable especially for bakeries offering a wide selection of sweet pastries, such as muffins, pound cakes and poppy seed strudels.

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PERSONALITIES

A bakery’s success is based on hard work

Twenty years ago, he began by mixing dough for rolls. Nowadays Martin Abraham co-owns the PECUD bakery with more than 250 employees. The bakery was founded by the Abrahám and Otcovský families as a joint venture. It is currently represented by Martin Abraham and Hynek Vala. Their baked goods are famous in the region of Teplice. They supply over 350 shops every day. Their quality baked goods were crowned “Bread of the Year” twice, this year for the second time. How did he come to the profession and what does a good baker need to know?

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MARTIN ABRAHÁM Martin Abrahám comes from a family of bakers. He is the fourth baker in the Abrahám family. “Baking has been part of my life since I was a child. My dad and grandpa often discussed the art of baking at home with their friends. Since childhood, this field has been very close and interesting to me. That is why I didn’t mind when my brother decided to pursue something else and I took up the family tradition,” the young baker says.

After finishing primary school, Martin attended a vocational secondary school in Pardubice for flour processing. “After graduation, I went to a college of chemistry and technology but did not graduate because I was more and more busy working at the bakery,” Martin says.

Although he is the owner’s son, he did not immediately take a managerial position, but started from the bottom and with the basics like everyone else. “I went through

all positions. I started in production baking rolls, then graduated to shift manager and later operations manager. Only a few years later I did become one of the company managers. It was the best school for me,” Abrahám smiles gratefully.

He is now the executive director of Pecud. He appreciates the variability of his job. “If you want to be a successful baker, you have to stay creative and constantly come up with new things. We try to invent new products several times a year.

To do so, we must carefully consider which technologies to buy. Then, we design new packaging for our baked goods, which should be as trendy and imaginative as possible.

We also have administrative and business management to deal with every day. People think that a baker only needs to have a good recipe for bread and that’s it - but the reality is much more complex: we have to keep track of new technologies and trends in many fields of expertise,”

the owner explains. Martin would like to make his profession attractive to more young people who are deciding about their future career.

“Being a baker is not a particularly sexy profession for today’s young people. For instance, there are only about 500 apprentice bakers in comparison to 4,500 confectioners at Czech vocational secondary schools. I think it’s hard to imagine what working in a bakery looks like when you are a student. That’s why we organize several field trips a year to our bakery for primary school children. We let them try out our fragrant craft and see its benefits,” Abrahám describes.

What does he most love about his profession? “I really appreciate that I can always snack at work,” Martin laughs. His favorite meal is a slice of Bohemian Forest (“Šumava”) bread with butter.

What baking equipment does Martin Abrahám use?

He had a new production line installed at his bakery, including a thermal oil oven with TopCrust technology from Kornfeil, worth CZK 25 million. With the new technology, he can save energy and invent new types of baked goods of an even better quality.

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PERSONALITIES

Jirka Zajíček Former chef of the Kohout na víně art wine restaurant, current chef at the Selaví in Bratislava.

What is your relationship to bread and baked goods in general?

Do you prefer to bake your pastries yourself or have it supplied by recognized bakeries?

My relationship to bread and baked goods is very good. I think that most Europeans just love bread. I can’t even imagine a day without a piece of pastry...

We bake our own pastries, but I can imagine collaborating with a renowned bakery if we needed more of it.

Do you serve bread at your restaurant?

It is not hard, I would just appreciate a wider selection of quality flours.

Yes, of course... We offer two types of baked goods daily, mainly bread plus something extra for variation...

Today we have sourdough bread baked from three types of flour with mashed potatoes, blood sausages and rosemary. We also have sourdough rolls with red cabbage that we serve warm with chicken butter…

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Is it hard for you to find reliable suppliers?

What selection requirements do you have for your kitchen and are there suppliers who meet them in your area?

I think I have already answered that question...

5 QUESTIONS FOR CHEFS

Ondřej Dulanský Chef at the Pavillon

What is your relationship to bread

Is it hard for you to find reliable

and baked goods in general?

suppliers?

I love baked goods. I eat some every day.

Yes, only a few stores offer high quality products.

Do you serve bread at your

What selection requirements do you have for your kitchen and are there suppliers who meet them in

restaurant?

Yes. Do you prefer to bake your pastries yourself or have it

your area?

Good quality bread is key.

supplied by recognized bakeries?

I mostly purchase them, but sometimes bake my own.

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DESTINATION

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TARTINE BAKERY

Tartine history Chad and Elisabeth settled down in California and opened a little bakery called Bay Village in a small town north of San Francisco. While Elisabeth specialized in sweet pastries and confectionery, Chad focused on bread and gradually perfected his technique to what he describes as “three ingredients and a world of possibilities: flour, water and coarse grained salt”.

TEXT Petr Macháček

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DESTINATION

It all started in 1995.

Missing the rush of the city, they returned to San Francisco where an opportunity to open a new bakery came up five years later. It became one of the most renowned ones in the area virtually overnight. It still bears the name Tartine. For the following 20 years, the baker couple has acquired a lot of experience that they are now happily sharing with the world. Their international influence is evident from the books they have published. Since the first one published in 2006, they have sold more than forty thousand copies with the number constantly growing. Chad was nominated for the James Beard Award for his book Tartine Book No. 3. Apart from writing, they organize baking courses for both professionals and beginners in the US and overseas. There is no doubt that Chad and Elisabeth represent an ageless phenomenon in the baking world.

Today, Tartine bakeries can also be found in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea. What connects the individual bakeries is not only the beautiful artisan work and the delicious smell of baked goods, but also the consistent minimalistic design of their interiors and exteriors, which is aimed solely at accentuating the products and services provided.

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TARTINE HISTORY

Bake your own Tartine bread Sadly, the current situation does not allow us to explore and appreciate these places. However, that does not stop us from enjoying this experience at least indirectly from the safety of our homes. Let’s get a taste of Tartine by preparing their signature bread, which is characterized by the use of only a small amount of sourdough starter and long fermentation.

A

B

Ingredients for sourdough starter

1 kg fine wheat bread flour

1 kg fine whole wheat flour

Ingredients for bread 200 g sourdough starter 900 g fine wheat bread flour 100 g fine whole wheat flour 20 g fine sea salt 100 g rice flour 750 ml lukewarm water (approx. 22-24 °C)

What next? For detailed instructions, see the next page.

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RECIPE

Instructions

05

01 Begin with the sourdough starter: Mix 1,000 g of fine flour and 1,000 g of whole flour. Pour 100 ml of lukewarm water in a small glass or bowl and add 100 g of the flour mix. Knead by hand into a dense ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and put away to rest at room temperature for 2-3 days, until a blistery crust forms on top.

03 The night before baking, mix 1 spoonful of sourdough starter with 200 ml of lukewarm water and stir by hand.

Add 200 g of fine flour and mix together. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest at room temperature for at least 8 hours. To test if the sourdough starter is ready, put a spoonful in a glass of lukewarm water. If the sourdough starter floats, it is ready to use. If it sinks, let it ferment for a little longer.

Cover the prepared dough with a towel and transfer it to a warm place to rise, ideally at 25-26 °C (by a window in a sunny room or in an off oven) and let it rise for 30 minutes. Fold the dough with moistened hands by pulling the bottom part and spreading it over the rest of the dough onto the top edge. Repeat three times, always turning the dough by 45°. Fold for the first time after 30 minutes, for the second time after one hour and for the third time after an hour and a half. Then let the dough rise one last time. The rising time should be approximately 3-3.5 hours in total. Risen dough has a crinkly surface and is 20-30 % larger in size. If not, continue letting it rise and folding it.

04 Pour 200 g of sourdough starter and 700 ml of lukewarm water in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. (Keep the rest of the sourdough starter for later use.) Add 900 g of fine flour and 100 g of whole flour and mix into a dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest for 25 to 40 minutes at room temperature. Add 20 g of fine sea salt and 50 ml of lukewarm water and mix in by hand.

02 Once the sourdough starter begins bubbling, you have to “feed” it. Keep the sourdough starter at room temperature and remove approximately 3/4 of it at the same time every day. Feed the sourdough starter with a 50/50 lukewarm water/flour mix to replace the amount you removed. The sourdough starter is ready when it rises and falls and smells a little sour. (This preparation should go on for about a week.)

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TARTINE BREAD

11

07 Mix 100 g of rye bread flour and 100 g of rice flour. Pour the flour mix onto two kitchen towels and place them in round rising baskets with a 25-30 cm diameter (for approximately 1 kg of dough). Set some of the flour mix aside.

Before slicing, transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 15 minutes. A loaf of bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Increase the temperature to 260 °C, clean the pot and repeat the procedure with another ball.

09 Transfer portions of dough into the prepared rising baskets, cover with towels and let it rise for 3-4 hours at room temperature or 10-12 hours in the fridge.

08 Place dough portions on a surface sprinkled with flour. Take two bottom corners of the dough and pull them together and down. After that, fold them over to the center. Repeat the same procedure with the left side of the ball – pull the edges and fold them over the center. Finally, pull the upper corners up and place them over the existing folds. Turn the ball so that the folded side is down. Its upper side should be smooth and tight. Repeat the same procedure with the other dough ball.

06 Place the dough on a surface sprinkled with flour. Divide it into two equal parts and turn them so the floured side is down. Form them into balls, cover with a towel and let them rest for 30 minutes.

10 Approximately 30 minutes before baking, put a cast iron pot with a cover in the oven and heat it to 260 °C. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and transfer the dough you prepared into it with the folded side down. Make incisions on the upper part of the ball with a cutter or a knife. Lower the temperature to 230 °C and bake covered for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and bake for 20 more minutes until the crust is golden brown.

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RECIPE

Making the perfect croissant We would be lying if we said that making the perfect croissant is easy.

You not only have to master many complex methods, but also need to proceed very carefully and have perfect control over the working conditions and time. The result is, however, more than just a baked product. It is a tool for happiness. The changing structures when you bite into it, the irresistible smell... Let’s look into how croissants are made.

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CROISSANT

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RECIPE

Basic recipe

Ingredience 100 % flour T530 23,5 % water 23,5 % whole milk 12,5 % sugar 2 % salt

Flour For croissants and other phyllo or puff dough pastries, we recommend using flour with a higher gluten content. In the Czech Republic, you can make great croissants from the commonly available flour T530/T512 (you can also use a dough conditioner if you only have substandard flour). Original French recipes use a combination of the flours T55/ T512 in different ratios, or recommend the use of specialist flours and phyllo dough pastries

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that you can also buy in the Czech Republic.

If you are using, for example, Italian flour, look for the W320-380/P/L 04-0.7 type with a 13-15% protein content. The right selection of flours is key to a delicious croissant.

Moisture The absorption of moisture depends on the flour you use and its properties. The moisture ratio of croissant dough should be 44-52%.

The aim is to end up with a cohesive

dough of medium firmness that does not stick. You can use just plain water or a water/milk mixture like in our recipe. Powdered milk can also be added.

Butter Butter constitutes an integral part of the French croissant. It is responsible for its typical delicate structure, but also the smell and taste. Not every commonly available butter is suitable for making croissants. It’s best to use butter for bakers. This tends to have

CROISSANT

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RECIPE

a higher fat content, better elasticity and higher melting temperature, which is something you will appreciate when it comes to making croissants. If you are lucky, you may come across premium butter from northern France.

Without butter made specially for phyllo pastry that comes already flattened, you can prepare a 1-1.5 thick rectangle from a regular block of butter. The recipe contains 50-65% butter, so you need 500-650 g of butter for 1 kg of flour.

Even though people say there is never enough butter, when it comes to croissants, this might not be true as using more than 65% butter can make them too heavy. Adding about 5-10% fat butter can help improve

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dough properties and make it easier to work. Regular butter can be used.

Dough preparation

by putting it in the freezer for 30-40 minutes first and later transfer it to the fridge. The dough should rest at 1-4 °C for 8-16 hours.

Mix ingredients into a dough. Knead for 4-5 minutes in the slow mode and

Folding the dough

4-6 min in the fast mode. Kneading time depends on the mixer you use. Be careful not to overwork the dough. In this phase, its temperature should be 22-24 °C. Remove the dough from the mixer, determine the right amount by weighing it (3-4 kg of dough per 1 kg of butter) and leave to rest on the table for about 15 minutes. After that, roll it out to a 2-3 cm thick rectangle, wrap it in plastic foil and place it in the fridge.

Make sure to let the dough cool as soon as possible. You can also start

Because we are working with butter that melts at lower temperatures than other fats commonly used for baking, we recommend to keep the room relatively cool. You need to prevent the butter from melting for it to form even and visible layers.

The recommended temperature during processing is 12-16 °C for butter and 0-3 °C for dough, depending on your preferences and the ingredients you are using.

In every case, the dough and butter should be equally firm to touch and

CROISSANT have the same structure.

If the opposite is the case, the butter will not spread evenly in the dough or will crack. Shape the dough into a rectangle, place the flattened butter in the middle and cover it with dough from both sides.

There are more ways to fold the dough - choose the right one based on the desired result. We use a “book” or double fold to get a total of 16 butter layers. Continue by turning the dough block by 90º and rolling it out to 8-10 mm. Fold into thirds and then again into a half.

Turn by another 90º and repeat the whole procedure. Once you finish folding, wrap the dough in plastic foil and place in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes. After that, roll the dough out to approximately 3.5-4 mm and cut into triangles. The base of the triangle should be about 9-10 cm long and the length of the perpendicular sides to the center of the base about 28-30 cm long.

Roll each triangle into the shape of a croissant and leave to rise.

The rising time should be about 120 minutes at 27-28 °C. The temperature is lower because of the butter content in order to prevent it from melting. Once the rolls double in size, they are well risen.

Before baking, glaze the croissants with a beaten egg or a mixture of egg yolk and milk. Bake for approximately 15-17 minutes at 180–190 °C in a hot air or rotating oven.

As we have already mentioned, making perfect croissants is far from easy. You can even call it the very opposite. However, hard work, care and precision will be awarded with a source of happiness shared by the baker and those who get to enjoy their creation.

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MARKETING

for change in time of crisis TEXT Jakub Maca

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OPPORTUNITIES IN TIMES OF CRISIS Only under pressure does it become evident whether we are able to change our habits, maintain our determination and integrity and quickly respond to unexpected circumstances. These abilities are crucial because a crisis- whether it be personal or societal can happen to anyone and when it does, nobody can avoid it.

We often underestimate some people’s ability to face unexpected issues and are surprised at how well they react. Stress can test our flexibility and improvisation skills and former leaders sometimes struggle. Why is that? Are there any general rules we can stick to withstand crises or come out even stronger?

There is no doubt that the whole of humanity has been going through a lot since the beginning of last year.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented blow to the life on our planet and we can already see that like past crises, it will continue to impact us for many years to come. The tragic effects on human lives and healthcare systems are now being matched by the impact on our social life, culture and businesses. COVID-19 restrictive measures brought about a major change to all patterns of our behavior. The abrupt ban on meetings, travelling and events, as well as curfews, sadly had a fatal impact on many fields of human activity and business.

On the other hand, there are people who have managed to profit from the situation and have looked for opportunities where others only see disaster. We did not all have the same starting position, but even among the most affected, there were people who managed to act quickly and smartly, and adapted to the new circumstances and saved their businesses. As Friedrich Nietzsche said in one of his famous

quotes, “those who will survive will find meaning in the suffering and come out stronger and better prepared for what is to come.”

Trends in the current crisis It’s been almost a year since we got hit by the first wave of the pandemic that virtually paralyzed the whole world. As the owner of a communication agency, I reached out to our clients from different fields of expertise by phone to find out how they were doing and what their expectations for the future were. Everyone was panicking, more or less. Some statements were utterly pessimistic, some realistic and rational and some even slightly optimistic.

People from the digital sector were definitely the calmest, rightly anticipating that meetings would move from the personal level to the virtual. Although the digitalization trend became the most conspicuous phenomenon of the COVID-19 crisis, it is really nothing new. Digitalization has slowly permeated the whole public space, our personal lives and all aspects of business. Our existence has gradually shifted to the virtual realm where we meet, talk, shop, have fun, and connect with new people.

Even activities we had deemed unthinkable are now done online.

The pandemic and associated restrictions only accelerated this trend and those who did not pay much attention to their internet presence or refused to go with

the flow now find themselves left behind. Companies that were used to presenting themselves primarily at personal meetings or at trade fairs suddenly realized that their website can and should be just as convincing as their most talented sales representative. They understood that video can render processes they once presented during personal tours much more effectively. It became clear that various goods and services that were offered in stores can easily be sold online and work monitoring does not have to be personal but can be redirected to digital programs that are intuitive and sophisticated. Those who joined the digitalization trend before the pandemic and feel at home in the digital world perceive the crisis in a less pessimistic vein. Some of them literally owe their business to this decision. We wish all who are now trying to make up for everything they missed the best of luck and lots of patience. If they succeed, they will be able to say that the crisis helped them initiate their firm’s transformation into a modern business with a strong online presence.

This is one of the topics I discussed with the director of a company providing digitalization services during the first wave of the pandemic. Back then, we were working on a interior design project for their new office building with a capacity for hundreds. He did not worry about much else except

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MARKETING

Demand for working from home is definitely going to rise as well. Ultimately, this trend could also decrease or stunt prices for city office spaces due to the lower demand for them.

for this plan. The company’s headquarters in Switzerland made a last-minute decision to stop the investment until the global market situation becomes clearer. At that time, nobody knew what the economic situation was going to be and large companies naturally did not want to lose cash flow.

Eventually, the company’s situation turned out quite interestingly.

Given its field of expertise, the company did not face financial difficulties - quite the contrary but decided to cancel the office building project anyway. During the ongoing crisis, the managers realized that the company’s large team can work from home with the same, if not greater effectivity.

That is another trend that will shape the post-COVID world. For various reasons, companies had a unique opportunity to try out and improve their remote work organization skills in practice. Demand for working from home is definitely going to rise as well and companies will support it. Ultimately, this trend could also decrease or stunt prices for city office spaces due to the lower demand for them. Considering the soaring real estate prices, this is positive news. In general, we can say that this aspect of the current situation could bring about many abrupt changes to the labor market, with an increasing number of especially young people requiring greater flexibility from their

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employers who should be ready to handle the organization thereof.

People from companies that managed to complete at least partial automation of their production before the pandemic hit were also somewhat relieved.

Providers of such technologies appeared cautiously optimistic.

The representatives of a Czech university that specializes in industry 4.0 R&D also sounded very hopeful about the future in our conversation. In spite of negatively affecting many processes that depend on human resources, it could start a wave of automation of the Czech industry, which is currently falling behind global industrial leaders. If the Czech Republic responds to the current situation with the digitalization and automation of production, it will be good news for all of us.

The art of improvisation and the power of one’s tribe Among the most concerned were naturally our clients from the services sector who were hit particularly hard. We should point out that everybody acted constructively and tried to find a way to save their business. And as is said - where there’s a will, there’s a way. We are surrounded by so many inspiring stories of success.

Those who could did not hesitate and made an effort to

be present even though their businesses were closed. Masseurs, beauticians and hairdressers temporarily turned into travelling professions communicating with their customers on social media, where they also posted their products. Many understood that the key to overcoming the crisis lies in innovation. We are helping the owners of a gym to start a new online TV channel about healthy lifestyles, with both live stream viewing and online library functionalities for exercising at home. We created an e-shop for an ice cream shop to help them sell their product in a two-cup container they can deliver right to your door when you feel like chilling with ice cream and watching Netflix, not thinking about the outside chaos.

We also designed pedal disinfection stands for an events agency to offer to companies and institutions in their client base across the Czech Republic. The crisis made all of the mentioned companies realize their strengths and weaknesses and they are doing their best to improvise and get over it. I believe they will succeed and will benefit not only from the valuable experience but also from business model innovation.

Gastronomy requires a chapter of its own. We can see great differences in how companies have handled and are handling the crisis in this sector too, with some hospitality

OPPORTUNITIES IN TIMES OF CRISIS businesses facing extraordinary hardship. Especially catering companies, pubs and bars without a kitchen or with a lot staff are dealing with serious problems.

Bistros with lower staff costs are somehow doing better, operating in a restricted mode thanks to takeout windows and deliveries.

The social media trend became very prominent with the restrictions and it is social media that helped many businesses survive. Those who successfully built a network of supporters before the pandemic, and who listened and kept in touch to cooperate on their brand,

on their owners. It is not easy to be constantly scrutinized by thousands of fans on social media platforms who are used to good quality food along with great service and a friendly approach. The crisis, however, shows that such an attitude pays off.

Building a community or tribe around your brand is a trend more and more companies are adopting, realizing that on social media, it is the customers who create a company’s image. This football club mentality centered around the carefully built stories of their playersheroes with thousands

It is not easy to be constantly scrutinized by thousands of fans on social media platforms who are used to good quality food along with great service and a friendly approach. The crisis, however, shows that such an attitude pays off.

can now count on them. Their followers formed a community in the truest sense of the word. A community that will not let their favorite businesses fail, stubbornly ordering from the ones they love.

For three years, gastronomy has functioned on an almost tribal basis and those who profited from their advantageous location or long tradition and did not focus on building their fanbase are now in trouble. The fact that catering businesses are moving closer to people places high requirements

World after the crisis Crises such as the current one often come at the turning point of an era and reveal patterns that have been present in society for a long time, but have remained hidden. They can turn the world upside down and change the course of history for a long time ahead. Guessing the turn of events is difficult at least. It is crucial to quickly find one’s bearings and be as flexible as possible. Even though it can be very painful.

We notice trends that are becoming more prominent and pivotal both in the social and business spheres.

These include digitalization and the transition to the online realm, the automation of activities dependent on human resources, flexible working times and conditions and suitable project management, and the building of strong communities around brands primarily on social media platforms. With this in mind, I believe that with time we will perceive the crisis as an historic turn of events that helped accelerate the world we are going to live in. What will it look like is up to us.

of fans all around the world is becoming a phenomenon not only in gastronomy or fashion, but in all B2C (business to client) sectors. In the light of this major turn in branding, existing marketing theories lose their validity and will continue to do so after the crisis.

You can read more on the topic in the next issue of the IDEA Magazine that will deal with the use of social media in business and customer approach in the Marketing column.

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The legend behind sugar cubes The description of sugar cube speaks for itself. Until the first half of the 19th century, sugar was transported mainly in the form of sugar loaves. Jakub Kryštof Rad, who worked as the director of

As with many other inventions, coincidence played a major role.

In 1841, Rad’s wife Juliana tried to split a sugar loaf and hurt her finger. Sugar loaves were hard and impractical, reaching up

the refinery in Dačice, is said to have invented sugar cubes. He patented the idea in 1843 and on 23rd January 1843 acquired the sole privilege to produce it.

to 1.5 m high. Everybody who wanted sugar either needed a hammer, pliers or a heaver. Juliana suggested to her husband, the refinery director and enthusiastic inventor, that he should come up with an easier way. The rest is history.

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CZECH INNOVATIONS THROUGHOUT HISTORY

The Princess and the Pea as a symbol of genetics The world knows Mendel as a monk and a scientist from Austria (you can check the English Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica), but we can forgive them. Gregor Johann Mendel was born

Mendel had an opportunity to study breeding thanks to support of the Austin Friars. In its time, the order played the role of what we would now call a science incubator. Many elite scientists are

on 20th July 1822 in the Moravian-Silesian village of Hynčice (nowadays part of Vražné) near Nový Jíčín, in what was then part of Austria-Hungary. Although Mendel’s parents, Anton Mendel and Rosine née Schwirtlich, were German, he was a quarter Czech.

associated with them. Those who entered the order in Alt-Brünn taught at local schools or practiced science, as did Mendel.

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PUBLISHER Kornfeil spol. s. r. o.

GRAPHIC DESIGN STEEZY, s.r.o.

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