English pies and cakes.

[ADW]

I live in Soi 102 and there are plenty of households, restaurants and bars up there now compared to 5 years ago when you could go all the way up without seeing a house. Also, I don't know what everyone is complaining about going to immigration - I've only got a lill ole car, not some big 4WD and never had a problem.

Anyway - when I go back to England, the first thing I seem to buy is decent pork pies, scotch eggs and cornish pasties - so I would certainly be happy to see a good supplier on my side of town.

Bring it on!

[Heebio]

Hi Don,

I also live in soi 102 and if you are planning to locate where I think you are meaning, there will be absolutely no problem with the road/access etc. Do you mean the partially completed row of townhouses just over the rail tracks on the right hand side?

One question for you. As your wife is obviously a great baker, is it at all possible that she can produce authentic morning rolls like you get back home? They must be the most simple thing to produce but for the life of me I've never found a decent bread roll anywhere in Thailand. I appreciate that this is a very low margin product compared to some of the pastries and cakes you are going to concentrate on, but if you made these available I would buy them by the several dozen on a regular basis - a great bacon roll is one of the few things I miss about the UK!

Might sound like small change but there is a glaring niche in the market for this - like I said, you cannot buy decent rolls anywhere in the kingdom, despite the appalling efforts of some bakers who simply do not understand the concept.

If fresh baked morning rolls were added to your product list I'm fairly sure you would have a 'first' for Thailand and when word got around would attract a fairly substantial customer base, which can't be bad for the rest of your business.

Wish you the best of luck with the venture.

[Babylon]

Heebio,

I have never tried them, so can't talk about taste, but Tesco do bread rolls I think. There french sticks are very good, but seem to have got smaller lately?

[Heebio]

Hi Babylon,

Yeah, I've tried the Tesco rolls - unfortunately they fall firmly in the 'appalling efforts' category. I think you have to have been brought up in the UK (I'm from Scotland) to fully appreciate the type of roll/bap I'm talking about. They are very basic and cost next to nothing to produce - but for some reason they seem to be beyond Thai bakers capabilities.

The French sticks at Tesco are quite acceptable actually, but not a patch on the fresh baguettes you can buy on any street corner in Vietnam and Cambodia. Along with the stunning architecture, a quite acceptable legacy from the French colonial period. Haven't been to Laos but I would imagine it's the same there.

A few local bakers have had a stab at producing decent rolls but they all fall well short. Like I said, there is a definite niche in the market here.

[Khundon1975]

I live in Soi 102 and there are plenty of households, restaurants and bars up there now compared to 5 years ago when you could go all the way up without seeing a house. Also, I don't know what everyone is complaining about going to immigration - I've only got a lill ole car, not some big 4WD and never had a problem.

Anyway - when I go back to England, the first thing I seem to buy is decent pork pies, scotch eggs and cornish pasties - so I would certainly be happy to see a good supplier on my side of town.

Bring it on!

Hi ADW
Thanks for your post, yes 102 has changed very much, when I first drove right down 102 in 2000 there were miles of track with electric poles up but I think the crash of 1997 made developers pull out, now they are back and loads of buildings going up.

My wife went down there to take pics of building works a few months ago and I have just looked at Visa Office place on my pics, as you say no prob for cars now.
They have even tarted up the railway crossing,as it was the scene of several fatal accidents over the last few years.
Thanks again

[crazy88]

Heebio

The German bakery near all in Hua Hin does a good crusty roll of a morning .Soft rolls I have not yet found any good ones .

Crazy 88

[Khundon1975]

Hi Don,

I also live in soi 102 and if you are planning to locate where I think you are meaning, there will be absolutely no problem with the road/access etc. Do you mean the partially completed row of townhouses just over the rail tracks on the right hand side?

One question for you. As your wife is obviously a great baker, is it at all possible that she can produce authentic morning rolls like you get back home? They must be the most simple thing to produce but for the life of me I've never found a decent bread roll anywhere in Thailand. I appreciate that this is a very low margin product compared to some of the pastries and cakes you are going to concentrate on, but if you made these available I would buy them by the several dozen on a regular basis - a great bacon roll is one of the few things I miss about the UK!

Might sound like small change but there is a glaring niche in the market for this - like I said, you cannot buy decent rolls anywhere in the kingdom, despite the appalling efforts of some bakers who simply do not understand the concept.

If fresh baked morning rolls were added to your product list I'm fairly sure you would have a 'first' for Thailand and when word got around would attract a fairly substantial customer base, which can't be bad for the rest of your business.

Wish you the best of luck with the venture.

Hi Heebio

Yes the buildings on the right that are almost finished.
I like you am a sucker for fresh well made bread in the morning but could not find it even in the best hotels in Thailand.
All the bread was so sweet and did not even smell of bread. I think the problem is firstly the type of yeast used and most important of all the flour used.
I am on my computer at the mo and in front of me is a stack of books on bread which my wife has collected over the years. She makes her own bread here where we can get "fresh yeast"

She wants to do a small range of bread loafs and rolls, if we can import the good bread flours from the UK, but not to do it on a large scale.
There are more than enough bread makers in HH and we do not even want to compete on that scale.

As you say the "margins are low" but the time and effort needed is high.

Anyway she is not an early riser and bread making means starting at
4am, and thats no joke.

Thanks for your input Heebio

[Khundon1975]

Heebio

The German bakery near all in Hua Hin does a good crusty roll of a morning .Soft rolls I have not yet found any good ones .

Crazy 88

Yes my wife has tried their Crusty rolls and said "not bad at all".
Like you, I never managed to find a good soft Bap type roll anywhere.

[Khundon1975]

ADW

pork pies, scotch eggs and cornish pasties

I for got to mention I'm from Cornwall and my dad is Cornish and he makes a REALLY MEAN Cornish pasty, with shortcrust pastry, a cut of beef he calls "skirt" ?? sliced sweads, sliced onions and sliced potatoes. MMmmm

He was 100yrs old last December but still makes his own, as he says that the ones they make in most shops are in his own words "Pap Crap"

Nice to know that us old farts still have our uses eh!

[Heebio]

Heebio

The German bakery near all in Hua Hin does a good crusty roll of a morning .Soft rolls I have not yet found any good ones .

Crazy 88

Hi Crazy,

Yeah, I know the rolls you're talking about and they're alright for what they are. But....as you say, they're not the soft type of roll/bap I'm looking for. Cheers anyway.

Hi Heebio

Yes the buildings on the right that are almost finished.
I like you am a sucker for fresh well made bread in the morning but could not find it even in the best hotels in Thailand.
All the bread was so sweet and did not even smell of bread. I think the problem is firstly the type of yeast used and most important of all the flour used.
I am on my computer at the mo and in front of me is a stack of books on bread which my wife has collected over the years. She makes her own bread here where we can get "fresh yeast"

She wants to do a small range of bread loafs and rolls, if we can import the good bread flours from the UK, but not to do it on a large scale.
There are more than enough bread makers in HH and we do not even want to compete on that scale.

As you say the "margins are low" but the time and effort needed is high.

Anyway she is not an early riser and bread making means starting at
4am, and thats no joke.

Thanks for your input Heebio

Hi Don,

Yeah, I thought it must have been something to do with the local yeast/flour that was causing the problems.

You're obviously looking into all aspects of opening the business and have indicated you will be importing the best ingredients for your cakes and pastries - if the costs are acceptable do you think you will consider importing the type of yeast and flour required to produce a decent roll/loaf?

I agree completely that there are enough well established bread producers in town and understand your reluctance to go into competition. I do however think that if someone had a decent stab at filling the gap with currently unavailable products (ie. decent rolls) it could be a nice opportunity. I appreciate however that the costs/margins may make this unrealistic. Not to mention the nightshift!

Thanks for getting back with you thoughts Don. Appreciated.

[Khundon1975]

Hi again Heebio

I just spoke to my wife and mentioned "Baps" to her, straight away she reeled off the following info.

Make your bread dough with a good white bread flour (not a Strong white flour but just normal white bread flour and good yeast) let it stand in a bowl covered with damp cloth or cling film for 30mins or so.

Then divide into lumps about 3 ounces and roll into balls.

Turn on your oven to 180c, Gas oven is best, if you have fan oven try to turn fan off.

This is the hard part, as you will need one of those cake trays with the round sections about 5inches wide and 1inch deep and lightly oil each section. Wipe out excess oil with paper towel.

Put one round piece of dough into each and press down lightly.
Put somewhere warm to let them "Proof" thats let them rise to you and me.

When they have well risen above the tin gently with the palm of your hand
flatten them down, let them stand again for 10 mins or so.

Then put into oven for 20mins and then check colour, should be light golden brown, when they are that colour, remove and let them cool on a wire rack.
They should have a slightly dimpled finish on top.

If that is your idea of a Bap then give it a try.
Good Luck and happy eating.

[Heebio]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the recipe but unfortunately I don't have any kind of oven (Thai style kitchen), and I'm a lazy bugger anyway!

Will pass on to a friend who's a great cook though - maybe she can rustle something up.

Thanks again.

[Khundon1975]

Hi again Heebio
Sorry I was writing my last (Bap Receip) post to you before I saw your last post.

Yes there are 2 main problems with making and selling good bread products in Thailand, good yeast and good flour.

There is I believe an American company in BKK who imports and sells a lots of these types of products and I did get a very long list of them when I was there in 2004 but lost the damn thing!

I think they deliver twice a week to HH, however we prefer to source our own products from tried and trusted sources because we know the quality.

If the cost are high and logistics of delivery are difficult then she will not even contemplate it, however, she said that she will try to addapt her receipes to what is available and see what can be produced.

As I said it will be VERY small scale just a few loafs and rolls each day as the main products will be cakes, sweet tarts, sweet pies, cheese cakes, savories such as quiches, sausage rolls, pork pies, steak pies, cheese straws and of course a good range of biscuits.
Thanks again

[Khundon1975]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the recipe but unfortunately I don't have any kind of oven (Thai style kitchen), and I'm a lazy bugger anyway!

Will pass on to a friend who's a great cook though - maybe she can rustle something up.

Thanks again.

"She" the wife, added after I posted to you, "tell him not to worry if you dont have special tin just use lightly oiled flat oven tray or similar".
Don't you just love em.

[Paderborn]

I live in Soi 102 and there are plenty of households, restaurants and bars up there now compared to 5 years ago when you could go all the way up without seeing a house. Also, I don't know what everyone is complaining about going to immigration - I've only got a lill ole car, not some big 4WD and never had a problem.

Anyway - when I go back to England, the first thing I seem to buy is decent pork pies, scotch eggs and cornish pasties - so I would certainly be happy to see a good supplier on my side of town.

Bring it on!

Hi ADW
Thanks for your post, yes 102 has changed very much, when I first drove right down 102 in 2000 there were miles of track with electric poles up but I think the crash of 1997 made developers pull out, now they are back and loads of buildings going up.

My wife went down there to take pics of building works a few months ago and I have just looked at Visa Office place on my pics, as you say no prob for cars now.
They have even tarted up the railway crossing,as it was the scene of several fatal accidents over the last few years.
Thanks again

More potential customers here on soi 102, I are delighted to here this news. Pork pies, great bread , cakes, you are certainly pressing the right buttons here. God help my figure!!!!
I have even had tried the pies in Grange, when I did the Morcambe bay walk...... scrumptious.

In our experience, people will travel anywhere in or around town to get the best products. We currently bye our bread at Baguette, which is the other side of town from 102, but it is worth the effort in the mornings to get decent bread. They sell the nearest thing you will find to a soft roll, their italian bread is also very soft.

Don,
We wish you luck with your venture & will be round on your opening day for some fresh pies. I hale from the Wigan area & one thing I know about are good pies.

On a slightly different note, I am truly sick of reading on HHAD the constant slagging of Soi 102. It has improved greatly, with a reasonable road surface until the turn off for immigration, good drainage. New business is emerging, with restaurants, bars & shops, and people are taking pride in there properties.... all good stuff from where I sit. and I believe that Don & his wife have choosen their location well.


So, please stop the 102 bashing!!!!
Paderborn