The Bread Festival organized by Barbara van Melle took place last Saturday (March 10) in the Hübner Kursalon in the center of Vienna. More than a dozen bakeries from all over the country showed the pampered Viennese public how much variety and quality can lie hidden in bread, croissants and rolls.

A colleague from Slovakia and one from Italy were also there for the first time. Mills and other suppliers introduced themselves, in addition to bakers from the whole of Austria. Visitors had an opportunity to swap sourdough cultures at a sourdough exchange, and to obtain information about training to be a baker. Students from Wels Higher Technical College showed how plaits are braided, and what distinguishes a handmade from a machine-made bread roll. The Paneum Bread Museum from Asten was represented with some exhibits, and gave an appetite for a trip to Upper Austria.
Visitors were already crowding in at 09:00 in the morning, and the place did not become emptier until late afternoon. A perfect example of PR work for the Austrian artisan baking trade, albeit this also relies on the fact that the country currently has a remarkable number of bakers who put a lot of energy and know-how into developing top-class quality using specially selected raw materials that are also not infrequently regional.