Buns and rolls continue to emerge from ovens nationwide at a steady pace. While overall category growth has been minimal, several companies saw comparatively significant gains. And while traditional products maintain perennial allure, new interest comes from ingredients like whole grains and sweeteners.

The frozen breakfast category, anchored by waffles, pancakes and French toast, has produced its share of picks and pans over the past year, largely dominated by a handful of big-dollar items with little variation in sales.

The fresh bread category remains the most important segment in bakery today. It’s highly competitive, and the playing field continues to grow more crowded as more product dynamics like artisan and better-for-you come into consideration with increased frequency.

Tradition is the foundation that grounds much of the bakery industry’s continued success. We see this immutable fact across nearly every category, with leading companies selling billions of dollars of traditional baked goods that have long stood the test of time. These are core products beloved by millions of shoppers.

Grain diversity has grown into a topic of great interest in the wake of significant gluten-free and other snack and baked goods innovation of late.

New Jersey is home to a fantastic array of sandwich diversity. The state’s definitive ham sandwich, the pork roll, dates back to the 1850s (make it with an egg and a slice of American cheese and it’s known as “Jersey breakfast”). Its sloppy Joe, originating in the 1930s and named after a bar in Cuba, is more of a Dagwood-Cuban hybrid than what folks outside of Jersey would typically expect. Rippers star deep-fried hot dogs that get their name from the split typically formed from the frying process.

The George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston will be the site of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s (IDDBA) 2016 Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo, to be held June 5–7. The annual event targets serious buyers, merchandisers and executives who have a shared passion for food and the industry, and offers them a venue where they can sell and buy new products and services, attend presentations, network, and glean insight into the industry.

The artisan bakery received the award for its Ciabatta Bites, which will be showcased at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago this month.

There are no secret ingredients or master recipes in great bread baking. Successful artisan bread baking is largely focused on controlling fermentation. Controlled fermentation accounts for greater dough strength, longer product shelf life due to acidification and, more importantly for your customer, complex flavor.

BFree Stone Baked Pita Breads are baked in a traditional stone-fired oven for prime authenticity and taste, according to BFree Foods.