Chef Willi Haueter, executive chef, The Imperial New Delhi, caters to his calorie-conscious clients by baking breads with fibre-rich nut-flours and dry fruit; Smita Singh (below) has added ragi bread to the menu at Elma’s Bakery Cakes and Tea Room; Pix by Rupinder Sharma

White bread has got a bad rap from doctors and the czars of nutrition. It is, they say, white, made of refined white flour and so, downright unhealthy. And there’s no getting away from the fact that many of the so called ‘brown’ breads available in India are just a dyed version of the whites. They come with the additional hazard of caramelised sugar that gives them the brown colour in the first place — and an illusion of wheat flour.

But all is not lost. For this ready-to-eat breakfast staple has now been given a healthy — and delicious — spin.

From the massproduced to the neighbourhood bakery, everyone is stocking up on breads that spell Good Health. Smita Singh, who runs Elma’s Bakery Cakes and Tea Room in Hauz Khas Village in Delhi, says, “Until recently, we were only acquainted with packaged breads. Thankfully, things are changing for the better.”

Lovey Burman of Kookie Jar in Calcutta, says: “For us, the combined sales of whole wheat and multigrain breads far exceed that of milk breads. Our breads don’t contain additives or preservatives.”

Besides multigrain and whole wheat breads, expect ragi, walnut and raisin in breads.

Even the mass producers of breads like English Oven, Harvest Gold and Britannia Industries have jumped onto the healthy breads bandwagon. Britannia now offers four new varieties — multigrain, oats and honey, whole wheat and wholegrain (Rs 22-25 for a loaf). The four new breads are available in Delhi and Mumbai and will be launched in different parts of the country over the next eight to nine months. Anuradha Narasimhan, category director, health and wellness, Britannia Industries, says: “Four slices of our whole wheat bread have fibre content equivalent to one-and-a-half rotis.”

White bread has fallen from favour, as refined white flour — the main ingredient of white bread — is stripped of all natural fibre, vitamins and minerals that come with wheat. To fix this, bread manufacturers are using less white flour and are replacing it with whole wheat or other healthier flour. But there’s a catch, the healthier breads contain about the same amount of carbohydrates and calories as white bread.

The 5-star hotel bakeries too have gone all out to offer health on a plate. Says chef Willi Haueter, executive chef The Imperial New Delhi: “We use semolina (which is coarse) in some breads for a more fibrous texture. We also use nut flours, oat flour, millet flour, corn meal, cereals, raisins, almonds, cashew meal, dry apricots, dry figs and dates.” While the flours are high in fibre, the dry fruit come with their own healthy properties. Figs are a good source of potassium and control blood pressure and dates are a good source of fibre. Imperial’s healthy breads (Rs 120- Rs 150) account for about 75 per cent of their bread sales.

Pumpernickel bread that contains dense rye flour and sour dough is a speciality of French chef Thomas Blanchard (above) at L’Opera Patisserie Boulangerie, Delhi; Pic by Rupinder Sharma

Chef Devender Bungla, corporate pastry chef, Hyatt Regency Delhi, says: “We use whole wheat, soya, soaked grains, oats, cereal millet, olive oil and husk rather than refined flour.” Sugar and dairy products too are given a miss and replaced by garlic, olives and herbs. These breads are priced between Rs 130 and Rs 245 a loaf.

“Multigrain breads — with their mix of sunflower seeds, rye, sesame flax seeds — are good for people with heart problems because of the Omega 3 fatty acids, which increase the good cholesterol in the grains and seeds,” says J.P. Bhatt, executive chef of Breads & More, Kwality Group’s bakery which has a presence in five Indian cities. Their breads are priced around Rs 70 for a loaf.

At Theobroma Patisserie in Mumbai, multigrain and whole wheat (Rs 40) move the fastest. Says Kamal Messman, who owns Theobroma: “We add the pulp of vegetables like beetroot, carrot, beans into the high fibre bread which is good for people with high cholesterol.”

Multigrain and whole wheat bread are fast movers at Kamal Messman’s Theobroma; Pic by Gajanan Dudhalkar

Executive chef Thomas Blanchard, L’Opera Patisserie Boulangerie, Delhi, offers 10 different varieties of breads. “I don’t use chemicals or artificial additives to alter the taste,” says Blanchard, who is from Bayonne in Southwest France and has made India his home. His pumpernickel bread (Rs 180 a loaf) is prepared with a dense rye flour and sour dough considered good for those suffering with diabetes and high blood pressure.

Singh of Elma’s Bakery Cakes and Tea Room has just introduced a ragi bread, which is high in amino acids and minerals and very low in fat (Rs 120 per loaf).

But Ritika Samaddar, chief dietician, Regional Max Healthcare adds a word of caution. “It’s essential to check the percentage of multigrain or the oats which have been added to the bread on its label. Most neighbourhood bakeries do not list the quantities added, or how healthy the bread really is.”

So, go ahead and break bread — but with a degree of prudence.