The aroma of something baking teases your senses as you drive towards Chakka junction. Indeed, at Bread Fort, a nondescript bakery, right opposite to the side entrance of the International airport terminal, master baker Prasobhithan S. has just pulled a couple of trays of big fat, eggless raspberry muffins from his industrial-size oven. The freshly baked muffins seem to have drawn in quite a number of people and as quickly as they come out of the oven, they sell like hot cakes!
For a couple of years now, Prasobhithan or Prasob, as he likes people to call him, has been making a name for himself for his signature bakes and cakes. If the chatter on online food forums and the constant stream of customers from near and far, who make their way to the bakery, are anything to go by, foodies throng the place because Prasob’s goodies pack a punch of flavour and have a refreshingly homemade taste. “Baking is my passion. It has been so since I was six or seven, when I used to watch my maternal uncle, Velayudhan, who worked in a bakery in our village, baking delicious treats in an old fashioned Borma oven, which was fuelled by dried coconut shells. As a baker, I aim for perfection, the key to it being a whole lot of patience,” says Prasob.
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Prasob has a diploma in baking and confectionery from Food Craft Institute, Kalamassery, and has over 20 years of experience in the industry as a gourmet baker in top hotels and organisations such as ITDC Ashoka hotel (now, The Leela, Kovalam.), Muthoot Plaza, Muthoot Sky Chef, KASCO - flight catering for Kuwait Airways, and the like. “Kerala is the land of bakeries but there’s so much more to bakery items than the usual puffs, rolls and buns. I’ve always wanted to bring the best of baking to my home town. Bread Fort is that dream come true,” says the 46-year-old baker.
Bread Fort itself is nothing like most bakeries you see in the city. In fact, all that there is in the glass display shelves inside the bakery, are, precisely, a tray each of glistening muffins, fluffy slices of bread, doughnuts covered in dark chocolate and a few buns and burgers - and that too not always. “We display only the items that are baked on premises each day, replacing each item with new ones when they get sold out. I’m constantly baking from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. but even then I am not able to cope with demand. Most of my customers come here through word-of-mouth publicity. It also helped when foodies started discussing it online on EAT-Trivandrum and later when it appeared in The Hindu’s MetroPlus ’ food page,” says Prasob, as he starts on a batch of butter cookies. In the kitchen at the back, one of his assistants is kneading dough for wheat bread - a popular item on the menu.
“All the recipes I use were taught to me my mentor, chef Terri Paul, a Frenchman and pastry whiz. I worked under him for several years, while I was working for the Sterling restaurant group in Qatar,” says the baker, giving us a glimpse of his much tattered recipe book, containing all manner of bakery items and desserts. There’s melba pudding, banana cake, panacotta, sacher torte, oatmeal cookies, lavash, brioche, opera sponge cake, cheesecake... “Whatever bakery item you want I can make for you. As of now, though, I bake only continental bakes, mostly Italian and French items. I haven’t yet ventured into Indian sweets like ladoo and jilebi, partly because I do not have the time and partly because I don’t like to use food colouring in my dishes. Cakes too are baked only on order,” he says, adding that he has big plans for the bakery, including a line of desserts and puddings.
Food for thought
Muffins. Much bigger than a cupcake. The flavours of the non-chocolate ones change daily with mango, raspberry, pineapple, blueberry and so on.
Brownies and Blondies. Oh so, chocolatey! A blondie is like a brownie but made with caramel and white chocolate chips.
Chocolate doughnuts. They are huge and quite filling.
Assorted cookies. They are not on display but there’s almost always some in stock.
Tip: Drop by around 2 p.m. for fresh muffins and breads. Contact: 9562584915
