American Society of Baking

08/31/2026

What role can honey play in a savory bakery product? 🍯

It can influence moisture, texture, browning, shelf life, and processing performance, but making it work in a savory product takes careful formulation.

That is part of the challenge behind ASB’s 2027 Product Development Competition.

Student teams must develop a savory bakery product containing at least 7% honey and clearly explain how the honey contributes to the finished product beyond flavor or sweetness.

The strongest entries will show how the formula balances honey with sensory quality, processing performance, fiber content, shelf life, scalability, and market potential.

🗓️ Preliminary proposals are due November 6, 2026.

➡️ Learn more and apply here: https://asbe.org/product-development-competition/

PDC 2027 is sponsored by the National Honey Board.

08/28/2026

🌟 Who’s the next Rising Baker?

Each year, ASB recognizes an emerging leader at BakingTECH who is making an impact on the baking industry through their innovation, leadership and commitment to the future of our industry.

Know someone who’s making a difference? Take a moment to celebrate their work and nominate them for the 2027 Rising Baker Award!

Help us shine a light on the people who are helping shape what’s next for baking.

👉 Nominate a Rising Baker By November 16: https://asbe.org/rising-bakers/

08/26/2026

What can a flour COA really tell you about the final product?

Protein, moisture, ash, falling number and Farinograph results are more than numbers on a Certificate of Analysis. Understanding what they can—and can’t—tell you can help connect flour data to what’s happening in production.

Join our upcoming webinar where Carter Wands of Miller Milling Company will explore how common COA measurements relate to dough performance, absorption, mixing, gas retention and crumb characteristics. Plus, how to troubleshoot when the numbers look normal but performance changes.

🗓️ September 9 | 11:00 AM ET

➡️ Register now: https://buff.ly/XvygNSz

08/25/2026

Making Diversified Grain Systems Work 🌾

We’re excited to see the 2026 Southeastern Grain Gathering bring together farmers, millers, bakers, chefs, brewers, researchers, and other industry leaders to explore what it takes to build stronger regional grain systems.

With hands-on experiences spanning TALK, EAT, DRINK, and MAKE, the gathering connects the dots from field to mill to finished product—with plenty of opportunities to learn, collaborate, and explore new possibilities for regional grains.

A great opportunity for anyone interested in the future of grain, milling, baking, and regional food systems.

➡️ Learn more and register today: https://buff.ly/znNAQjC

08/21/2026

🔆 ASB Member Spotlight: Carlana Rodriguez 🔆

This month, we're proud to feature Carlana Rodriguez. A food scientist driven by innovation, she has a passion for creating new products and a specialty in formula development, ingredient functionality, and sensory evaluation.

Her career has taken her across a wide range of food applications, including bakery, confectionery, snacks, dairy, beverages, and gluten-free baked goods. She spent several years at J&J Snack Foods Corp developing new bakery products and managing R&D projects, then moved to Grain Processing Corporation where she evaluated ingredient functionality and generated data-driven insights to support product optimization and commercialization. She now brings that experience to her current role at Sethness Roquette, where she manages the U.S. R&D team and works cross-functionally with sales and production to bring new products to life.

Carlana's involvement with ASB reflects her genuine commitment to supporting and strengthening the baking industry. She has participated in the Mentoring Program and contributed to focus groups that helped shape it. An active member of the Young Professionals Committee, she also serves on the YP Membership Growth Sub-committee and is currently helping launch a new professional development webinar series. She brings the same commitment to growing and sharing knowledge, attending the Commercial Bread Production Course and presenting for both BakingTECH 2026 and a Baking Education Webinar.

Outside of work, Carlana enjoys baking for her family. She has been working on formulating gluten-free versions of family recipes and loves experimenting with new dessert ideas. Her dream is to open her own bakery one day to share baked goods that everyone can enjoy, even those with food allergies.

Here's to you, Carlana! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and investing in others.

08/19/2026

What could resistant starch mean for your bakery product line?

This ASB webinar will examine both sides of the question:
➡️ What does published research say about resistant starch and metabolic health?
➡️ How can commercially available options be incorporated into baked goods?

Attendees will also explore practical considerations including water absorption, inclusion levels, dough machinability, eating quality, and nutrient-content claims.

Designed for commercial bakers, R&D professionals, product developers, and technical teams.

🗓️ August 20 at 11:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM PT

Register Today: https://asbe.site-ym.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2077615&group=

08/18/2026

🎉 BakingTECH 2027 registration is now OPEN! 🎉

Ready to be part of the ideas and conversations moving baking forward?

Join us February 21–24, 2027, in Atlanta for four days of learning, connecting, and looking ahead at what’s next for baking.

Come hear from industry experts, explore new technologies and research, dig into the challenges shaping our industry, and have the conversations that happen when people from across baking come together in one place.

We’ll see you in Atlanta 🍑

👉 Register today for BakingTECH 2027: https://buff.ly/5jX6Tcm

08/17/2026

🗣️ Help move the baking industry forward, one conversation at a time.

ASB is proud to partner with the American Bakers Association and the Retail Bakers of America for the 2026 Bakers Fly-In & Policy Summit—bringing together bakers, suppliers, and industry leaders to advocate for the issues that matter most to our industry.

Whether you're a baker or part of the baking supply chain, your perspective matters. By meeting directly with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., you'll help strengthen our industry's collective voice and contribute to meaningful conversations around the policies and regulations impacting baking today and tomorrow.

Together, we can make a greater impact than any one organization or company can alone.

Join us: https://buff.ly/O5FdDt7

08/12/2026

Thanks Mari Cornell Rydings and the team Commercial Baking for the shoutout!

Programming details for the American Society of Baking’s BakingTECH 2027, set for Feb. 21-24, 2027, in Atlanta, are starting to emerge.