South Korea’s “well-being” trend appears to be seeping into every niche of the nation’s food and beverage industry, including the bread and pastry market.

Bakeries nationwide are putting out more health-conscious options like rye and whole grain breads.

This year, major bakery chain Paris Baguette released 30 varieties of “healthy bread” and put out a much-publicized product ― its sugar-free toast ― last month.

CJ Foodville’s Tous Les Jours ― which has over 1,000 outlets ― announced a new “healthy bakery” slogan in 2010, launched a lineup of brown rice, bean and whole grain-heavy breads in 2011 and introduced bread made with domestic, organic milk this January.

The response has been positive. 

“Within the first month over 500,000 pieces were sold, making our organic milk bread an instant hit,” Tous Les Jours assistant manager Kim Mi-ok said.

Pain de Papa owner-baker Lee Ho-young, who crafts naturally leavened bread from organic flour, said sales of his non-sweet, grain-centric loaves have quadrupled over the past five years.

“Our best-selling items are our pumpernickel and whole wheat breads,” Lee said.

Why are the masses concerned about the quality of their carbs now?

“The culture of eating bread as a meal alternative is gradually spreading in Korea and a more leisurely lifestyle is giving birth to a movement toward eating ‘well-balanced’ portions of ‘tasty’ and ‘healthy’ food,” Tous Les Jours’ Kim explained. 

That “movement” seems to be growing fast. Not only are bakeries going health-conscious, so are sweet shops.

Now items like desserts made with rice flour, soy beans, soy milk and other ingredients that are considered healthy are appearing. Even the donut is getting a makeover.

After the Japanese soy donut brand Hara Donuts launched here, Japan-based Floresta, which also specializes in soy-based donuts, opened its first Korean outlet last year.

“Given that donuts are generally classified as junk food, people seem to want to tuck into healthier versions of it,” Floresta’s Korea managing director Chung Sung-tae said of the proliferation of such donuts.

Floresta’s Korean store specializes in treats made from a mixture of whole wheat and regular domestic flour and organic soy milk, says Chung.

Special attention is paid to the ingredients used for the donuts, which are written out on the menu for customers to read.

For instance, the menu states that organic sugar cane and Sinan sun-dried salt is used to make Floresta’s salted caramel glazed donuts.

Customers can pick and choose from a selection of around 10 flavors at the small shop in Samseong-dong, which is more of a take-away space than a sit-down spot.

“Business is steady,” said Chung.

Floresta’s modest scale, health-conscious attitude and one-item menu fits what Pain de Papa’s Lee says is the current trend for bakeries.

“Now there are lots of bakeries specializing in healthy bread,” said Lee, who added that many of these new places are small and stick to a minimal selection of goods.

This is a vast departure from bakeries of yore, according to Lee, who remembers when the baker was expected to dish out everything from pizza to ice cream bars.

That is history. After pizza and ice cream franchises opened, said Lee, bakeries started to narrow their repertoire and focus on specific items.

Years later and it looks like the latest phenomenon is an increase in spots that specialize in breads crafted from organic ingredients, ingredients with a specified provenance and whole grains.

Furthermore, sourdough ― that naturally leavened bread with a tart kick that is usually made without sugar, eggs, butter or milk ― is taking off.

Now, loaves of it can be found everywhere. Even major bakery chain Paris Baguette sells rye-based versions of the traditional French pain au levain.

Lee still remembers that even in 2008, when he opened Pain de Papa near Garosugil, he included sweet breads in his lineup because naturally leavened, whole grain or rye sourdough breads were not yet popular.

Now that has all changed.

As he sits and discusses how the bread market has morphed over the years, a steady stream of customers, many of whom Lee knows by name, drop by and pick up loaves of whole wheat and pumpernickel.

This is a significant shift from the early ’90s, according to Tous Les Jours’ Kim, when bread was primarily enjoyed as a sweet or fried snack.

Now, more people are focusing on healthy food, streamlined portions and bread for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and, said Kim, “We are confident these sorts of changes will continue to spread.”

Tous Les Jours shops located nationwide. Visit www.tlj.co.kr.

Floresta;

Hillstate Arcade, 106-01 Hakdong-ro-68-gil 7, Gangnam-gu, Seoul; (02) 544-7035; open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mondays through Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays; donuts cost 1,200 won to 1,600 won

Floresta Pop-up Store open till end of May at Galleria Department Store’s Gourmet 494 in Apujeong

Pain de Papa;

548-5 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul; (02) 543-5232

Pain de Papa’s second outlet; 572-2 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul; (02) 512-3535

Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, closed Sundays; bread costs 1,500 won to 22,000 won

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)