Hovis launches crust-free bread

Hovis is to launch new crust-free loaves of bread, it emerged today.

The product, called Hovis Invisible Crust, has been in development for two years, the company said.

It is created by baking the bread at a lower temperature to prevent its outside from hardening.

Due to hit shops next month, the soft-edged loaf is a response to demand from children who don’t like eating sandwiches with crusts on them.

It was developed under the codename Project Curly – a reference to the myth that eating crusts makes hair curly.

Invisible Crust will be available as white bread and as Best of Both white bread with added wheatgerm.

The company has described its Invisible Crust as a “world first” because it requires a new baking process.

Although crustless bread is already available overseas it is created by cutting the crust off after baking, Hovis said.

Paul Molyneux, technical director for the company, said the crustless loaves contained exactly the same ingredients as their standard Hovis equivalents.

Consumer research carried out for Hovis showed that 35% of British mothers cut off bread crusts for their children. This wastes up to 45% of the entire loaf, the company said.

The 800g loaves are baked in Hovis’ Wigan bakery, although production is expected to roll out to other sites.