Eau de Toast: Making bread fashionable again

Isn't it time bread was back in vogue?

The U.K. Federation of Bakers recently introduced Eau de Toast, a hunger pang-inducing perfume to remind women counting carbs what they're missing when they skip the bread in the morning.

The Federation of Bakers commissioned The Aroma Company to produce the comfort-food scent, which was "developed using yeast top notes with a hint of caramel combined with complementary bittersweet and malty base notes to help give the overall impression of freshly toasted bread," the Daily Star reports.

Eau de Toast is part of the organization's "Slice of Life" campaign that promotes daily bread consumption.

Also see: How to make gourmet bread on a budget

"We wanted to find a way to reach young women and talk to them about breakfast and the benefits of eating sliced bread without lecturing them," says Gordon Polson of the Federation of Bakers.

"Eau de Toast lets us do this in a fun way while making a point about diet and how to get the best start to the day."

"It was deliberately slightly quirky to bring across the very serious message of the value of bread as part of a healthy balanced diet," Polson says of the campaign. "There are nutrients and vitamins that people actually get from bread. Contrary to what people think, it’s a low-fat food as well."

"[In] recent years we’ve seen the levels of bread consumption falling, whilst obesity figures have been steadily on the increase," says nutritionist Amanda Ursell. "As a nutritionist it’s great to see the Federation of Bakers supporting this initiative to bust these bread myths and raise awareness about the benefits of bread."

Just being in the presence of bread might make us better people.

According to a study published last year in the Journal of Social Psychology, people are more inclined to lend a helping hand when smelling freshly baked goods.

Also see: Ice cream bread with just two ingredients

In a daring move, the limited-edition Eau de Toast perfume was sent to models at last month's London Fashion Week. The scent was a hit with the diet-conscious crowd, and samples of the product almost immediately disappeared.

Sample bottles online also quickly sold out.

Polson says the perfume was strictly a vehicle in the campaign and won't be available for sale.

According to the Federation of Bakers, "If you weren’t lucky enough to receive an exclusive bottle, why not make your own aroma by lightly toasting bread at home?"

Do you limit your bread intake?