HAL bread is not very interesting

[haladdict]

The constant complainers, leave me scratching my head. If you don't like the bread, eat something else.

Sandra

[OlsSalt]

If the rolls are as good as everyone is talking about, I'm in trouble.

 

Well, you could always eat the donuts instead. :hearteyes:

 

DH loves the sticky buns and my weakness is also those pillowy raisin buns. I pass on the bagels, but smear my cream cheese, capers, onions, tomatoes and lox on one of the fresh dinner-type rolls they serve at breakfast - poppy seeds makes this even better.

[Alberta Quilter]

A couple of months ago, YES!

 

Oooh, goody! Thank goodness, it's only served at lunchtime or I'd be in big trouble. Thank you!

[LadyVol1]

A Dutch woman I met while cruising on Holland America taught me that raisin buns are called “krentenbollen” in Dutch and are typically made with raisins and currants but she thinks the ones onboard are quite good. I know I like them! (Krenten means currants.)

Edited July 2, 2018 by LadyVol1

[AV8rix]

We like the bread so much that we tell them not to bring any' date=' lol! No temptation.[/quote']

Seriously, you too? On my last cruise our entire table (fixed late seating) requested on the second night that our steward not bring any bread -- ever! None of us gained a pound. No telling what would have happened if we'd had the bread for the entire two weeks:D.

[TiogaCruiser]

The raisin buns are a HAL standard. I can't imagine HAL discontinuing them!

We had them every morning on Zaandam in March

[KroozNut]

I don't eat much bread in my everyday life. But get me on a cruise ship on vacation, and I can't get enough of those rolls, buns and every other type of wonderful breads they offer!:D

[navybankerteacher]

 

...

 

Bread is only dipped in olive oil when tasting the new oil from the freshly pressed olive crop of the year.

 

I guess the many local (frequently family-owned) restaurants throughout Tuscany we ate at during our month there - as well as the large (and small) restaurants in Venice, Como, Perugia, Rome, Naples, Bari, Taranto, Messina, Palermo, plus Italian Army and Navy officers’s messes etc. did not get the word.

 

Are you kidding?

[iancal]

We don't cruise for the bread.

 

Or for the bread pudding.

[SetAnOpenCourse]

A poster mentioned hard rolls. This happened on one cruise, every evening. I could take a spoon and hit the top of a roll and get the attention of everyone within 15 feet. Inedible.

 

The waiters were perplexed and were getting a lot of complaints. It was a running joke for them: "you don't want any of this bread, so I won't put it on your table".

When I was a waiter, we’d put a basket of dinner rolls in the microwave for ten seconds to soften them and make them warm, and seemingly fresh. However, they had to be eaten soon after doing that, because it caused them to become extremely hard soon thereafter. Almost rock-hard.

[hapzfl]

A poster mentioned hard rolls. This happened on one cruise, every evening. I could take a spoon and hit the top of a roll and get the attention of everyone within 15 feet. Inedible.

 

The waiters were perplexed and were getting a lot of complaints. It was a running joke for them: "you don't want any of this bread, so I won't put it on your table".

 

I hope they have "hard rolls" as the crust is the best on any bread :D

[kwb101]

The source is me - formerly a senior officer on several HAL Ships - including Maasdam.

 

Maasdam has 2 commercial floor mixers. One is so rusty it can no longer be safely used.

 

Yes, they still produce a few specialty bread items, and occasionally use the commercial mixer. They received a 99 USPH Score because the badly worn sheet roller and broken proofing cabinets were OOO, so could not be inspected to lower the score.

Thanks, I appreciate the info.

[KroozNut]

I hope they have "hard rolls" as the crust is the best on any bread :D

 

Agree! ;):)

[sail7seas]

Thank you for your knowledgable and complete posts. "CHP' Such good information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am a bit confused about "MY Maasdam" getting a score of 99. I KNOW she deserves it but I thought there was something about a n area of galley floor that kept Maasdam from being able to score 100 ? I was told that by several 'folk who know of what they speak :)

 

For Masdam to score so amazingly well is very hard considering the age of the ship. :) I have always felt Masdam's crews exceptional. and they just proved it.

 

 

While crews come and go Maasdam always seems to maintain a basic 'core of g reat crew who guide the newcomers. :) JMO

 

 

I have sailed Maasdam all her years in HAL's fleet from the time of her Inaugural parties We were present, and sailed her in her Inaugural year and since, something like 48+ cruises.

Edited July 2, 2018 by sail7seas

[SilvertoGold]

I hope they have "hard rolls" as the crust is the best on any bread :D

 

The inside was hard, too. Inedible!

[iancal]

HAL bread is fine. But really, we do not understand what the excitement is all about. It certainly is not any better than the product many people can obtain from a good local bakery.

[jode]

After reading all the positive comments on HAL bread I have to say one more thing. Seriously people - is your little world where you live so perfect that you feel the need to complain about the rolls?

 

We sat beside a couple one night two weeks ago on our cruise - the husband complained about literally every single thing - from the steak knives being given too late (umm the waiter would not know you needed one until you placed your order) to the napkins, to the salads, the rolls, and on and on and on. He he literally droned on the entire meal about all of HAL's mis-steps with what he assumed was his great authority. Due to his manner and appearance we named him "Winston Churchill" and whenever we saw him on the ship he had either his wife or another passenger captive with "his" complaints about everything. It was amusing after a while but I wonder if people like him just throw out complaints to feel superior. I would hate for someone who was thinking about a HAL cruise to not go because of the "rolls" - honestly do you cruise for the rolls/breadbasket or the "total experience?

 

As with other things in life maybe we should concentrate and promote the "good" things rather than the "bad" - unless the bad is so bad that it is a health or safety issue. My mother who is Sicilian was an amazing cook and baker - she made just about everything from scratch - except when she was in a bind and then would use frozen dough and her pizza, loaves of bread etc were still amazing. Don't knock frozen bread or anything that you think is "cost cutting" or trying to fool us.

 

Many people in this world would be so happy with your "repeat" bread basket. It was a vacation - not a prison sentence !

 

PS - I did see the focaccia bread in the Lido at lunch but resisted the temptation because I knew my morning raisin bread was enough of a calorie splurge until dinner. Now that I know how good it is I may have to give in on another HAL cruise !!!

[iancal]

I don't get it either.

 

My feeling is that the OP must have a charmed life if one of their issues is the condition/selection/taste of the bread and rolls on HAL. To us it is like the big flap over luggage tags.

[OlsSalt]

After reading all the positive comments on HAL bread I have to say one more thing. Seriously people - is your little world where you live so perfect that you feel the need to complain about the rolls?

 

We sat beside a couple one night two weeks ago on our cruise - the husband complained about literally every single thing - from the steak knives being given too late (umm the waiter would not know you needed one until you placed your order) to the napkins, to the salads, the rolls, and on and on and on. He he literally droned on the entire meal about all of HAL's mis-steps with what he assumed was his great authority. Due to his manner and appearance we named him "Winston Churchill" and whenever we saw him on the ship he had either his wife or another passenger captive with "his" complaints about everything. It was amusing after a while but I wonder if people like him just throw out complaints to feel superior. I would hate for someone who was thinking about a HAL cruise to not go because of the "rolls" - honestly do you cruise for the rolls/breadbasket or the "total experience?

 

As with other things in life maybe we should concentrate and promote the "good" things rather than the "bad" - unless the bad is so bad that it is a health or safety issue. My mother who is Sicilian was an amazing cook and baker - she made just about everything from scratch - except when she was in a bind and then would use frozen dough and her pizza, loaves of bread etc were still amazing. Don't knock frozen bread or anything that you think is "cost cutting" or trying to fool us.

 

Many people in this world would be so happy with your "repeat" bread basket. It was a vacation - not a prison sentence !

 

PS - I did see the focaccia bread in the Lido at lunch but resisted the temptation because I knew my morning raisin bread was enough of a calorie splurge until dinner. Now that I know how good it is I may have to give in on another HAL cruise !!!

 

I think you nailed it. they complain about the petty issues in order to feel superior. Excellent post. Yet they continue to sign up for a mass market cruise line and not a luxury cruise line, just so they know they will have plenty to complain about. But I also think their string of petty complaints does make them happy.

[Donny-Joe]

On a ship tour on the Nieuw Amsterdam we saw them making bread rolls. We could see dough being made, formed into little balls, laid on trays and put into the proofers. I don't know if they make the more complex pastries or the sliced bread for sandwiches, but they definitely made the rolls on ship in summer 2016.

 

Perhaps on the older ships they do less scratch baking?

[jode]

I think you nailed it. they complain about the petty issues in order to feel superior. Excellent post. Yet they continue to sign up for a mass market cruise line and not a luxury cruise line, just so they know they will have plenty to complain about. But I also think their string of petty complaints does make them happy.

 

We used to say some people are not happy unless they are miserable and sadly we meet a lot of them these days! If it makes them happy in some perverse way fine - but I hate to think some people avoid certain things or experiences after hearing all of these baseless complaints.

 

Rock on everyone! Life isn't always fair but a "boring breadbasket" is not life changing!!

[sail7seas]

I have always enjoyed the bread baskets in MDR at dinner, on HAL ships

 

 

After reading how many here are critical of HAL's bread and rolls, I am embarrassed I admitted I enjoy it. :o

 

 

 

 

 

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[cbr663]

File that statement under fake news according to a recent Coffee Chat with the Culinary Director about a month ago. He was celebrating the HAL fresh bread traditions unless I was hearing this wrong. So I would say HAL takes pride in the large variety of daily fresh baked breads. It is one of the very welcomed highlights cruising on HAL -their fresh breads. They are excellent.

 

Seems like you heard it wrong and it is you that is spreading fake news.

[OlsSalt]

Seems like you heard it wrong and it is you that is spreading fake news.

 

Now we can quibble about fresh baked and from scratch.

[cbr663]

A few years ago the "suits" at HAL realized that they could save a lot of money by getting rid of the bakery department.

Quite a bit of machinery is required to produce fresh bread in mass quantities.

That machinery is noisy, resulting in noise complaints from cabins located below the bakery (poor design).

Much of that machinery has endemic cleaning problems with USPH health inspections, and it requires expensive maintenance.

Recruiting, paying, and housing bakers onboard costs money.

 

So they decided to shift their bread-making to frozen dough. Just unwrap it and pop it in the oven for the listed time.

No bakers needed - crew cabins saved.

Pot washers and kitchen assistants can handle the baking.

No noisy mixers, sheet rollers, or proofing cabinets needed.

Nobody needs to clean those difficult machines anymore. Wrap them in plastic and put "out of service" signs on them for health inspections.

No more expensive maintenance required.

Fewer noise complaints received from passengers.

 

HAL has saved a lot of money in the process - and until now, hardly anyone has noticed the difference.

 

Thank-you for confirming my thoughts.

 

Most people would not recognize frozen bread products that are simply baked off because of its wide spread use.

 

I spent many years when I was younger as the head baker in a gourmet food store where every item was made from scratch and made without any additives and preservatives. I can spot mass produced breads and bakery stuffs a mile away.

 

Heck, I can buy the frozen mini croissants that HAL uses at my local supermarket.