The Incredible Amount Of Bread Made On Cruises

There are many mysteries about the inner workings of cruise ships, and one of the biggest is the food and the logistics of serving it. When a cruise ship sets sail, it needs to be equipped with plenty of provisions to feed all its passengers for the duration of the trip. Beyond that, cruise ship chefs want to make food that's just as delicious and satisfying as folks want on a special vacation. With cruises showcasing massive buffets, fancy restaurants, and 24/7 food access, many ingredients are vital for ship kitchens. One of the most important is bread. You may be surprised to hear that a lot of that bread is baked at sea.

Cruise ship food staff goes above and beyond to provide fresh meals for its passengers, so many consider baking fresh bread a must. And this means plenty of baking happens to ensure fresh bread is always available. For many cruises, that kitchen staff bakes bread a whopping three times a day.

Assistant cook at Marella Cruises, Sharmaine Amparo, told Matador Network, "What shocks people the most is finding out our bakers are baking bread 24/7, nonstop, to provide freshly baked bread at any time of the day." And there's a good reason that cruises commit to this beyond how important fresh bread is to making delicious meals. Baking bread on board ensures that the ship will always have enough but not too much and can cater to passengers with allergies or dietary requirements, especially when it comes to cruise ship buffets. 

Although it may be worth it, that doesn't mean making this much bread fresh daily is easy. Cruise ship kitchens use 1,500 pounds of flour every day. Furthermore, the actual preparation of the bread is much more complex at sea than it is on dry land. One reason is that ships move, making it harder to control the dough. There's also more moisture in the air and more variable temperatures than you typically get in an average kitchen, leaving more room for error. This also applies to desserts like cookies and cakes that are also baked fresh on board. Still, cruise ship chefs are well-trained to keep these variables under control.