A new idea

It’s been a hard first week back in UB after a wonderful 2 weeks in Sydney, hanging out with friends and family, paddling on the harbour, swimming from Coogee, and generally just experiencing Sydney – from lectures on interesting topics to grabbing a coffee down at Circular Quay with Mandy and sitting in the park.

One of my favourite moments is riding beneath the trees on Bourke Street on our pushbikes, and stopping off at the Bourke St bakery for a coffee and chocolate croissant. Flaky pastry, bitter chocolate, expertly dipped into a takeaway cup of coffee and savoured over morning conversation. All before work.

Our morning routine at Bourke St Bakery

It’s a beautiful, wholesome part of Sydney. A mix of people line up outside the bakery for a famous pork and fennel or lamb harissa sausage role – nearby construction workers, trendy office folk, parents and children on the way to school – irrespective of the weather. Sitting on the small industrial style stools with our bikes, observing this community share enjoyment in great baking, is one of the pleasures I enjoy when at home.

To try and capture some of this enjoyment back in UB, I’ve decided to try and learn how to bake great, rustic bread. And hopefully build up to being able to make chocolate croissants!

To elaborate further on this interest, whilst not the same as being part of an artisan baking community like Bourke St Bakery, my first job was an enjoyable few years serving at the Civic Bakers Delight. Even though much of the bread appeared to be made from pre-mixtures, there was still an art to mixing, proving and shaping decent, repeatable, commercial loaves. And I remember some of the difficulties the baking apprentices had. I was tempted a few times on quiet, early Sunday morning shifts, to stick my head out the back, and watch the process. The big mixers churning away, the delicate knot roles lined up on trays, the fluffy pillows of dough emerging from the prover. And in winter, it was always great to be near the ovens.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep this interest up, given the long working hours here, and how other things just crop up. But I’ll make a start this week, and let you know how I go.