Two of our staff members talk about why they bake their own bread.

Bronte Coates, Digital Content Coordinator:

While I’m not an entirely successful home baker (my success rate hovers around the 50% mark) I am an enthusiast one and bread is far and away my favourite thing to make at home. I love the science experiment aspect of it and I feel very impressive serving it to people. My housemate Maggie was the first person to teach me a basic recipe (with much encouragement) and when I started to feel a bit more confident, I started using recipes from Mollie Katzen’s The Moosewood Cookbook. Her illustrations about how to knead and roll the bread are completely adorable.

These days I own several bread cookbooks such as Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible (beautiful but imposing) and two from the ever popular Dan Lepard: The Handmade Loaf and Short and Sweet. My most recent addition to this section of my library is The Larousse Book of Bread by Parisian master baker Éric Kayser.

My new cookbook in hand, I decided to have a go at making some ciabatta on the weekend. Accordingly, I spent the week prior preparing the starter from the book as while I already have a starter (based on the natural leaven recipe from Dan Lepard) I wanted to use the same one Kayser uses, just in case. Also, as I said before, I love this part of the process because it feels so scientific to have something fermenting in your pantry! As I made my way through the recipes, the first one for the starter and the second for the ciabatta, I really enjoyed how Kayser presented the information. The recipes were both clearly broken down and the photographs of the different steps along the way were beautiful and very easy to follow, if not quite as adorable as Katzen’s illustrations. I highly recommended new home bakers try this cookbook.

AND… I’m happy to report that my ciabatta a success (hooray).

Amy Vuleta, Shop Manager at Readings St Kilda:

The first thing I’ll say about baking sourdough bread is that it is a gooey process and you need to stick with it: persevere with the kneading for as long as it takes, and trust that it’s all going to work out okay in the end. Most of the time. Just follow the recipe and your instincts – I’m convinced that producing a successful loaf is 50% skill and 50% positive thinking.

The best sourdough bread baking tip I’ve been given is to put a metal tray in the bottom of the oven while it pre-heats. As soon as you’ve put your loaf into the oven, pour a glass of cool water into the tray to create a waft of steam to get your loaf started. For a maximum steamy beginning, you can even give a few shots of water from a spray bottle on to the oven’s inside walls before you close the door. After the first ten minutes, turn the heat down a bit to bake the loaf slowly and give it ample chance to rise in the oven. The idea is that a steamy oven and hot starting temperature should give you a plump and springy loaf with a nice even crunchy crust.

This tip came from Rick Lavender who runs sourdough bread baking workshops at Brunswick East sustainable living all-rounder and one of my favourite local spots to shop, Bee Sustainable. I’d highly recommend one of these classes for the sourdough beginner. You can even get your grains freshly milled on site for the freshest bread you’ll ever taste!