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Guest Blogger – Lisa Warren

Posted by Orry at August 31, 2011 in In the community

My Bakery experience – Author Lisa Warren from Life as we know it

What started off as a little review about sourdough, has turned into so much more! I was recently invited by Terry, the owner of Bakers Delight, Dapto, to do a tour of their bakery. Bright and early last Sunday (7am to be precise), Seth and I headed up to the bakery thinking we’d spend maybe 15 minutes with the staff learning about the process of making sourdough. What I found was so much more! Bakers Delight is such a smooth running operation, with staff that are generous with their time and knowledge, and of course, absolutely delicious sourdough! To say I have a new found appreciation for the time and effort that goes into making bread is a major underestimate.

When Bakers Delight states that their sourdough is “authentic”, they are telling the truth.  Traditional sourdough is made using a “mother dough”, also known as a starter or vein (see top picture).  The bakers at Bakers Delight use a part of that mother dough each morning to add to their sourdough mix, then once the baking is done for the day, they “feed” the mother dough and set it aside overnight to let it grow and ferment.  This particular mother dough has been going strong since October 2010.  I was surprised to find out that some mother doughs have been used for over 150 years! Imagine the delicious flavour in that!!

After the dough is mixed and kneaded in that massive mixer, the baker shapes the dough by hand into the required shape and size. The third picture down shows the baker marking the sourdough with traditional lines on the vienna, cob and breadrolls.

Next up, the loaves are placed in the ovens where its baked on hot stones. Let me tell you, when the sourdough comes out of the oven, the smell is absolutely divine!! The tops are deliciously golden and crunchy.  It takes hours to make a loaf of sourdough and I’m sure it only lasts minutes on the shelves out the front!  Here’s the tip: if you want warm sourdough, make sure you hit your local Bakers Delight around 9.30-10am each morning.

The staff at Bakers Delight, Dapto were fabulous and I want to give them a huge shout out for all the hard work they put in every single day! I admire anyone who gets up before 3am to go to work!!

Pictured l-r: Adam, Beau and Shaun…bakers extraordinaire!  Adam is an apprentice and his enthusiasm is going to take him far. Its great to see someone who so clearly loves their job. Beau was looking after the dough prep, and he was so fast! He didn’t stop the whole three hours we were there.  Shaun was in charge of the ovens, and he runs that station like a well oiled machine, churning out loaf after loaf. I would have expected that they’d have a written schedule of what they have to prepare and when, but these boys just know. Such a great team.

Pictured l-r: Nicole, Terry and Michaela. Out the front, Nicole and Michaela were busy preparing the shopfront for the day’s trading. The girls take a great deal of pride in their displays to try and tempt you. From the glass displays housing delicious ready-made pizzas, scones, scrolls and more, to the many, many different loaves available for purchase, the front of store is the last stop. It’s interesting to see it from the staffs’ perspective, and to watch the customers try to figure out what they want to buy…it’s all good!

Finally, Terry. The owner of Bakers Delight, Dapto. What a lovely woman.  She’s a kindred spirit you know, but prefers quilting over scrapbooking. Us crafters have to stick together! Don’t we look spunky together…I was a good girl and kept my apron and hat on the entire time.

Terry is very proud of her store and staff. She ensures that all of her staff are studying to improve their skills either at TAFE or university. She works together with the other stores in the local area to raise money for charity. Last year they raised over $1million for breast cancer…amazing! Terry’s bakery also supports the local area breakfast programs for high school and donates the left over bread at night to charity.  So impressive.  I feel even better about shopping at Bakers Delight now because they give so much back to the community.

On the way out the door, Terry handed me a freshly baked sourdough loaf, which the family devoured smothered in melting butter. Oh yum!! So good.

No preservatives.
No artificial colouring.
No added flavours.
No added sugar.
No bleached flour (we use unbleached instead).
Made from scratch every day.
If it’s not sold today, it’s not sold.
It’s true.

Recipe Ideas

The challenge was set…create delicious and easy recipes using only three ingredients plus Bakers Delight sourdough. Its amazing what you can come up with using very few ingredients. I don’t think I’m ready to try out for Masterchef yet, but these recipes are so yummy and easy, even the kids will want to make them!

First up, the most important meal of the day…breakfast.  For this yummy starter, for each person you will need a handful of diced bacon and mushroom, one egg and one Bakers Delight authentic sourdough roll.  Preheat your oven to about 220c.  In a frying pan, brown the mushrooms and bacon.  Cut the top off the bread roll and scoop out the inside.  Place 3/4 of the bacon/mushroom mixture into the bottom of the bread, then crack an egg over the top. Bake in the oven until egg white is set…cook longer if you don’t like runny yolks.  Top with the remaining bacon/mushroom mixture and serve. mmmmmm….

Looking for some lunch ideas? Try these fillings on a Bakers Delight authentic sourdough vienna loaf.

• turkey, brie and cranberry sauce
• roast beef, chutney and rocket
• roast lamb, roasted sweet potato and caramelised onion
• chicken, coleslaw and shredded lettuce
• roast pork, apple sauce and swiss cheese
• salami, baby spinach and chargrilled capsicum
• curried egg, mayonnaise and mixed salad leaves
• melted ham, gruyere and semi dried tomato…a classic with a twist

Sourdough toasts really well in a sandwich press as well…give it a go!

Next up, dinner.  This meal is so very simple, yet absolutely delicious. All you need is pasta, fresh prawns and your favourite pasta sauce…I picked one that was full of flavour with chilli, basil and garlic. To accompany these ingredients, grab a Bakers Delight authentic sourdough olive baguette.  Slice the baguette on the diagonal, approximately 1 inch thick.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and place in a gridle pan (its the fancy lines that make it look extra special. lol).  Meanwhile cook your pasta as per the instructions, and saute your prawns until they are just pink. Add your pasta sauce to the prawns, stir and heat through.  Plate up your pasta, and top with prawns. Drizzle extra sauce around your plate and serve with toasted sourdough.  We like to dip the sourdough in the sauce or pile the prawns on top like bruschetta. Yummo!

Now, this recipe has way more than three ingredients, but its a family favourite.  We used the Bread and Butter pudding recipe found on the Bakers Delight website, but eliminated the brandy (the kids don’t really fancy boozy desserts).

Are you salivating yet? I’m having trouble typing, I’ve made myself that hungry!

Posted by Orry at August 31, 2011 in In the community

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