Cafe Conversations

Characters, Brasserie Bread’s full of ‘em. I thought it natural to dedicate an entry to some of the people you meet on a regular basis. Here are some of our weekday regulars who define your Brasserie Bread Café experience. Dragging them out of the 2.30pm lull on a Thursday afternoon, we chatted about customers, the crowd and what it’s like being in the frontline of Brasserie Bread. Note: Decoding the rambles and many ridiculous tangents in the transcript was what delayed me from pushing this post from a Thursday afternoon to Monday morning. Delving into what makes them tick and getting them to stay on track with the topic is harder than you think! But I suppose that’s what makes the many trips down for non-essential coffees an essential part of my working day 

Freddy, Manager

Well, you’ve pretty much got your Monday to Thursday, no, Monday to Wednesday regulars, then your Thursday and Friday regulars who come in along with everybody else who pretty much brings their lunch in from home Monday to Wednesday. They all come in Thursday and Friday to indulge and splash out because they’re sick of looking at tuna, MacDonalds or a squashed tomato and cheese sandwich in their bag.

 Mate, I’m watching everybody. I even know what everybody eats, what everybody drinks, what everybody drives. Even one of my customers by coincidence, I found out where he lived the other day! I saw his truck in the driveway…

 A lot of different moods in this café, you gotta make sure the ambience, the music, the climate control is right. Gotta thank Alex (from merchandising), he really put some tunes on the ipod for us, the customers are a lot more happier. You can see them bopping their heads every now and then through the café…it’s important, because you can’t have a sandwich without rhythm can you?

Siobhan, café all-rounder

 I like talking to people and finding out what they do for a living. And working out that people do all this cool stuff. We had the mother’s club in the other day, then across from the Mother’s club were the InStyle girls who were having a meeting with the Christian Dior people. They gave me free magazines! Then there’s the cyclists on Sunday mornings, and the Brasserie Bread Kid Noah, he’s so cute…I love Noah. You just can’t pin the crowd down here.

Juliet, barista

It’s nice when you’re busy, you have a constant flow. It’s gotta be organised, yeah, because you can’t just make on coffee, you’ve got to make five coffees at once. Regulars are always good, they make the job fun.

Elise, barista, cafe all-rounder and part-time Kids Trainer

I’ve been in hospitality for 15 years, so cooking and making coffee, bit of consultancy, bits and bobs. I love making coffee. I think it’s very creative. It’s like chefs, like chefs with food constantly reinventing things and keeping your heart in it. Coffee making is the same. There’s only one way to make a latte, you can’t reinvent that. But you’re making sure the grind’s perfect, you’re making sure the glass is the right temperature, you’re being aware of what’s happening around you. I think that everything really comes down to relationships and building good relationships with people.

Barbara, retail and café all-rounder

My Thursday was good, a little bit warm-ish, but it was nice. Yeah, I get a lot more contact with customers, you get a lot more chances to say hi when they come in, to chat. [With regulars] before they come in, I’m already slicing their bread, or getting their cakes ready. It’s nice especially in the morning; [customers] don’t have a ‘mood’ in the morning, they always come in very happy and ‘wow!’

 They always ask you what you think is the best. I definitely tell them what I like the best, and I definitely like it when they give feedback. And I have some customers who are already addicted to the white chocolate éclairs*…addicted! They come and buy it every time.

 They all say they’re on a diet and go ‘oh I can’t buy too many cakes, oh how can you work here?!’,They think I eat cakes all day. Not all day, but I have one a day…

 People need a lot of advice, they have a lot of questions here in retail. And they’re right, because for a lot of products here, they can’t get anywhere else so you need to know, and that’s why I have to eat the cakes, so I know. And, I’m from Belgium, so apparently I know everything about chocolate…and the butter!

 

 

Brasserie Bread Café Staff Roll-call: Freddy, Barbara, Siobhan, Juliet, Ana, Jaci,, Yudha, Elise, Jimmy, John (chef), Josh, Sonia, Reesha

*white chocolate éclairs: new retail product, available now in Brasserie Bread Café and Retail

 Until next time!

 Mei

Picnic in the Park II: Wynyard, 06.11.09

 Why does it always (almost) rain on me?

This time, the sun pulled through and it was all-systems go for our second Picnic in the Park, right in the heart of the Sydney CBD. After getting the nod from David and Michael, it was decided that Tuna & Egg Salad on a 6-seed Sandwich roll would be on the menu, followed by a little pre-Christmas cheer of fresh Fruit Mince Tarts. BB Café and Pastry were roped in to make the goodies, while I pulled up weather reports on my screen every 5 minutes and hissed at passing clouds.

Having decided to go ahead with the Picnic, I got explicit permission to drive our new nifty Brasserie Bread Caddy right into the city, which was a big win for me. Up until Friday, it was all ‘don’t let her behind the wheel’, but this time there was no avoiding it; no one else had time to drive me or indulge in some out-of-office activities. David had to pick his mother up for the picnic(she was visiting from the UK). Bill, who runs our promotional samplings regularly at Thomas Dux all over Sydney, kindly volunteered his help so after loading the van, we hightailed it over to Wynyard.  

See, I thought we got there early but Rachel (@beaney) was already perched like a beacon in the middle of the grassy field with her laptop, chilling and awaiting our arrival.

Opening the box of fruit mince tarts was like setting off a smoke signal, because the next thing we knew, a small crowd had gathered round.

the cupcake hoarder

It was great because not only did our tweetheads attend (roll-call below!), Simon from the Heart of Food was also taking marvellous pictures, and we had CBD fans who read about it in our Roll-Call e-newsletter and decide to meet us there (view the newsletter or sign up to receive it).

Thanks to everyone who showed up, and watch out for the third Picnic in the Park coming soon! (do I hear calls for Pastry in the Park perhaps…)

So, where do you think we should head to next?

[via Ken Burgin]

View the full set of photos on Facebook or Flickr

Tweeple Roll-Call: @voirol @beaney @Warlach @theheartoffood @kittykittymraow @kdragon @kristydarby @cafedave + Puff @Anna_63 @stuandgravy @Fatjan @hollingsworth @monkeyshead @KenBurgin @fridley @inspiredadvtrs @KaosMinion @Kimakhei @ultimatelysyd @leahmaclean [if I missed out on anyone, let me know!]

Aids Trust of Australia Food & Wine Fair, 31.10.09

On Saturday October 31, Brasserie Bread hosted a Mountain Sausage Sizzle at the Aids Trust of Australia Food & Wine Fair in Hyde Park. Doubling up as the farewell marquee event for the Sydney International Food Festival, expectations were running high for SIFF’s last ‘hurrah’ and everyone brought with them a monstrous appetite for good food and a great time. And let’s just say, it did not disappoint! With the sun shining, a live music stage, and people eagerly checking out the food offerings or sprawled across the grass, the Brasserie team sliced, buttered, sizzled, and hustled our way through a mountain-sized heap of delicious country pork sausages and a whopping 37 loaves of French Mountain Bread.

photo courtesy of Simon (http://theheartoffood.com)

photo courtesy of Simon (http://theheartoffood.com)

Thanks to Simon (http://theheartoffood.com) for the gorgeous photos above.

We had two sections to our stall, the first being  the section of sampling and selling loaves, pastries and cakes while the second section saw 5 people working a la sweatshop mode, buttering, preparing and serving food at a furious pace.We had a rotation of people up front, including our lovely orders team (Jim, Nat, Lisa and Joce) who were selling their hearts out.

while Kayan and Babs handled the nitty gritty slicing and buttering of bread

…knocking back a couple of beers in the process

Jason and Paul manned up and handled the BBQ-ing of hundreds of pork sausages

Ashley, Maddy (David’s girls), Alex and Jeremy swiftly sampled and smoothly sold our loaves at the other end

While the bosses’ respective partners, kids and guests sat out back in the Brasserie Bread Harem

Even Freddy showed up to push sausage sizzle sales past breaking point.

The sun and crowds were out in full-force, and everyone just chilled on the grass, food in one hand, drink in the other, while a diverse range of live music acts took to the stage. I remember opera at one point…  surreal. (PS if you remember from a while back, this was the spot where we had our first Spring Picnic in the Park event)

Fantastic food, great vibes, beer guzzling aside, it was a fabulous day out for us all and a massive farewell to the month of SIFF. Can you believe it’s November already!? For the full set of photos, check out the album on Facebook, or Flickr.

Speaking of picnics, we’re having our second Picnic in the Park event this Friday, 6 November!

Location: Wynyard Park (York and Carrington Street, Sydney CBD)

Date: Friday 6 November

Time: 12.30 – 1.30pm

Cost: FREE

Menu: 6 Seed sandwich roll with Tuna Salad (tuna, boiled egg, oven-dried tomato & wild rocket), mini Christmas Fruit Mince Tarts*only 50 sandwiches will be prepared for the event. Come early if you don’t want to miss out

 We’re back for Round 2, and we’ll be bringing some pre-Christmas cheer to the Sydney CBD. All you have to do is bring yourself, couple of mates if you want to shre the free sandwich goodness around, and don’t forget your drink. We’ll also be rolling out the usual spread of breads, so if you’re lucky (or early enough), you may even snag yourself a nice little treat to snack on for afternoon tea in the office, much to the envy of your colleagues.

To RSVP, click here

 In the case of wet weather, the event may be postponed to the following Friday 13 November. Stay tuned to @brasseriebread on Twitter or our Facebook page for wet weather updates on Friday morning. To read on about how our first Picnic in the Park event went, click here.

 

Mountainous Sausage Sizzle this Saturday – Hyde Park!

Hello World!

 It is a hectic-as day here at Brasserie HQ. Not only is our quarterly Board Meeting on (which also equates to our quarterly office clean-up), but Jason’s also got his HACCP meeting food safety thingamajig so the whole Bakery/Café is sporting white hairnets, also slightly on edge today.

 Before I resume clearing my desk of crumbs (too many…), I thought to give y’alls a friendly reminder of what’s happening this Saturday:

Brasserie Bread’s Mountain Sausage Sizzle in Hyde Park!

We’re all uber excited about the Sausage Sizzle, especially boss Klausen, who sent this giddy email yesterday afternoon to the unfortunate few who were left at the end of the day, cleaning in preparation of the Board Meeting (i.e. polishing walls, wiping carpet, transporting suspicious paint cans into their vehicles. you know who you are..)

tsk…how schoolgirl-esque. But do come to Hyde Park this Saturday from 12pm – 4pm for the Aids Trust Food & Wine Fair. We got our location on a map sent to us yesterday, and while we were scoping out our position in the park, I had a skim of the other eateries who’ll be there and let’s just say we’re in magnificent company! Just a few places that are sharing in the day of fun and fabulous food (all in the name of charity) include the excellent Bourke St Bakery, Sean’s Kitchen, Sweet Infinity, Allpress, Quay, Longrain…I could go on, but you should come and check them out for yourself! We’ll be right at the fountain, and Michael did his test-sizzle yesterday which was some excellent cooking, so now I’m really pumped for the weekend! Pop by, say hi to the team, it is the last day of SIFF after all

Though Crazy October is almost over, we’ve still got a few things in the works for Summer… keep your eyes peeled for the next Picnic in the Park event, (more details next week, Hint: Friday November 6, free sandwich for your lunch in the sun?), and Christmas Baking Classes (those gingerbread house parties I hear are off the hook!)

See you this Saturday

Mei

 

 

October Festivities for Foodies

Spring? Pffft… far from it today! The café is jam-packed downstairs, I’m feeling great sorrow for Sam who’s standing at Retail and has to endure the biting blasts of wind every time someone walks through the Café door.

 Anyway, so I know I mentioned we were going to cover iodised salt this week, but frankly I’m not really in the mood for that, I’d rather talk about fun times and festivities  (re: Sydney International Food Festival month!)

 So here in the Bakery, the month of October is well under way, and to usher in this month of all things foodie and fabulous, we’ve decided to renovate. Out with the old, in with the new!

 The new window shelf display

October ‘Glass’ themed samples display [courtesy of Eden's Floral Design]

CRAVE – as spelt out on our French Mountain Breads

 And as with all school holidays, we brought in the kids to bake us some goodies. Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked cookies on a freakishly cold Spring Day?

 Our SIFF Baking Artisan Bread workshops have sold out (but don’t worry, we’re in the midst of adding new classes onto the program), and last night was also the launch of our first-ever Baking with Grains and Seeds class. I’ll be doing the class next week, so I promise pictures to be up soon

 Halloween is looming over the Bakery as well; I’ve got a list of decorations to source for Yudha and the training room (tips and suggestions would be much appreciated, or else it’s Hot Dollar here I come!), and on the same day we’ve got the Aids Trust Food & Wine Fair, where Brasserie Bread will be hosting a sausage sizzle stall with our new French Mountain Bread (I swear, that loaf is everywhere these days). And in the spirit of SIFF, I’ll be heading down to Gelatomassi tonight for their first ever #gelatotub. Gelato in this weather? All in the spirit of good food I say

 Another thing you should all be looking out for this October is the Week of Tastes program, organised by the amazing Helen Campbell, a one woman power show.

The Week of Tastes is a week-long program held from 15 – 25 October 2009 and is aimed at introducing children to the world of flavours, using all 5 senses (Taste, touch, smell, sight and hear). I had the opportunity to meet and work with Helen, who’s been helping us out in such a big way with school excursions to the Bakery. In addition to that, Michael has been working with Helen from Day One of the WoT program, from visiting schools to talk about sourdough, to offering our Bakery as a WoT excursion site.  In addition to establishing a WoT School Program and the Crown Street School Lunch, Helen’s also managed to land some pretty amazing restaurants around Sydney, who will be offering a special Week of Tastes menu for children, most of which are devised by the chefs’ kids themselves. To check out which restaurants are offering Week of Tastes menus, click here

 Anyway, I think it’s time for another hot chocolate, and most definitely, a haloumi sandwich for lunch.

Is it possible to love a sandwich this much?  Happy Sydney International Food Festival month! (Now that’s a mouthful)

Mei

PS: on another happy note, check out what we received in the mail yesterday!

Handwritten thank you notes from the kids over at Redlands Junior School who did an excursion to the Bakery last week. Completely. Made. My. Afternoon

Folic Acid in Bread – Mass Medication or Fortification?

Folic Acid in our breads – yea or nay? I admit, I’m a little ashamed I paid scant attention to this announcement despite the fact I work in the very industry it’s creating waves in, so after @zagundo ‘s suggestion that we cover it, I went straight to Michael to get the scoop and his thoughts on the Folic Acid debate. Like many, it was met with mixed reactions, especially on our end, but I suppose what was truly surprising was how the announcement was met with little public remark or debate. Unlike New Zealand’s public outcry and eventual deferment of the deal citing ‘mass medication’ of bread, all seems smooth sailing over on this side of the world with the successful ‘fortification’ of bread. Granted, the legislation was approved two years ago, but having been put into effect only 2 weeks ago, it’s a massive move that affects everyone that consumes bread, or any kind of baked product that uses wheat flour.

We’ll get the basics covered first:

 What is Folic acid, and why is it important?

Folic acid is the ‘man-made’ form of Folate, a B Group vitamin needed for healthy growth and development, especially of the nervous system. Folic acid is important to the healthy development and growth of babies during the early stages of pregnancy. Folic acid taken at least 1 month before and 3 months after conception can prevent the occurrence of Nerual Tube Defects (NTDs) such as spina bifada.

 What kind of breads will contain Folic Acid?

 All breads and baked products made with wheat flour will contain folic acid under mandatory fortification. Only breads made with certified ‘Organic’ wheat flours are exempt from the folic acid fortification. In fact, it should be stressed that it isn’t the bread, but the Wheat Flour that is fortified with folic acid. That Wheat Flour is then used to make bread, thus producing bread that contains folic acid.

So in terms of Brasserie Bread…

 Brasserie Bread’s naturally fermented sourdoughs are all made with organic flour, and do not contain folic acid. Our breads that use other flour contain folic acid.

Now that we’ve gotten the facts out in the clear, how does Brasserie Bread really feel about the folic acid fortification of flour?

‘Nay’

 You, telling me what to eat irks me.  There’s so much going on around us that’s out of our control, and now someone wants to waltz in and dictate what I should be eating? No wait, not dictate, more like ‘ok so we injected your food with something we think will help you’. Help me…how exactly? Don’t I get a say? That irks me. And hey, if I want to question this, oh oops too late, it’s in my food already. On the plus side, I’m already 15% along my journey to becoming a better person (as defined by whoever injected my food with that essence of better.) A general industry (being comprised of bakers and flour millers) opposition to folic acid fortification of wheat flour stems from the argument that this decision was based on inadequate scientific research. Also raised was the ‘umbrella’ element: that is, the ignoring of the genetic uniqueness of each individual and the potentially dangerous and uncharted responses to that substance once consumed.

 Also, when did the concept of ‘mandatory’ translate to ‘fact of life’?  I guess that ‘irksome’ feeling is really the uncomfortable thought of living in a world where everything is regulated instead of having the simple freedom to decide for yourself whether you need that extra ‘something’.  When it comes to health and nutrition, we’re at a stage of unawareness and confusion so widespread it becomes easy to accept what we’ve been given so long as the message bombards us enough.

 In addition to that, the mandatory folic acid fortification of wheat flour, especially in breads like ours, threatens the process of artisan baking. As Michael sums up,

 it’s really the simplicity of artisan baking that is compromised.

Adding a man-made substance into a product that is traditionally defined as ‘natural, wholesome and additive-free’ defeats its very purpose of existence (and  let’s be honest here, its major selling point). What was defined as ‘organic’ is no longer so with the addition of man-made substances.

 ‘Yea’

 Our daily bread indeed – It is truly astounding as to how the baking industry was chosen as a medium of change, and what a transformative change it is heralding in. Revolutionising the diet of a generation only reveals what an amazing and powerful industry we’re part of. The fact that we’re able to retain our artisan roots, as well as be involved in change on such a widespread scale (that isn’t necessarily a positive thing) also motivates us to really continue with our efforts to increase public and retail awareness of nutritious and healthy eating. Education is all about the openness and accessibility of information – our labels list all the ingredients we use, we welcome feedback from customers who are savvy enough to question everything listed on our labels – from ‘organic’ tags, to the style of bread as stated (a French style baguette is VERY different to a Sourdough baguette).  If anything, the issue of folic acid fortification in bread will prompt people to question, and keep in check food manufacturers and nutrition information – and by the way, it is mandatory for folic acid to be listed on product nutritional labels as Wheat Flour (Thiamine, Folate)

 If my thesis-length ramble is starting to bore you, (it’s certainly making me hungry) then here’s my conclusion: Mandatory folic acid fortification of wheat flour isn’t only about splitting the public into the two camps of Organic vs. Non-organic, or even Aussies vs. Kiwis (macho-ness secured: Kiwis uneasy over move to boost Folate levels) Neither is it purely about the evilness of government (or efficiency of its PR machine, kudos to them indeed!)

It’s about being aware of what goes into your food, and using that awareness and knowledge to make an informed decision on what you purchase to put on your dining table for you and your family.

 After this thoroughly illuminating discussion with Michael, I turned to the online universe to find out more. Many of the articles i found online covered basic information on folic acid fortification of wheat flour, albeit all on the side of ‘this is good for you, here’s our expert to tell you that it’s good for you” multiplied by 10202383 times over. If you’re interested to find out more, here are some just to whet your appetite. Or you could always do a google search on what’s been covered, to decide for yourself if you think this issue deserves a little more ‘remark’.

In a sentence, Brasserie Bread believes that folic acid fortification of wheat flour shouldn’t be mandatory - it should be voluntary. Freedom of choice should always be included in matters close to our hearts (and even closer to our bellies)

Metro News

‘Folic Acid in a loaf near you’, September 13 2009, Sydney Morning Herald

‘New Zealand Folic Acid plan now Toast’, 19 August 2009, Hobart Mercury

Trade news

‘Supplements still necessary’, Australian Doctor, 15 July 2009

Industry Bodies

 Food Standards Authority Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)

Baking Manufacturers Industry Association of Australia (BMIAA)

 Time for lunch! Next time round, we cover iodised salt. shiver

Mei

 

DWS Wine Show

The spread

It’s hard to top the Spring Picnic we had last Friday- so this week, we decided to throw some quality alcohol into the mix by attending the DWS Wine Trade Show at the Sydney Masonic Centre. Despite it being my first time attending the show, Brasserie Bread’s participated in the show for the past 2 years and acts as the carb buffer (and believe you me, it’s a fine line being tread) between wine tasting and getting blinded from all that free booze.

 We set up the stall and the usual mountain of loaves and rolls spilling all over the table in a ‘rustic’ heap. I attended both days of the show, along with Jeremy on Day 1 and James on Day 2. Trade shows are big (and frankly, quite exhausting) events to prepare for here at Brasserie; especially with all the sawing of loaves, the delegation of which knife to which loaf, the insane amount of story-telling, the occasional policing of samples, dealing with a million cuts from slicing, and of course, the non-stop chatter. By the end of Day 2, I was reduced to a babbling mess just handing out loaves to anyone who would take them, being too spent to coax anyone into sampling a piece instead. I suppose my frequenting of the other stalls (all fantastic wineries) didn’t help with sobriety levels either. But I was very animated while it mattered!

 I would have loved to show you more pictures but my shaky hands don’t do the function any justice (that setting was magnificent, kudos to Marisa from DWS for organising)

 Off to Thomas Dux Hornsby tomorrow for more sampling madness. Wish me luck – now that I have an iphone and the amazeballs TWEETDECK, I’ll be uploading pictures from the event as I go. 10am – 1pm, drop by and say hi you know the drill!

 Mei armed with an IPHONE!

A Spring Picnic by Brasserie Bread

Sky an obscene shade of blue, check. Grass ridiculously green and manicured, check.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking. It was a fantastic TweetUp and picnic last Friday, made even better by a great parking spot, beautiful weather, and the over-abundance of sandwiches and bread. So if you missed out, here’s what happened, and what will happen again in the future no doubt

 

Take:  

50 Corned Beef Sandwiches on French Mountain Bread

Couple of Mushroom/Ricotta options

 

Don’t forget to:

Hijack the Brasserie Bread Van

 

Resort to:

Circling Hyde Park like hawks for the right spot.

 

Luck be a lady:

Found the absolute perfect park right across St Mary’s Cathedral

 

But it wasn’t over:

Tried to bribe a man in the Benz to let us have the park

 

Nothing’s free in this lifetime:

He claimed his payment in the form of a sandwich after.

 

Where’s Wally?

Tweeted our location

 

Crossed our fingers and looked up to the Heavens:

Waited for Bread-Heads to turn up

 

……………. And turn up, they did!

 

Here’s a taste of what went down:

circling Hyde Park like a hawk, all for that perfect parking spot

Bingo!

Setting up

 

the first few arrive and start tucking in

turnout halfway through

 

like our picnic mats?

With Sheryl from 'One Bite More'

 

packing up, and hello uni students!

Until the next Tweetup!

If you work in the CBD or its surrounds, follow us @brasseriebread on Twitter or stalk this blog for details on Brasserie Bread TweetUp 2. Next time round, we’ll throw caution to the wind. Hunt us down, pinpoint the exact location on Twitter or this blog, then come claim your free sandwich. Provided you sit down and have a chat to us.

For the full set of photos, check out our Facebook album. For more, have a peek at  pics from the day through this awesome TweetPic Grid, (thanks @ozdj, who hadn’t been outside for lunch in 14 weeks until our TweetUp) Also, thanks to everyone who attended, it meant a lot to have your support at our first ever TweetUp

Tweeples we said hi to:

@Anna_63 ; @frombecca; @ozdj; @fridley; @kdragon; @cafedave (and Puff who passed out from all the excitement) @danieltreacy ; @sonnytruyen ; @FrancieJones;  @paulwallbank ; @JennaLanger;  @grabyourfork;  @kristydarby; @katetribe ; @markbaa ; @getbiglittlekid [sorry if I missed out on anyone, let me know if you were there:)]

I LOVE SPRING!

Mei

TweetUp Picnic in Hyde Park today!

12.30pm – 1.30pm, (hopefully along College Street, St Mary’s Cathedral side) We’re bringing garlic bread, sourcherry, walnut and fig, french mountain bread, mini cakes, 56 sandwiches, and picnic mats. Bring yourself is all we ask:) Oh, and bring a drink.

Teenage Angst. Tastes so good

Riddle me this: What is smack-bang  in the throes of puberty, suffering from sleep-deprivation, driven by a deep aching hunger, whinging to be fed constantly, or unable to resist its incessant desire to reproduce and multiply?

Ah, teenagers – That tricky tightrope balancing act between dependent child and reluctant adult. I’d say the age of 14 is really the peak of that rollercoaster ride – old enough to do some things right if they put their minds to it, but young enough to still require a side of babysitting for fear they get up to no good.

Enter Paul, Head Babysitter of our 14-year old Teenage Starter. Naturally, babysitting the same precious brat every day gets him a little exasperated, especially when yours truly waltzes right up to him Monday mornings and demands 6 kilos of Starter for Wednesday Artisan Baking Workshops. So today he invited me to take over a spot of babysitting, nay, in fact, the most important part of babysitting the Starter: Feeding it.

First step: Get some Water

Second step: Get some leftover starter from the day before

Third Step: Scoop some leftover starter into the tub of water

Fourth Step: Dump a tub of Flour into the Starter/Water tub

Fifth Step: Get a drill, mix for your life

Sixth Step: Still Mixing…

Seventh Step: Teenager fed, put it to bed

 

Note: Sleepovers are popular. Just don’t let the party get out of control

Eighth Step: Don’t forget some choice music

 

And now, ‘babysitter throws illicit house party while baby sleeps and you’re out on Date Night’ 

Thank god Michael’s away huh.

Also, don’t forget our awesome first ever Brasserie Bread TweetUp in Hyde Park this Friday

 

This Friday, 11 September

12.30pm – 1.30pm

Location: To be Tweeted or announced on this blog  or our Facebook page on the day.

50 delicious new Corned Beef Sandwiches on the recently SMH Good Living reviewed French Mountain Bread for 50 RSVPs – and we’ll be bringing some extras along just in case .

See you all there!

Mei