bourke street bakery

It appears people like pastry. And why? perhaps it's the grainy texture of sugar, coated in butter and flour, or perhaps that first, crisp bite that causes flakes of golden goodness to fly about and settle, ungracefully, on your lap. Or the feeling of butter melting in your mouth. An almost-clammy salty-sweetness that rolls around your tongue and sticks in the back of your throat. For others, it may be the sometimes creamy, almost gelatinous fillings that are encased in the pastry; or the warm fattiness of processed meat that sends its sleep-inducing tendrils through your chest before settling in your stomach.

And evidence of this Sydney-wide pastry love? The lively popping up of Bourke Street Bakeries all about Sydney - and the queues of people that they attract. Apart from the original store in Surry Hills, there is a branch in Chippendale (128 Broadway), a brand spanking new store in Marrickville (2 Mitchell St) and a sister store (Central Baking Depot) on Erskine Street in the city. And the lines, oh(!) the lines! They snake out the door and around the lamp post in a funny dog's leg'd kind of way. And each person peers in the window, their thoughts almost audible "Maybe a sausage roll... and a tart. And some bread? Or a roll..."

lamb & harissa sausage roll $4.00

I have woken up on a sunny Saturday morning to meet a friend on my first foray into the world of Bourke Street Bakery. And I have dreams of brulee tart floating about in my head. But first, a breakfast of hot cross buns and even hotter chocolate (which, by the by, is dark and rich and creamy all at once). And oh! How my heart sinks, just a little, when I am unable to spot a brulee'd tart in any way shape or form. So I console myself with a multitude of baked treats for taking with me.

The lamb and harissa sausage roll (which somehow rubs up against my wallet and leaves it with a lamby scratch-and-sniff effect) is beyond tasty and I'm loving the currants that burst in your mouth with a goo of sweetness.

A praline scroll is added to the mix (and would have been more appreciated had I eaten it on the day, rather than leaving it overnight due to an overconsumption of sugar - don't do this, it makes everything soggy and stale). And then a chocolate tart (which is rich without being too rich, and smoother than expected). And then a plum tart (which is half a plum in an almond frangipane, and which the Bean & I gobble up enthusiastically). A pear pastry looks friendly enough and is later discovered to also be custardy and light and fragrant.

And then (OH! and then!) as I am leaving, I spot it. Hidden on the very bottom shelf. A lemon tart with its curdy filling peaked just so. And, next to it, a strange brown looking thing. I peer at its sign. And then my eyes light up as only those who have seen me around a tasty treat will know. The tart! And it was there the whole time! So a hasty re-order and I'm off to collect the Bean from tennis at Haberfield (yes, this is why I ate so little at Pasticceria Papa... makes sense now, no?)

And oh! (again, I know) crispy and custardy with the fragrance and flavour of vanilla bean and a dollop of lovely red juicy fruit at the bottom. And the other, all citrussy and sour without being overpoweringly so (which is a good and a bad thing, for I love a painfully sour tart). The pastry on all was a touch overdone, an sometimes a bit more than that, leaving a dry, unpleasant flavour on the back of my tongue. Which is a pity, but, quite possibly, not the norm as I have seen and heard otherwise about it from those frequenting the BSB more often than I.

And so, I am tempted to traipse down again. And possibly once more after that. For there were rolls and loaves and other such goodies that I didn't even think to try. Anyone care to join me?

Bourke Street Bakery
633 Bourke Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
ph 02 9699 1011

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date & ricotta scrolls

Can't get a date to save your life? Tired of being cold and alone? This recipe probably won't help you any. Not unless your issues are easily solved with dates of a different kind, and your cold solitude is best warmed up by some piping hot, yeasty goodness (in which case, this recipe just may solve your woes)!

After my initial yeast-failures (see hot cross buns that double as door stops, Easter-ish 2009), I was determined to make something that rose. The poor Bean was suffering from a strange malady that resulted in her falling asleep in strange places so all I had was a bag of dates (and an ever decreasing stockpile of ricotta) to while my afternoon away with.

getting ready to mix up the yeast

I'll pre-warn you. These aren't (by any means) a sweet scroll. I mean, they look like they should be, right? But don't be put off for they are ever so satisfying when sliced in half and chewed up with a slathering of butter & your favourite jam. Think spicy & just a little bit fruity. (Resisting making a joke about dates here...)

spicy ricotta & date scrolls

ingredients:

3 tsp dried yeast
125ml warm water
2 tsp sugar
375g plain flour (2.5 C)
1 tsp mixed spice
50g butter
125ml warm milk
150g dates
1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
3 tbs brown sugar
75ml warm water
200g ricotta

for the glaze:
¼C sugar
¼ tsp mixed spice
¼C water

method:

1. Yeast first. Make sure the water is lukewarm by sticking your finger in it (you don't want to kill the poor carbon dioxide producing beasties). If your finger is burning, it's too hot. Wait until it has cooled down before testing it again. With a different finger this time. Oh, and you should probably wrap that first finger up in some gauze.

bubble bubble toil & trouble...

2. Add the now-lukewarm water to the yeast & sugar. I used a little whisk to combine it all. It should smell musty and little bubbles should start to form. Leave it for 5 minutes while you fix the rest of the stuff up.

check out that yeasty goodness! it's ali-i-ive!

3. "The rest of the stuff?" Yes dear. The flour (which you should sift with the spice and the salt) needs to be in a nice big bowl. No, not that one. The other one. The one that has more room in it for when the dough rises. Good? Good.

4. Now that the yeast has come alive (and threatened to spill out of that little bowl you mixed it in) it's high time we put it all together. Time to add the yeast mix to the flour mix. Tip it in, and while you're there, tip the butter (melted please) and the warm milk in too.

the dough after kneading

5. Time to get physical (with the bread dough people - the dates come later *winkwink*). Mix the ingredients together in the bowl until you can stir no more, then dump the contents out on a floured bench and knead for your life. You know how to do this right? Heel of the palm, quarter turn, heel of the palm, quarter turn, repeat ad finitum. Well, for ten or so minutes anyway. Until the dough is nice and elastic. (Elastic = being able to stick your finger in it and have the dough bounce back).

6. Elastic? Fantastic. Dump the mound in a well oiled bowl & glad wrap it. Now tuck it away somewhere warm for an hour so it can rise. I tucked my bowl in with the Bean (who at this point was asleep on the table).

chopping up the dates

7. While things are rising and resting, clean your kitchen up a touch & get to those dates. We're chopping them up first. Think six to eight pieces per date. Now split them into two groups. Group 1 (about 100g of the dates) will go into a small pot. Group 2 gets to sit around and do sweet, sweet nothing.

8. Add the bicarb soda + brown sugar + water to Group 1 in a small pot over the a low heat on the stove. It will bubble a bit and then reside. Cook it down until it is paste-like in texture.

and then *POOF!* your dough has doubled

9. *Ding!* An hour is up and so is the Bean. "No... my nesting. Don't steal my eggs..." she mutters sleepily as I prise the dough away from her. It has risen tremendously.

rolling out the dough

10. So time to punch it down and roll it out on a floured surface to a rectangle-ish shape. Don't over knead it at this stage. The rolling out will do the job nicely.

spreading the filling out

11. Group 1 dates get spread out over most of the dough. Leave a strip at the end so it binds nicely. Then sprinkle Group 2 dates over the top of the Group 1 date mix. And, finally, add broken up clumps of ricotta over the top of the lot.

roll & cut'em up

12. Starting at the end that is furthest from the blank strip, roll the dough up like a swiss roll (or a sushi) and then cut it into eight pieces. More or less.

tucked in with the Bean for a second prove

13. Arrange your slices in a well oiled baking dish, glad wrap & tuck it in with the Bean for another 20 minutes. ("Hah? What's this?" she will mutter sleepily. "Your eggs" I will say "They don't smell like eggs." the Bean will reply).

just baked datey goodness

14. And once the 20 minutes is done, a speedy 35 minute stint in a 180C oven. And while they bake, whip your glaze together. All the ingredients in a small pot, stir, stir, stir. Done. A quick cool down and then a brush of glaze with a deft hand.

piping hot and ready for consumption

15. Et voila! Woes solved. At least momentarily.

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always perfect pancakes

"So what did you get up to this weekend?" It's the perennial Monday morning question. And for the last four or so months, my answer has normally started with "Well, Saturday was pancake Saturday..." I've been perfecting this recipe for as many months. Twelve variations later, (including one horrible, hungover version on New Year's Day where the honeycomb stuck to the pan and everyone ate with their fingers) and I think I've finally got it. And what better day to share it with you all than Shrove Tuesday.

Shrove Tuesday falls each year on the last Tuesday before Lent. Pancakes were traditionally made on this day because it was a quick and easy way to use up the last of the eggs, sugar and milk before the fasting began. Apparently in countries of the Carnival tradition, today is known as Fat Tuesday. All the more better for pancakes then!

always perfect pancakes
makes 20 pancakes(10cm diameter)

ingredients:

4 eggs
2 tbs white sugar
375ml buttermilk (or 200ml milk + 175ml greek yoghurt)
50g melted butter
1.5C self raising flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon sugar
200g fresh ricotta

method:

1. Separate your eggs. "From what?" you ask. From each other. Not like that. Whites go in one bowl, yolks in the other. Try not to make a mess.

separate the eggs

2. Add the sugar to the egg yolks (they're the yellow ones). Beat with an electric mixer (or, if you are traditional, a whisk) until they are pale and creamy. If you are traditional, this will take a while.

beating the egg yolks

3. Pour the buttermilk and melted butter in with the (now creamy) egg yolks. Mix well. Buttermilk does not taste like butter mixed with milk. It is not nice to have on your cereal. Or your toast. It does make the pancakes wonderfully fluffy though.

4. Sift the flour in over the egg yolk mixture. Also add the cinnamon sugar. This is good for having on toast. The sugar, not the flour. Mix until it is well combined.

4a. If you are waking up early to have people over for breakfast the next morning, stop here and stick the (glad wrapped) bowl in the fridge overnight. I have done this and it resulted in wonderfully quick and easy pancakes for the next day. It also minimises the mess that you will have to clean up afterwards.

4b. Take the bowl out of the fridge. No use making pancakes in the fridge.

5. Crumble the ricotta into the bowl. Mix. Don't break it up too much. Also try not to eat too much of it as it goes in.

fold in crumbled ricotta

6. Beat egg whites to soft peaks.

beating the egg whites

7. Carefully (Carefully!!) fold the egg whites into the bowl until combined. Your pancake mix will be lovely and light at this stage. Keep it that way.

fold in egg whites

8. Melt some butter into a pan and scoop 1/2 cup blobs of the mix in to make your pancakes. Wait, watch for bubbles, then flip. Watch your pancakes go *puff!* after you flip them. Pat yourself on the back for being so delicate.

9. Serve with banana caramel sauce (below), or, for a treat, chop some strawberries up, add a spoonful of brown sugar and a good slosh of balsamic vinegar and go for your life!

mmmm... pancakes!

banana caramel sauce
makes enough for 10 pancakes

ingredients:

2 bananas
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs butter

method:

1. Chop your banana up into bits. Not too small, otherwise you'll end up with banana mush. Also not too big, or it'll stay uncooked. Quarter the slices and you're about right.

2. Stick chopped banana, sugar & butter into a little saucepan.

3. Put it over a low heat, stirring infrequently, whilst you make your pancakes. By the time they're all done, this will be done, and you will be ready for action!

oh! and ps) drop by a table for two today to raise some dollahs for pancake day - alls you need to do is go *click*

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