The good loaf

Tracy Carroll meets the team at Chalk Hills Bakery as they celebrate their 10th anniversary

- Tracy Carroll

As one of the oldest man-made foods in existence, everyone has an opinion on the best way to bake bread – from the type of flour used to tried-and-tested methods of kneading to time spent in the oven. So, I’m curious to know what Chris Robinson – co-founder of Chalk Hills Bakery – has to say on the matter.

“The secret to a good loaf is time – and a little bit of patience,” he says. “Bread is all about slow-motion. Here at Chalk Hills Bakery, we make all our bread by hand using long-fermenting, traditional methods. This slower process maximises the full potential of the flour and is what makes our bread look and taste outstanding. For example, our sourdough loaves take 24 hours. You just can’t rush bread. In our case, we also use organic flour and all our ingredients are entirely natural.”