November 2026 newsletter
November 2026 newsletter sent to email subscribers in South Australia
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Where to look for a baking book: the SA Public Libraries!
I continue to be a fan and regular user of our SA Public Library system. I haven’t purchased a new book for several years, but the library has (including several of my requests),and the best part is we can all access them.
If plant-based baking is on your radar, Philip Khoury has a couple of interesting books I’ve enjoyed looking through.
Coming up in early December: Stollen and Streusel sweet yeast baking class
Aside from delicious, these sweet yeast cake/breads are also quick to make.
Because the flavour is added with spices, fruits and an enriched dough, long fermentation is unnecessary. These certainly aren't a health food—but certainly are a beloved traditional treat (Stollen = Christmas baking) for many.
Organic flour is currently unavailable from Laucke Flour Mills
Due to shortages of organic grain, we’re unable to access any organic flours from Laucke. Other flours are in good supply.
"Introducing a micro-bakery you may not know
Micro-bakeries are sometimes yet to be discovered delights due to commonly operating from council-certified home kitchens (or a special home bakery set-up). My goal is to introduce these baking-enthusiasts I've gotten to know
through my classes, flours, and consulting. Micro-bakeries are well worth a try; they could become your regular baker!
See previous newsletters from 2026 for other highlighted micro-bakeries (Walkerville, Glenalta; Up next: Port Noarlunga South).
Micro-bakery: Bread Mama (Southern Yorke Peninsula)
Shari may not be down the road for most of us, but for southern Yorke Peninsula locals and visitors, you’ll be glad Shari is baking her fresh sourdough breads. I hope you enjoy this brief interview…
(Matthew) Where do you bake and what’s your kitchen set-up?
(Shari) Our home is built on stilts, so I have a self-contained
downstairs bakery, it was purpose built for the small bakery setup. Warooka or Marion Bay are the collection locations.
What products are you baking?
I bake sourdough loaves, plain and a weekly special
inclusion loaf. Next year when my daughter goes to school full time I'd love to experiment and add other sourdough sweets like cinnamon rolls to the menu.
When and why did you start baking?
I started baking in April 2025 and I was terrible! I didn't previously love being in the kitchen at all, but I knew I wanted to
try to make a business out of it, so I persisted and finally got my first
good loaf 6 months in! I then opened the business in Jan 2026.
How often are you baking and what’s your system for customers?
I bake twice a week. We live remote, so I bake Wednesdays
and travel 30mins down the road to a town called Warooka and stock an old painted bookshelf with the weekly orders.
Then every Friday I bake and display the breads on old bookshelves
in our driveway at Marion Bay. This is both pre-ordered and any spare loaves.
Ordering is through my website [Matthew: see website below—also see the
very cool bookshelves on the website or socials].
For the baking enthusiasts, what equipment are you using? Are you mixing by hand or machine?
I use a Mono Artisan Oven, and a Mecnosud
Spiral Dough Mixer 33L. I can bake 12 x 850g loaves at a time and mix up to 24 loaves at a time in the mixer.
So, how can we have a look at your baking?
See www.breadmama.com.au or you can find me on Facebook under Bread Mama or Instagram under #breadmama.sourdough
Final question, what's most satisfying for you about your micro-bakery experience?
Honestly, I love working with the dough once it's mixed.
I'm still learning to read my dough and still experimenting with different shaping styles and techniques.
Thanks Shari!
- Matthew Thorpe / Baker's Treat Baking School (now with an updated About photo. ‘About’ time!)