Judging the best of bread
TOOWOOMBA’S RASQ Bread Show is the largest show of its kind in Australia, with more than 500 entries.
There are categories covering bread, cakes, buns, cakes, pies and slices.
Chief judge Mark Dennien said entries had come from as far north as Longreach and Barcaldine, and as far south as the Northern Rivers region of NSW, with the bread and hot cross bun categories being the most popular.
“When you’re looking at bread we’re looking for a fine white crumb, with a soft texture and also a slightly fermented type odour,” Mr Dennien said.
“For hot cross buns we’re looking for a nice even spread of fruit with a nice spice with it, a nice appearance of the cross on the bun, nothing that’s out of whack.”
The show is one of the longest-running bread shows in Australia, running for 51 years, and Mr Dennien said he had judged it for more than a decade.
In his time as a judge, Mr Dennien said some bakeries kept shining time and again.
“There’s a number of them,” he said.
“Westbrook on the Rise, Born and Bread Bakery, Antony’s Bakery and Pattiserie.
“Their quality overall, they try and maintain it throughout the year and they step it up a level when it comes to entering into competitions..”
Getting an award at the bread show was an accolade bakers could use to promote their business, according to Mr Dennien, whether it be for an individual category or King of the Bakers.
“You have some that enter in multiple categories. If you enter multiple categories it goes to an overall point accumulation to become King of the Bakers,” he said.
“The more entries and the better places you get, the higher you get up in that score.
“Others come in and say ‘well in my business I want to be known for hot cross buns’ so they’ll focus on hot cross buns, if it’s a pie they’ll focus on a pie.”