BAKE TO BASICS

This Tweed Heads bakery is keeping with tradition as it prepares to open a cafe next door, writes Amber Macpherson

WHILE gluten-free and raw diets may be the modern mantra, a Tweed Heads bakery is flipping the script after finding success in the world of carbs and cooking.

Artisan bakehouse The Bread Social is expanding to open a new cafe next door, capitalising on the demand from loyal customers for its pastries, cakes, loaves and lunch options.

“We’re not getting rid of refined sugar and all that,” co-director Sam Saulwick laughs. “We’ll certainly still have all the goodness.” Originating in Byron Bay, The Bread Social opened a second store in Tweed Heads in late 2016 where the community embraced its sourdoughs, danishes and home-cooked meals.

Sam says an opportunity to expand next door opened up earlier this year.

“A beautician was operating in there for 15 years . Her partner passed away and she got to the point where she was looking at retirement.

“We were always looking at expanding, so it was a natural progression. We helped her wind up her business, making sure she wrapped it up in the right way. Having strong morals, she was happy to see it go to us.”

Being part of a historic block of buildings, Sam says the fit out was handed over to a local tradesman to preserve its rustic charm.

“Many years ago this precinct had the big five banks in it, but some of the shops became derelict at the time,” Sam says.

“That’s what we look for, to find something that was a little bit more tucked away, a little bit grimy. The walls out the back are covered in graffiti. We’ve been using Bagshaw Furniture, which did the fit out at Byron Bay at the Roadhouse. He’s a really lovely guy and he uses recycled timbers for the raw industrial look we wanted to go for. The challenge was to tie our two places together and remove the centre wall, with a glass petition and open bakery feel. Bakeries are quite sensory — people want to see things baking, they want to smell it, see the flour.”

The cafe will offer an extended breakfast and lunch menu, building on the skills of the chef and bakers. An ever-changing blackboard will feature meals using locally sourced produce, with dishes including asparagus, goat’s cheese and aged balsamic, broad beans and pancetta on charred sourdough, braised duck in lager with coriander rice, pot-set pate, cognac butter with Davidson plum jam and lavosh, and more.

“There will be three to six menu items that will change seasonally based on the providers we’re using and the local producers,” Sam says. “We like brokering a relationship, like with an egg farmer, someone that does heirloom tomatoes, we get some obscure cuts of meat in. We’re bringing it back to allow the chefs and bakers to have a play. We’ll also do a few cheeky desserts. We have a really skilled chef and baking team.”

More experimental options will make an appearance from time to time as the The Bread Social works to reduce its waste.

“We are conscious of minimising our waste here,” Sam says.

“We do a really nice dark rye bread and we can use some of that to make a rye ice cream.

“We might do a monaco bar and put our own flavour into it. There will be some really beautiful sweet and savoury items.”