MEET THE PRODUCER

Todd Wiebe, Wild Rye’s Baking Co, Pambula, NSW

Todd Wiebe, the part owner and head baker of artisanal bakery Wild Rye’s in Pambula, NSW, tells us that his fruit-chocked hot cross buns are only available the day before Good Friday and on Easter Saturday. “That’s how it should be,” he says. Everyone in town knows to get their orders in, and the bakery is busy with people jostling to get in and out of the store to pick up these beauties, a yeasted bun filled with raisins, currents, sultanas and mixed peel, and perfumed with a touch of Earl Grey tea. “Customers really look forward to them,” says Todd. Pambula, a small town on the far South Coast, swells with visitors in peak holiday periods, including Easter. Todd and his team respond in kind, baking eight different sourdough breads — light rye, seeded and spelt among them — as well as croissants, pastries and Portuguese tarts. “When we started 15 years ago, sourdough was a foreign idea in a country town bakery and we had to work hard to gain people’s confidence,” Todd says. “As it is, it’s turned out really well.” Wild Rye’s Baking Co is at 26 Quondola Street, Pambula, NSW. (02) 6495 6649; wildryes.com.au