Visiting ‘bakers’ delighted
It wouldn’t be Easter without hot cross buns.
Each month the enterprising champions of the Pukekohe Business Association – Chenay Douglas, Kate Morgan and Shawna Coleman – visit a local business and try their hand at what the store offers.
This month they donned their hair nets and visited Bakers Delight to give hot cross bunmaking a whirl.
Whether you’re a fan of the traditional hot cross bun, or prefer the sweetness of the apple and cinnamon or chocolate chip options, Bakers Delight is the place to get your fix – just ask the constant queue of customers lining up outside their doors.
‘‘We have to admit that we didn’t start the process entirely from scratch,’’ Morgan says.
‘‘Owner and baker extraordinaire Mike Faulkner had prepped the dough before our arrival to save some time. We got started by spreading out the dough on to round moulding trays – similar to preparing a round pizza base.
‘‘Next, we inserted the tray into a machine aptly named Dr Robot, and watched the magic happen as Dr Robot shook and moulded the dough into perfect round balls within a matter of seconds. We then took turns transferring the dough onto large baking trays, before putting them into the prover for 35 minutes then in the oven for 10 minutes,’’ Morgan says.
‘‘While we waited, we chatted to Mike Faulkner about his history with Bakers Delight and discovered that he began working at the Pukekohe bakery when it first opened in 2003, and by 2013 he had become the proud owner of the Pukekohe franchise.
‘‘We were blown away to hear that not only is Bakers Delight Pukekohe the busiest franchise in the country, but they also support roughly 150 local fundraisers every year. It’s no wonder they won the Community Engagement at the 2019 NZ Franchisee Awards.’’
And just like that, the short wait was over and it was time to start adding the finishing touches.
Piping bag in hand, the trio took turns to attentively pipe lines of paste across each row of buns to form crosses.
‘‘We weren’t quite as quick as Mike Faulkner, but we wanted to make sure customers wouldn’t be purchasing buns with wonky lines. After popping the buns back in the oven for the final time, we brushed them with a glaze to make them sweet and shiny and ready to be packaged up and sold to the next influx of happy customers.
‘‘We really enjoyed our behind the scenes experience at Bakers Delight and realised just how busy the team is on a daily basis as they supply our community with delicious baked goodness.’’
❚ Visit Bakers Delight at 2 Stadium Drive, Pukekohe.