BY KATHRYN STEANE

Bread may be one of the world’s most common foods, but that doesn’t mean it has to taste that way – or so Albert Psaros believes. Owner of Albert’s Kitchen, a wholesale bakery located in Ramarama, South Auckland, he is an expert at creating artisan-style breads with extraordinary flavours and other qualities. “I don’t like to make just the mainstay,” he explains. “I’m always making different things.”

This might mean adding caramelised apples to a dough, using chapati (a type of Indian flour), or – what Psaros says has been his most unusual idea to date – incorporating stewed plums into a dough. He admits that while this sounds odd, the result is nothing short of delicious – even in the eyes of his critics. “I had a new baker working for me, and he was like ‘Man, what are you doing?’ Then he tasted it and thought, ‘wow, this is good.’” He adds: “I've got other things that are a little bit adventurous; people try them, they love them, and they keep coming back for them. It’s not like they've seen them anywhere else.”

Psaros also makes breads for the less daring palate, including his best-selling garlic foccacia, cob (“a white loaf with olive oil in it”), and ciabatta. Together with the other varieties, these are sold to cafes and gourmet food stores around South Auckland, such as Ciao Bella and Karaka Country Market. You might also spot his wares at the local farmer’s market, where he regularly has a stall.

The market holds a special place in Psaros’ heart, as it was here that he first started selling his breads. It is also the inspiration behind the name ‘Albert's Kitchen’. “I didn't want to hide behind some name that no-one knows what it means, I wanted something personal,” he explains. “I always found that being in a farmer’s market environment, it’s very special – you meet the grower, you meet the producer, and people really value that. That impression stayed with me, so when I decided to start my own business, I wanted it to be a personal thing.”

It’s interesting to learn that baking wasn’t Psaros’ first choice of career – before Albert’s Kitchen, he worked in IT. “I never thought I’d be a baker,” he admits, “but I’ve always appreciated good, European-style bread.” However, it was only a matter of time before a job in the food industry came calling, due to the fact that his father was a restaurateur; while his family originates from Greece – one of the world's culinary hotspots.

Psaros’ cultural heritage has certainly influenced his baking. Despite having very little of its own bread, Greece’s proximity to Italy means the country is very familiar with things like ciabatta. “Italian and Greek culture is so close. Our cuisine, there are definite crossovers, I mean, they are neighbours,” he says. He goes on: “The Italians and the French are the ones that have perfected the art of baking. They understand fermentation, they understand how to extract the best flavours out of the wheat, and so those are the people that I learn from.”

Principles like slow fermentation are important when making artisan-style breads, and the longer this takes, Psaros says, the better (he usually allows 48 hours). Another factor that’s crucial to this craft is the use of hands. “There's not a cutter here, my hands are my cutter,” he explains. “And I weigh and shape everything myself.” In keeping with this approach, he also prefers to use a rolling pin over other equipment, saying “a machine will never handle a piece of dough like hands, and you can tell”.

  Looking to the future, Psaros plans to launch a line of pastries that share the same artisan qualities as his breads. This will include well-known varieties like pain au chocolate, as well as those found in his native Greece: kataifi (a pastry filled with walnuts); melamacarona (small balls dipped in honey syrup); and galaktoboureko (a pastry filled with custard). Of course it won't all be about tradition, says Psaros. “There’s Greek flavours that I'm probably going to transport and mix through with maybe a croissant dough, or perhaps a brioche dough – bringing a little bit of my heritage, and mixing it through with the standard stuff.”

Psaros also wants to open his own retail outlet, though at this stage he says it’s simply an idea. Until then, his customers can be assured he will keep doing what he does best –experimenting with flavours. “Because I'm always exploring, my product list isn't going to stay this way in a year’s time. Just watch the flavours come,” he says, as if he is already conjuring up his next creation.

For more information, visit www.albertskitchen.co.nz

Bread directory

Albert’s Kitchen isn’t the only business that makes specialty breads – here are some others:

- Pandoro Panetteria: This company is widely recognised for its top quality breads, which include everything from paninis to pide. For more information, visit www.pandoro.co.nz

- Loaf Handcrafted Breads: Owned and operated by celebrity chef Sean Armstrong, Loaf offers all the usual suspects (think focaccia, baguette and ciabatta) as well as pastries. For more information, visit www.loaf.co.nz

- Wild Wheat: Wild Wheat uses traditional recipes with no additives or preservatives to create such culinary delights as rosemary and olive sourdough, and walnut and raisin sourdough. For more information, visit www.wildwheat.co.nz

- Farrah Breads: This company is a great source of Middle Eastern-style breads, with wraps in exciting flavours like garden spinach and fire-roasted pepper. For more information, visit www.farrahwraps.co.nz

Baker’s bread-y legacy

You certainly couldn’t accuse Doug Leighton of having a ‘half-baked’ approach toward his work – he’s been doing the same job for 47 years. The position that’s held his interest for so long? Baker at George Weston Foods, producer of some of New Zealand’s most well-known bread brands including Tip Top.

Leighton joined the company as a young man in 1963, working at its Taylor’s Bakery branch in Northcote until 1970 when he was transferred to Stormonts Bakery in Kingsland (“one of the largest bakeries in New Zealand at the time”). In 1975 he received a promotion to production manager – a role that involved “going around to other bakeries, troubleshooting, and product development” and which he has proven very, very good at.

Indeed, Leighton can be credited with creating some of New Zealand’s most popular bread products including English muffins and the Bürgen range (which he introduced in 1980 and 1985 respectively). He admits that even he was surprised with the success of the latter – “it started off as just the mixed-grain style, but sold so well that I had to come up with other flavours. It was also hugely successful when released in Australia and Britain”.

Today, Leighton continues to enjoy his job and says he isn’t planning on retiring any time soon. This is because for him, baking always has been – and always will be – the best thing since sliced bread. “I love it, especially the product development. I love new challenges and developing something new.”

Baking in all of life’s colours

French company Bridor has introduced a line of exciting bakery products. Entitled Arc en Ciel (‘rainbow’ in French), it features breads and pastries in an array of beautiful yet 100 per cent natural colours. Made with French flour, the breads are available in Nori, Curry, Mint and Garlic, Sun-dried Tomato, and Pickled Lemon with Thyme flavours; and can be used to create an endless number of dishes such as the dipping soldier, pictured. The pastries are equally striking, and offer colourful ingredients atop naturally flavoured confectioner’s custard and a pure-butter base. Called ‘swirls,’ these come in three melt-in-the-mouth flavours including Matcha Green Tea and Cranberry; Esprit Citron de Menton (frangipane and pickled citrus fruits) and Praline and Hazelnut. Making the Bridor range even more appealing is its convenience – the breads are pre-cooked and frozen, while the pastries are frozen and oven-ready.

For more information, visit www.bridordefrance.com