Earlier this week, we put sustainability in the spotlight at the refurbished Brasserie Bread cafe. Tackling the benefits, the struggles, and the future of sustainable farming practices in Australia, we served food made with sustainably grown produce and held a panel talk to nut out why it’s important to know where your food comes from and why we celebrate the source at Brasserie Bread.
The Bread Station: Taste the Difference
At the bread table, guests were encouraged to try two different sourdough loaves to see how the region of where the wheat is from can make an enormous impact on taste and texture. Each loaf reflects the character and moods of its region of origin. We source our wheat from two regions in Australia: katana wheat from the Flinders Ranges in South Australia and lancer wheat from the Gwydir Shire in New South Wales. Find out more about the two wheat-growing regions here.
The Food: Sustainable and Single Origin
We were also pumping out piping hot single origin sourdough pizzas out of our wood fire oven on the evening. The sourdough base is made with katana wheat traceable to the Southern Flinders Range, then topped with Vannella fior di latte that’s handmade in Marrickville. We also served pulled pork sliders on milk buns as well as baguette slices with stracciatella and beetroot. Fino Foods’ cheese and charcuterie table was a huge hit with incredible products from Salumi and the likes of Kris Lloyd Artisan, Milawa, and Vannella.
The night culminated with a round of Kouign Amann ice cream sandwiches featuring Gundowring raspberry ice cream. When you’re making food using sustainable, quality ingredients, it’s easy to keep it simple and delicious.
At the bar we poured sustainable wines from Lowe Wine and handcrafted small-batch beer from Batch Brewing.
The Panel: The Future of Sustainable Farming
But enough about the food – we’re here to start a conversation about sustainability! Our panel talk with Brasserie Bread co-founder Michael Klausen, Andrew Byerlee from Flinders Ranges Premium Grain, John Campbell from Provenance Flour, and John Fairley from Country Valley, hosted by Renae Smith from Masterchef recognised sustainability and integrity as the future of food.
Whether it’s wheat, milk or grapes, the underlying processes of sustainability are the same. It’s all about the soil. Australian soil is ancient and weathered, but sustainable practices replenish the soil and build organic matter so that we don’t have to rely on pesticides and fungicides. A holistic, integrated system that favours natural farming techniques ensures that we’re creating nutrient-rich life in the soil. Looking after our soil means looking after our food.
For us at Brasserie Bread it’s critical that we bring out the best of the wheat in our bread, that we hero the characteristics of the region where the wheat is grown. Our dream is that artisan bread made with sustainably grown single origin wheat isn’t just niche, but that it becomes the norm.
As Samantha Low so neatly recapped it in her Instagram caption, “The biggest takeaway for me was that consumers, retailers, producers, farmers and everyone across the channel all share the same philosophy of wanting quality food at the table. Not just for global sustainability, not just for supporting the farmers, not just for tasty eating. But simply because it’s doing what is right for all of us.”
Thank you to Andrew Byerlee, John Campbell, John Fairley, Fino Foods, Lowe Wine, and Batch Brewing for being a part of this incredible event.
