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Home Baking ‘Hacks’

Sharing the kitchen secrets of Australian bakers!

With Australians spending more time in their kitchens, professional and home bakers have been exploring their love for cooking and baking. Every week, the MAURI Instagram and Facebook pages are filled with new tasty tips, tempting treats and curious creations from kitchens right across the country.

Let’s share the ideas and inspiration!

At MAURI we’ve always believed in the power of ‘Baking Better Together.’ In fact, one of the greatest things about baking is no matter how experienced we are in the kitchen, there’s always more to be learned from our fellow bakers. We actively encourage the sharing of ideas and inspiration – and to kick things off, we’ve pulled together a list of 8 super-handy ‘Home Baking Hacks’ to try out for yourself.

If you have more baking tips to share, we’d love to hear from you on the MAURI Instagram or Facebook pages using #bakingbettertogether. Happy baking!

#1 Signs your Sour Starter is ready

  • Baking sourdough? Then always remember the float test! If your sour starter doesn’t float, don’t mix it yet.

#2 Signs your dough is ready (proofed) for the oven

  • Well rested dough is light, airy and will wobble
  • If you press it with your fingers it should also spring back a little, but leave an impression.

#3 Brilliantly baked bread in a home oven

  • Preheat your oven to 240°C for at least 45mins, with a pizza stone or cast iron pot on the middle shelf
  • After cutting the top of the dough, place it into the pot with the lid on
  • After 20 minutes take the lid off, and bake for a further 20 minutes.

#4 When is your dough fully baked?

  • It sounds hollow when you tap it
  • When you cut it you can see lots of bubbles.

#5 Temperature matters

  • Always pay careful attention when it comes to the temperature of your oven and also for ingredients like butter and eggs. If the recipe says room temperature, make sure it is between 20 and 25°C!

#6 Give your yeast a lift

  • Storing dry active yeast in the freezer helps it retain its lifting power.

#7 You knead to know this

  • When baking bread one of the easiest mistakes is to over or under knead your dough
  • You’ll know your dough is ready when you can stretch it 5-10cm without breaking.

#8 Baking is both an art and a science

  • It takes time to perfect baking a sourdough, especially in the home kitchen. If at first you fail, determine what may have not worked and try, try again!

 

WHAT’S YOUR HOME BAKING HACK?

Share it with Australia at the MAURI Instagram or Facebook pages using the tags @mauri_australia and #bakingbettertogether.

The ‘Autolyse method’: a different way to bake

With Australians spending more time at home than usual right now, many are finding sanctuary in the kitchen. This includes thousands of professional and home bakers, as well as members of our own internal team here at MAURI who’ve been using their downtime to get back to what they love….baking. We’ve been sharing some of their wonderful creations on Facebook and Instagram and we’ll continue to do so. One of the most interesting recent recipes features a baking technique known as ‘autolyse.’ If you’re not familiar with it, don’t worry, you’re not alone!

What is autolyse baking?

Autolyse was first discovered back in the mid-1970s by a French Master Baker, Professor Raymond Calvel. During a series of bread baking experiments, he found extending the rest period of his mixture could greatly improve the links between starch, gluten and water – so when the mixing process was restarted, the dough attained a wonderfully smooth state far more quickly than usual.

How does the process work?

The basic principle of autolyse baking is very simple. Some (or even all) of the water and flour used in your bread mixture is pre-blended and then set to rest for an extended period of time. Doing this allows you to condition the gluten before adding the active ingredients – a technique that can deliver a dough with absolutely delicious results.

This tempting batch of baguettes, above, is a great example. One of our bakers made these recently at home using the autolyse method. He rested his mixture for 3 hours before adding in the salt and yeast. While resting times will vary from recipe to recipe, and are always open to some experimentation, he assures us the longer you rest your mixture the better!

Ready to try autolyse for yourself?

If you’re interested in trying the autolyse method, here’s the exact recipe used by our baguette baker:

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTSWEIGHT
MAURI Baker's Extra Flour1.380kg
Salt0.020kg
MAURI Dried Yeast0.0085kg
Water0.930kg
Oil0.015kg
Optional

METHOD

STEP 01

Mix Flour and Water together and blend at low speed for 2-5 minutes.

STEP 02

This brings us to the Autolyse Stage. Here we need to rest the dough for 2 – 4 hours at 23–25C.

STEP 03

Add Salt + Yeast and any other side ingredients and mix to achieve full dough development.

STEP 04

Rest in a tub for 1 hour, stretching and folding it every 20 mins.

STEP 05

Scale and shape as desired.

STEP 06

Proof until ready.

STEP 07

Bake at roughly 190C for 25 mins*
*Baking temperature is different for every oven, so aim to bake for a set time and adjust the temperature as required.

STEP 08

Allow to cool and eat when ready!

These instructions may vary depending on manufacturer’s premises and equipment used.

Join us in the baking of your own sourdough creations! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date on the challenge!

Sourdough challenge – Sourdough Donuts Recipe

Our team have been working from home and have been very busy playing with their own starters and mother doughs to create some fun recipes for you! One recipe that was highly requested was the ‘Sourdough donuts’. Check out the recipe here, and make sure to tag us in your creations!

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTSWEIGHT
Milk230ml
Eggs1 large egg
Butter (melted)0.050kg
Sourdough Starter0.220kg
MAURI Victory Flour0.500kg
Sugar0.050kg
Cinnamon1 tsp
Ground Cardamom1/2 tsp
Salt1 tsp

METHOD – PART 1

STEP 01

Combine liquid ingredients with starter. Fold in spices and dry ingredients.

STEP 02

Keep folding or mixing for 10-15 minutes. Take out of bowl onto lightly floured surface and knead into smooth ball.

STEP 03

Place in lightly oiled bowl and coat dough with oil. Cover and set aside for 4-5 hours.

STEP 04

During this time, typical sourdough process ie. every hour lift one edge and fold over to middle of dough.

STEP 05

After 4-5 hours cover and refrigerate overnight.

METHOD – PART 2

STEP 01

Next day – while dough is still cold, gently roll dough to ca. 4cm on lightly floured surface.

*Doughnut cutter was used to create the shape.

STEP 02

Place gently on a lightly oiled sheet of baking paper, leaving some space between doughnuts. Brush tops with oil.

STEP 03

Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for ca. 2 hours.

*Ready when you poke it and it slowly fills back in.

STEP 04

Heat ca. 500 ml oil in a heavy pan to ca. 180C. Cook ca. 2-3 mins either side until golden brown.

STEP 05

Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat and set on cooling rack.

STEP 06

Eat warm!

These instructions may vary depending on manufacturer’s premises and equipment used.

Join us in the baking of your own sourdough creations! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up-to-date on the challenge!

Baking better with BARLEYmax®

Taking gut and heart health to the MAX

MAURI to distribute BARLEYmax®

Did you know?

  • 50% of all Australians have some form of gut health complaint
  • 1 in 6 Australians are affected by cardiovascular disease

Few things in life are more important than good nutrition. Increasingly, it’s what Australian families are asking for and based on statistics like these, it’s no surprise.

With this very much in mind, MAURI is proud to have recently entered a new license and distribution agreement that will allow Bakers to bake with a high-nutrition grain called BARLEYmax®.

The agreement with BARLEYmax® owners, The Heathy Grain, began in December 2019 and gives MAURI access to the BARLEYmax® technology developed in conjunction with the CSIRO. It means you will very soon be able to offer your customers all the nutrient benefits of BARLEYmax® in your own baked goods.

Initially, four BARLEYmax® products will be available:

  • BARLEYmax® Whole Grain
  • BARLEYmax® Kibble
  • BARLEYmax® Flakes
  • BARLEYmax® Flour.

What is BARLEYmax®?

BARLEYmax® is a non-GM, nutritionally superior wholegrain that tastes great! With the potential to offer significant health benefits compared to traditional grains, some people have even labelled it a ‘super barley’. Carefully developed by the CSIRO, BARLEYmax® grain, kibble, flakes and flour is nutritionally superior.

Specifically, BARLEYmax® contains:

  • 20% more protein than wheat
  • Twice the dietary fibre of wheat
  • Prebiotic fibre for digestive health
  • 20% more beta-glucan than oats

Try BARLEYmax® for yourself

From our ongoing work with MAURI Bakers and families right across Australia, we know the importance of enhancing the nutritional content of bakery foods. BARLEYmax® is an exciting step in extending our range of ‘better for you’ bakery ingredients. The end result will be good news for your customers – and good news for your business.

ORDER NOW

Contact your MAURI Account Manager or our Customer Service Team on 1800 649 494.

LIKE TO KNOW MORE?

Download the BARLEYmax® Information Sheet HERE

Interview with Award Winning Bakery, Pinjarra Bakery

MAURI was fortunate enough to catch up with one of their customers, Jodie Pantaleo from Pinjarra Bakery, who recently won the Great Aussie Pie Competition. She kindly took the time to celebrate their success by telling us all about their award-winning bakery including their top tips to make the best Aussie pie! Keep reading for the full interview.

Tell us about your store(s) – where are they located, how many years have you been in operation, what areas do you specialise in?

We actually didn’t start out as pie makers or bakers! But our Italian roots have inspired a love of food and coming together as a family. The bakery was founded in the mid 90’s when mum and dad (Larry & Narda Pantaleo) decided to start producing a small selection of specialty baked goods within their existing fresh food mart business. The bakery component of the business became so successful, they decided to move next door into an independent bricks and mortar store and in 1997, Pinjarra Bakery & Patisserie was born. After 10 years of doing what we love, we finally moved to a brand-new, purpose-built flagship store in Pinjarra.

Not long after, we celebrated the opening of a second store in Waroona and finally Maddington in 2014. We have had such success so far and are thrilled to share that we have plans to open a 4th store in Port Kennedy in November! It’s been a long time coming! Together with our 80-strong team, we’ve been rolling out award winning goodness for more than 23 years.

Our speciality has to be our award-winning pies! They are what we are known for. Our signature pies are distinctive, unique and crammed to the brim with tasty fillings you can see and flavour combinations that have become crowd favourites.

You recently won the Great Aussie Pie comp for the best meat pie in Australia – how did your business prepare for the competition (what was the process)?

We have been entering for so many years now that honestly, there isn’t really a set process. The team know exactly what they need to do and we trust them to experiment and create the best tasting, most creative pies. The guys are lucky to have the opportunity to produce special edition flavours (invention pies) throughout the course of the year leading into awards season- so this really helps us with nailing flavours and producing a winning recipe that has already been tried and tested.

Can you share any tips for other bakeries thinking about entering next year?

It has taken us 20 years to win this award. There are so many factors that make up an award-winning pie- however we feel the quality of meat is vital. Find the perfect meat to gravy ration and pack in as much flavour as possible! The best advice we can give is to keep persevering, take note of the judge’s feedback and experiment with new recipes. 

How has winning this competition helped your business?

It’s been a whirlwind since winning the award. Customers are loving using the “best meat pie in Australia” tagline. I think they have taken ownership and are very proud by association. It’s been a wonderful message to help drive more people to our stores and has supported our goals to continue building a strong, successful brand.

Personally, what is your favourite pie?! 

From the mainstream range it is the Chilli Beef. But from the Invention pie range, it has to be the Beef, Camembert and Caramelized onion! They are just delicious!

What are your favourite MAURI products to use and why? What types of end products do you create with them?

The Supreme flour is our favourite and definitely the one we use the most. We make all our amazing puff pastry using the Supreme Flour and also our pie bottom for our pies. It’s the best!

What was the main reason you decided to work with MAURI?

We have been partners with MAURI for the past 20 years and have found throughout the years MAURI has always provided us with the highest quality products, service, technical support and product range. No one else compares.

 Do you have any tips for apprentice bakers just starting out?

  • Make sure you love what you do and be passionate about it
  • Always give that little bit extra without being asked
  • Be loyal to your employer, listen and respect your colleagues
  • Read books, watch tutorials, don’t be afraid to ask questions, always look at ways to gain more knowledge.
  • Enter industry competitions, keep on challenging yourself
  • Don’t be afraid if you make a mistake, learn from your mistakes and do a better job next time.
  • Have a dream, have a plan, set your goals and don’t be distracted from achieving your goals.

Catching up with brand ambassador Noel Stewart of Stewart’s Bakery!

MAURI had the pleasure of catching up with brand ambassador, Noel Stewart, owner & head baker of ‘Stewart’s Bakery’ in Ballarat, Victoria. Noel kindly took time out of his busy day to tell us all about the day (or night!) in a life of a baker, including his favourite parts and products. Keep reading for the full interview.

What does a day in the life of a Baker like you look like? Can you describe your day in two words?

Very demanding. Working as a baker, my day is full on from the moment I get out of bed to the minute I get back in at the end of the day. My day also operates in reverse to the everyday person as most of my work is done in the early hours of the morning.

What is the best part about being a baker?

I would say that the best part of being a baker is definitely that rewarding feeling you get when you see the end product after all the hard work has been put in.

What are your favourite MAURI ranges to use? What types of end products do you create with them?

My favourite MAURI ranges to use in my own baking are the Bread and Sweet Goods Mixes, but I love using all of their ranges really. My favourite MAURI products though would definitely be the Sponge Mix or Donut Mix, basically any of the sweet mixes. You could say I have a sweet tooth!

Which are the busiest times of year for you?

The busiest time of year has to be winter. It seems to go on forever! We sell a lot of pastries especially during this time. People love them!

Do you have any specialty products you like to create for the warmer spring/summer months?

In the warmer months, the speciality products I mainly bake are bread, bread rolls and sandwiches. Perfect for picnics!

What is your favourite aspect of the MAURI products?

My favourite aspects of the MAURI products have to be their quality, consistency and the vast range. I also love the taste! People always come back so the taste must be good.

You can view our product range here: https://www.mauri.com.au/products/

Customer Bite! Interview with Ryan Khun of Country Cob Bakery

MAURI had the privilege of chatting to one of our brand ambassadors, Ryan Khun. owner and baker of Country Cob Bakery in Kyneton, Victoria. Ryan kindly took the time to chat to us about his day-to-day life as a baker, telling us everything from his daily routine to his favourite recipes, products and so much more! Keep reading for the full interview.

Tell us about your store – where is it located, how many years you have been in operation, any areas you specialise in, how many customers you serve a month/year, awards and industry recognition…

Country Cob Bakery is located in the small country town of Kyneton, Victoria. We took over the shop 3.5 years ago now and since have had great success, both with the bakery and winning of awards! We have won the Australian Best Pie Competition 2 years in a row which we are very proud of, as well as many smaller gold awards. I would say we have won over 100 awards in total.

What was the main reason you decided to work with MAURI?

The previous owners of the bakery used to deal with another company, who wasn’t MAURI. Shortly after we took over, Paul Greene, one of MAURI’s Sales Reps came to see us. He provided excellent customer service and was extremely helpful, so we decided to try the product. We haven’t looked back since! We make a range of goods using MAURI’s offerings, of which have won lots of awards!

 What advice would you give to other bakeries considering using MAURI?

You never know if you don’t try! If you haven’t tried MAURI products before, it is a good idea to sample and play around with it. The products are really good to be honest and two of our awards (Australia’s Best Pie and Vanilla Slice) have been won using them. It can be challenging to switch suppliers but once you’ve got the quality that MAURI gives, you don’t need to change again. MAURI really is one of the best. 

What are your favourite MAURI products to use and why?

We have quite a few favourite products definitely. The Maximus and Supreme Bakers Flour are our main products and the ones we use on a regular basis in our everyday baking. Although we also love the Cake Donut mix and the Sponge Mix!

How can we make your baking experience better/easier?

When the quality of MAURI products is so good, it enables us to make quality products really easily, and that is such a crucial part of the baking process. The customer service is also very good too. Every time we have a question we can easily call and ask, and we always get a quick response with the solution which is great. This makes our job much easier and definitely makes us very satisfied customers.

What inspired you to become a baker?

My older brother, Chan, who is the head baker. I have learnt everything I know from him. He is my role model and was definitely my inspiration for getting into baking.

Which are the busiest times of year for you? Do you have any specialty products you like to create for these times that you are famous for?

Winter is definitely our busiest time, especially during the school holidays. In the winter, as its colder, we usually make more pies and pastries as people want something warm and comforting to eat. Since we have won Australia’s Best Pie 2 years in a row, people want to try our famous pies.

What does a day in the life of a Baker like you look like?

As we don’t make much bread in our bakery, we don’t have to get up at 1 or 2am, so get a bit of a sleep in! We focus on pies and cakes and so we can get up at 5 or 6am, just like any other job really. For us, being a baker is just another normal job, so we get to live normal working hours and spend time with our families.

What is your favourite part of your job?

My favourite part is definitely the baking and cooking the products. Although I love doing everything in the shop – except the paperwork!

How do our products differ from other products you’ve tried in the past? Pros and Cons

MAURI products are very consistent and of very high quality. We rarely have problems with the products, and if we do, they are very easy and quick to fix. The price is also great for the quality of the product, and that’s why we use MAURI.

TOUGH TIMES. STRONG SUPPORT.

Partnering with Australian grain farmers through the good times and bad.

For over 150 years, MAURI has stood side by side with Australian grain farmers. Through the good times and bad times, our fortunes have always been closely connected. Right now it’s fair to say times aren’t so good, with severe drought affecting large areas of agricultural land across Australia. The current Bureau of Meteorology statistics show virtually all of Australia’s major cropping areas, except for Victoria, have recorded below average rainfall for the last 6 months. The hardest hit areas have been northern and western NSW, and southern Queensland, where soil moisture levels are rated as ‘extremely low’ with less than 60% of average rainfall in 2019, following the 2018 drought. These are some of the nation’s most important wheat growing regions.

The economic and social consequences of the ongoing drought are affecting regional communities right across the country – and with Summer fast approaching, things may get worse before they get better. Understandably, this is having a very real impact on the supply and quality of the grains and meals used to produce the MAURI products you know and love. But far more importantly, it’s also placing increasing pressure on the livelihoods of grain growers. In the face of considerable adversity, MAURI’s commitment to Australia’s resilient and hard-working growers remains as strong as ever. We’re determined to support them in every way we can to ensure the long-term sustainability of their businesses and, by association, our own.

Bake better with us as we continue to work closely with our grain growers and farmers to bring you quality grains and meals.

Two Proud Millers.

As Australian tastes and diets continue to evolve, and sustainable agricultural practices become increasingly important, MAURI is delighted to announce a distribution arrangement with Gunnedah-based Wholegrain Milling Company.

A forward-thinking milling business run by the Neale family for over 40 years, the new distribution-led partnership begins in September, 2019. It provides a national growth platform for Wholegrain Milling to share its innovative range of speciality wholegrain flours with more Australian bakers than ever before.

Equally, it provides MAURI baking customers with greater choice, helping them expand their bakery offer with direct access to some of Australia’s finest sustainable and organic baking flours. A key part of MAURI’s business-wide commitment to meet changing consumer tastes and deliver ongoing value for its customers, the new partnership is an important step in shaping a more robust, profitable and sustainable future for Australian bakers, farmers, millers and the Grain Industry as a whole.

“The new arrangement with Wholegrain Milling means greater choice for MAURI customers. It lets us add even greater value to their baking businesses – not to mention provide even greater profit opportunities – by helping them expand their product ranges with access to Australia’s finest sustainable and organic baking flours.”

– MAURI MD, David Wallace.

“Wholegrain Milling has come a long way since we produced our first stone-milled organic flours on the family’s kitchen table 40 years ago. Today we’re Australia’s largest supplier of chemical-free, organic and sustainable flours. Now, thanks to MAURI’s unrivalled industry reputation and national distribution network, we’re excited to share our range with more Australian bakers than ever before.”

– Wholegrain Milling Managing Director, Craig Neale.

 

Like to know more about MAURI and Wholegrain Milling? Find out here.

Aussie culture, Aussie passion and good old-fashioned Aussie Pies.

MAURI customer, Heatherbrae’s Pies was established in 2001. The founder, Russell Cox, is passionate about bringing traditional tastes and quality foods back to Australian palates. We spoke to Heatherbrae’s Cody Boyd to understand the ins and outs of this famous pie joint.

What are your favourite MAURI ranges to use? What types of end products do you create with them?

We have two stores; located in Raymond Terrace and Sutton Forest. At both of our stores we use MAURI flour for every and any product that requires flour. Pies, breads, sweets, you name it. We love the stuff!

Which are the busiest times of year for you? 

It does vary between our two stores but I would have to say that for both locations, Christmas and the summer period is by far the busiest and craziest time of the year. With so many Aussies packing a bag and hitting the road, we get all the highway traffic stopping in for a bite!

What does Australian Baking mean to Heatherbrae’s Pies?

Our owner, Russell Cox, founded Heatherbrae’s Pies on the idea of preserving Australian heritage and cuisine. It’s really important to us to make sure that we use Australian products wherever we can in our baking so we keep the Aussie heritage and culture at the centre of our products. We are all about Aussie food and Aussie people!

What is the most creative/out-there pie on your menu?

One of our regular menu items which is on the more creative side is our Red Curry Lentil Vegan Pie, it’s a really cool one which is a bit different from our other regular pies. We also do a ‘pie of the week’, these special pies can be really out there in terms of flavor combinations. A personal favourite of mine from this range is the BBQ Pizza Pie, combining the flavor of both a pie and a slice of pizza… there’s nothing quite like it.

What is the craziest experience you’ve had in one of your bakeries?

Last month our Southern Forest store won Best Pie in NSW, we had a big celebration for that which was a really great time for everyone at the store. It was great to get together and celebrate this achievement.

Any awards you are most proud of?

We were awarded Best Pie in NSW this June for our Steak Mince Pie. We have also won a bunch of other awards for our Chicken and Veg Pie and our Diggers Chunky Steak Pie. These continue to be our most popular menu items and for good reason too!

Where do you see Heatherbrae’s Pies in 10 years?

We have some really amazing things in the pipeline! We are moving towards introducing some gluten free pies to our menu. We get so many requests for these pies and it is really important to us to provide quality menu items for everyone, regardless of their dietary needs. We are working on opening a separate bakery which will supply to both our stores; the reason for doing so is that our stores just have too much regular flour there.

We are always looking for opportunities to expand so I’m sure there will be some great things happening in the next few years!

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