Mosman gets a slice of the Berkelo action
THE north shore has long been starved of decent bread with sourdough stalwarts Iggy’s, Brickfields and Sonoma all based south of the bridge. But that’s about to change, with famed Brookvale bakery, Berkelo, cropping up in Mosman.
Mosman
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mosman. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Oktoberfest is back at The Bavarian Chatswood
- Rough and Bare sprouts up on north shore
- Hunter Gatherer in North Sydney evolves
THE north shore has long been starved of decent bread with sourdough stalwarts Iggy’s, Brickfields and Sonoma all based south of the bridge.
But that’s about to change, with famed Brookvale bakery, Berkelo, cropping up in Mosman.
Not your usual cookie cutter bakery, Berkelo will sell artisanal breads, specialising in long-fermented sourdough made from rare and heirloom grains, and refined sugar-free pastries adorned with homegrown fruits and flowers.
“The breads don’t have any additives, we just use flour, water and sea salt, and then some extra fruit or grains depending on the loaf,” says Berkelo co-owner Tom Eadie.
Alongside their signature sourdough, Berkelo will also be rolling out a grain loaf, pocked with sprouted lentils and flaxseeds, a khorason brown bread made with ancient kamut wheat and a fruit bread, infused with lemon myrtle tea and studded with dehydrated blueberries, grapes and figs.
Made without commercial yeast or raising agents, Berkelo dough spends a minimum of 18 hours cold fermenting, before being baked on stone.
“Long fermenting bread is a time-consuming process, which is why most bakers don’t do it anymore, but we’ve decided to respect the tradition, and as a result our bread is more digestible.”
Man cannot live on bread alone, and he doesn’t have to either, with Berkelo also selling brunch items, including handmade quiches, pies and sandwiches.
One of the most popular orders in Mosman is the seed cracker, which is getting good traction, Eadie reports.
“It’s a gluten-free cracker that has been dehydrated instead of baked. We top it with homegrown fermented veg and a few slices of cured meat or fish.”
Most of the produce used at Berkelo comes from local farmers, with the rest plucked fresh from their garden in Terrey Hills.
“We’ve been working all year on growing vegetables and we should have quite a lot of produce coming up for spring and summer,” he says.
For midmorning dessert, which is definitely a thing, there’s an ever-changing selection of patisserie items, which use raw honey from Eadie’s dad’s farm or rapadura sugar in place of the usual refined cane.
Spelt flour is used to make a crisp golden case for Eadie’s orange and vanilla cream tarts, while chocolate eclairs are pumped with pistachio cream and rapadura caramel, then crusted with roasted buckwheat.
Located at the Military Road Interchange, the small corner cafe has been given a minimalist fit-out, which includes white butcher’s tiles and polished concrete. There’s also a loose scattering of timber stools inside and out for those who want to scoff their bread warm.
DETAILS
What: Berkelo
Where: 2/557 Military Road NSW
When: Monday - Saturday, 6am - 2:30pm, Sunday, 7:30am - 1pm
Phone: 0429 531 251
Web: berkelo.com.au