I came to stay a night at Boonderoo Farm by chance, after picking up a hitch-hiker and imagining that his destination was better than mine.
It was dark when we arrived at Boonderoo farm, the goal of my companion, Tom.
Morning revealed a stunning mountainous backdrop and a sourdough bakery preparing for the day’s bake. Thomas and Gabi Moritz own and operate the organic farm and bakery with their daughter, Sabine. A large part of their subsistence is producing bread and other goods for local markets.
Besides fulfilling Thomas and Gabi’s passion for bread, the bakery provides a way of value adding their own organic farm produce. Home-grown produce are used in pumpkin and herb varieties. Thomas even talked of experimenting with growing rye, a grain that could possibly contend with the farms cool mountain climate.
A large Alan Scott oven and an Austrian stone mill are the bakery’s key production tools. The mill is a more recent addition. Running at a cool 300rpm, it produces 60-70 kg per hour of wholemeal and sifted flour. The mills ability to sift means that Boonderoo Farm can produce a white sourdough from freshly milled organic white flour….many bakers dream of this.
Sweets and pastries are an important part of the bake. Coming from a European background, Thomas and Gabi are keen strudel makers. Varieties of strudel include hazelnut, apple and poppy seed. Thomas has also been experimenting with a product similar to semolina, produced by the mill as a consequence of making other flours.
You can meet the Boonderoo folk at local markets, including:
Hume Murray Food Bowl, Gateway Island, Wadonga VIC (Every 2 weeks as follows: Saturday 18th, Saturday 2nd July, Saturday 16 July, etc.)
Moyhu Market, near Wangaratta VIC (Every 3rd Saturday of the month)
Colmie Market, near Mansfield VIC (Every 3rd Saturday of the month)
Boonderoo Farm offer Baking Workshops. Check Events to for any forthcoming dates (visits by appointment only).