Bourke St Bakery by Paul Allam and David McGuinness

Why write this book?
Allam Because we get a lot of emails and the book seemed like the easiest way to answer them.

Do you feel you might eat into your own business by publishing all your recipes?
Allam No, not at all. I'm don't have that mentality of holding things back and hiding things. We are happy to give away everything.
McGuinness It's hard work. If someone wants to make it at home that's fine, but if someone wants to go start another Bourke St Bakery it's hard work! Getting up at three o'clock in the morning...

At the beginning of the book you talk about the two of you coming up with the idea of Bourke St Bakery in the car...
McGuinness We both had this idea of wanting to open a shop that revolved around baking and exactly what it was going to be we didn't know. We drove around looking at sites for months. There was no grand plan at the beginning.

You guys have a cult following in Sydney. Are you a little freaked out by the hype that surrounds the business?
McGuinness I have only noticed it in the last few weeks. Coming to work every day you let it all go by - running a bakery is a big job in itself. I really don't believe it all. We're just bakers. It could all stop tomorrow - the queue could be gone tomorrow. You have to be aware of that.
Allam You're only as good as your last loaf.
McGuinness Or sausage roll!

The 'starter', or culture, is the first step to making a loaf of sourdough. I hear they're a lot of work.
Allam I started to get this little culture living at home – which is the same culture we brought along here and is still the one we use today. Before the bakery started I used to get up each morning and make bread just so that I used it, because otherwise you just have to keep feeding it flour. All my friends thought it was a bit of a joke because my starter had to come with me away on weekends because it had to be fed.

What's your favourite bread recipe?
McGuinness My favourite is the plain sourdough, my second is the soy linseed, and then the good old olive oil bread.

What is the number one thing that people get wrong when attempting baking?
McGuinness They expect success first time. The thing to do to get it right is perseverance.
Allam The number one thing people get wrong is that they don't think about the process when they read the recipe. You have to know why sourdough is sourdough - you have to think about why and how it will react. It's a living thing.

Bourke St Bakeryis published by Murdoch Books, RRP$69.95.

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