Baker Bleu: Bake It Till You Make It by Mike Russell is a tasteful guide to one of Australia’s great modern bakeries, Baker Bleu. Mike and Mia Russell started the bakery in 2016 in Melbourne, quickly expanding it as it was embraced by the Victorian community with gusto. Now having opened a newer premise in Sydney with the support of Neil Perry, it’s clear that delicious bread is core to their beliefs.
Baker Bleu has been thoughtfully written, navigating the somewhat difficult challenges of sourdough making. There is clear guidance on the building blocks of tackling sourdough including a step-by-step guide to making your own starter and many tips on the basics around water, room temperature and flour.
The book is broken into a few core themes. Beginning with more traditional breads such as the country loaf, bagel and ciabatta. It then moves to the sweeter, buttery world of croissants, brioche, pies and cookies. The book finishes with sandwiches and an ode to their time in Spain with a section on Tapas.
As a hobby bread maker myself, I found the recipes clear, insightful and leave me wanting to tackle my next weekend project. As Neil describes so perfectly in his foreword, ‘Well, when I tried the bread, I was immediately struck by its quality: perfect chewy crumb, dark crust and a long lingering lactic sour taste.’ Having tested a few of the recipes, I couldn’t have put it better.
Reviewed by Robert Bromhead
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