Secrets of a Waterloo Baker

Long ago, in 1918, a small traditional bakery was built in the inner city suburb of Waterloo, Sydney. This was well before the tower blocks, the ice addicts, the trendy new apartments and the fashionable restaurants in Danks St.

The last owners of Elma bakery were a Latvian migrant family who baked primarily rye bread (black, and sweet and sour) from old Latvian and Estonian sourdough recipes. The bread was highly prized and sent all over Australia, and the recipes were a closely guarded secret.

This book explores what the secret of the bread actually was. Was it just the recipe, or did the milieu of Waterloo and its history contribute, or was it the Latvian background of the bakers?

This is a book (with many photos) for anyone interested in old trades such as traditional bread making, and baking sourdough. It’s also for the many new residents of Waterloo to gain an insight into its interesting history, from convicts to Bubonic plague to Green bans (which lengthened the life of the bakery). It’s also for Australians in general to learn how migrants enriched their nation.

It’s a book for anyone who wants to hear the Waterloo baker finally reveal his secrets.