Sonoma

Sonoma are the modest giants of Sydney. Sprung from simple beginnings in Bellata, country NSW.

Andrew Connole operates the sourdough bakery cafe in Waterloo, in Sydney. Christian Connole is in charge of the cafe in Glebe, which holds an extensive range of Sonoma bread. Father Kerry still maintains a strong interest after helping to start the business in the early days.

Sonoma begun on wood ovens and migrated to gas to keep up with demand. This was a tough decision, partly brought on by the failure of one wood oven. Wood-fired ovens are comparitively labour-intensive and have a slower recovery cycle than modern deck ovens.

A retarder is part of the process and accounts for the characteristic 'blistered crust'. It appears that this style of crust is now considered an asset by consumers -see forum post. There's also a lot of talk about a retarders positive effects on flavour.

Sonoma are not strictly organic, and often use a mix of organic and non-organic flours. This flour combination helps to ensure consistently attractive looking bread, as organic flour is sometimes less predictable than standard baker's flour.

In the retail shop/cafe at Glebe, Sonoma's humble beginnings and attitude to bread are still evident: There's a simple bread rack with an intelligent range of loaves to suit most tastes, including wheat and gluten sensitivities.

Behind the counter are humans who are not counter-staff at all. The people are not over-stated, they are as humble as pie.