Barrett's Bread New Artisan Bakery in Beaumaris

Internationally trained baker, Andrew Barrett, has established his own little slice of baked heaven with the launch of Barrett's Bread in Keys Street, Beaumaris.

Specialising in real breads that are slowly fermented and allowed to fully develop their natural flavour, and using cultures collected from his adventures across the baking globe, Andrew has worked with some the world's baking best.

Barrett's Breads are all painstakingly handmade. Rising at 2am Andrew shuns the uses of added chemical improvers or flavour enhancers and mould inhibitors. Rather, he uses a baking process, which includes sourdough yeast, long ferment times and hand moulding the dough. The range of daily baked bread includes sourdoughs, rye, olive bread, baguettes, ciabatta, flat breads, wholemeal and healthy multi-grains.

In keeping with the Andrew's passion for real food, baked daily, the bakery also handcrafts a range fresh, sweet delicacies such as fruit danishes, moist, fruit filled muffins, brioche and croissants. A pastry chef creates seasonal cakes, biscuits and slices. Filled baguettes and paninis are tempting lunch items, as are the fresh quiches, homemade sausage rolls and beef bourguignon pies. Good coffee, made with Gravity beans tops off the indulgence.

Andrew lives by the creed that the less a baker puts into the bread, the more the baker needs to invest in turning out a perfect loaf.

"Our bread is the bread that people used to know and love forty of fifty years ago. These types of breads disappeared with the advent of chemical improvers and flavour enhancers. Our bread lets the flour speak for itself, so that the flavours and aromas are warm and earthy, with real crusts", says Andrew.

Andrew's baking credentials are exemplary. Cutting his teeth with the likes of Pott's Breads, Miettas and Paul Bocuse in Australia, and then the Michelin star rated Cliveden Hotel in London, Max Poilane in Paris and Joe Oritz from the famous Capitola bakery in California, Andrew's curriculum vitae reflects his singular pursuit of real, good bread.

Barrett's Bread is located at 17 Keys Street Beaumaris. Metres from Beach Road, the bakery and café offers indoor and outdoor dining, with a bike rack out the front to appeal to the keen cycling enthusiasts.Phone: 9589 6711, or visit www.barrettsbakery.com.au

Andrew Barrett - artisan baker

Andrew started as an apprentice baker at the age of 15 in Whittlesea, and then progressed to working with the likes of Potts, Mietta's and Paul Bocuse in the art of traditional bread making. In pursuit of learning to make good, real bread Andrew then spent time overseas - working in London as the baker for the Michelin star rated Cliveden hotel, and with eminently recognised artisan bakers such as Max Poilane in Paris, and Joe Oritz from the famous Capitola bakery in California.

On return from Europe, Andrew was involved in setting up the Authentic Village Bakery, and worked for French Fantasies in Toorak, before moving to Perth, where he ran his own, very successful bakery for six years. Barrett's Bread was a bakery/café, which set new standards in the Western Australian bread scene. The bakery specialised in artisan breads, and still supplies a number of the smart, upper end dining establishments in Perth today.

In 2003, Andrew sold Barrett's in Perth to allow him to indulge in another passion - to circumnavigate Australia in his yacht, before returning to settle in Melbourne. He has now opened Barrett's Bread in Keys Street, Beaumaris.