Behind the Scenes at Novak’s Bakery: A Day in the Life of a Limerick Baker
For the artisan bakers at Novaks Bakery, the day starts with firing up the oven and inhaling the aroma of freshly baked Sourdough artisan bread. Our bakers have mastered the art of bread making, and here’s a glimpse into the everyday lives of our master bakers in Limerick.
Novaks Bakery opened in Kilmallock and has grown steadily ever since. Employing seasoned bread makers and artisans, the bakery prides itself on making treats the authentic Irish way – using fresh ingredients without additives and slowly fermenting the dough for the most exquisite of tastes.
Our master baker explains what he thinks of his products and what sets them apart from mass-produced supermarket products:
“ The only secret is time, care, and lots of love. Each bread is flavourful and appetising, each donut crafted to perfection, and every bun baked is impeccably pillowy and tasteful. The simple mix of time, care, and love is all that goes into Novaks Bakery products.
Our sourdoughs, for example, are available in a multitude of tastes but are made with minimal ingredients. A wholemeal Sourdough at Novaks Bakery has six ingredients, while the same offering at the next-door supermarket has about 10. That tells you all you want to know.”
Mass-produced bread does not follow the same time-honoured approach. The dough is given minimal time, just enough for it to bloom in the oven without giving it a chance to work its way naturally.
Moreover, the presence of additives in supermarket breads makes it even worse. Our customers love the distinct taste of our artisan breads which do not contain any sugar or sweetener. Our slow fermentation process naturally releases flavours that make our bread irresistible.”
But, all this time and care requires consistent hard work. A typical day in the life of artisan bakers is like:
“We have to start very early in the morning. We start baking by 5:00 a.m. every day, and are able to provide fresh, warm artisan bread to our customers by 9 am. This ensures only the freshest products reach our patrons every day.
First, we turn on our oven and start preparing the morning orders. We have donuts, pizza, and brioche buns ready to go into the oven immediately.
Next, we prepare the sourdoughs to strengthen the dough and even out air pockets, after which, we get to shaping the bread and ultimately, weighing them. We prepare sourdoughs at about 7:30 P.M. for the next day, mixing the dough and leaving it overnight for a controlled puff-up with richer flavours.
At the end of the day, we start feeding the sourdough cultures so they are fresh and active for the next day. As the day beckons, we will clean the equipment and prepare the next day’s products.”
The end of the day is a rewarding experience of passion and determination. Reminscening the love of baking –
“ We found that most breads and other offerings were tasteless and unfulfilling. Buying supermarket bread, we learned they were made by machine, from where we started experimenting and discovering how much we enjoyed the process and end product.
People are now more aware and appreciative of the art of artisanal breadmaking. Their love reminds and motivates us to follow the classic baking techniques engrained in the Irish tradition.”
Our breads fly off many shelves, and sometimes, it’s a sweet surprise to hear patrons say how difficult it is to find good bread in Limerick. As supermarkets keep growing in popularity, it’s important to emphasize and keep alive our baking traditions in Ireland and keep supporting our suppliers and producers.
Once you have our artisanal bread, it will be hard to switch back to its supermarket counterpart – that’s the promise of an artisan baker in Limerick.
