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27 June, 2024
Brad shines in Australian victory
TERANG’S Brad Burkitt kept his pie recipe simple to help seal an Australian victory in a bake-off with arch rivals New Zealand last week.
As Western District Newspapers reported last month, Mr Burkitt had been selected to represent Australia at the return of the ANZBake competition held at the Baking Industry Trade Show last week.
He joined fellow Australian representatives Jeremy Mavromatakis (Boulangerie Vietnam Artisan Bakery, Queensland) and Tracy Nickl (Gumnut Patisserie, New South Wales).
The trio defeated the New Zealand team of Jason Hay, Patrick Welzenback and Julia Kaur-Randhawa in front of a large crowd at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
“It was awesome, a great experience which was so different and unfamiliar to anything I’ve done before,” Mr Burkitt said.
“You’re baking under a time constraint with the judges watching you, asking questions about what you’re doing and why.
“But it was awesome.”
Mr Burkitt said the Australian team had a discussion after the event and felt victory may have slipped through their fingers, which made it all the more rewarding when they learned they had earned the win.
“It was quite a shock and there was a sigh of relief to learn we had won,” he said.
“We were all so excited.”
The Australia and New Zealand teams, hand-picked by the peak baking bodies for both nations, were required to bake the same general items but had the freedom to put their own unique twist on the dish.
One member from each team made 30 crusty style baguettes to be filled with gourmet fillings of pastrami, chicken and sundried tomatoes in addition to 30 small artisan filled rolls.
In the pastry section, one from each team also had to make 40 mini pavlovas and 30 lamingtons.
As for Mr Burkitt, his role was to bake 48 gourmet lamb pies.
With only the protein being specified as a required ingredient, the pressure was on to choose what type of gourmet lamb pie would be a hit with the judges.
After experimenting with a variety of recipes, Mr Burkitt said he decided the best approach was to keep it simple.
“I went with a lamb and rosemary pie which had a taste of roast lamb and gravy,” he said.
“It was a simple pie while the guy from New Zealand went the other way with his lamb pie including sweet potato and creamy mushroom sauce, which I felt, and the judges felt, lost the flavour of lamb in the pie.
“I wanted the main flavour to be lamb, and my theory was I didn’t have to stand out between 500 other pies but just beat one other pie – so I wanted it simple, and well cooked with good quality ingredients.”
Word of Mr Burkitt’s success with the Australian team quickly spread on social media and among customers back in Terang, who were all quick to congratulate him on his success at the national level.
“It’s amazing,” he said.
“It’s very cool to put Terang on the map too.
“I have a lot of friends in the industry who were asking where Terang is – and I just said it’s a long way from anywhere, but this is where we are and this is Terang.
“It was an amazing opportunity not only for myself, but also Terang.”
Mr Burkitt praised his fellow Australian team mates, and the New Zealand team, for what he said was an amazing display of baking from some of the biggest names in the industry.
“Tracy Nickl is a world class pastry chef and what he produced was like artwork – it was out of this world,” he said.
“Jeremy Mavromatakis did the bread with a Vietnamese, pork-belly Bahn Mi which was just amazing – I’ve never eaten anything like it before.
“What the Kiwis made was also really impressive.”
The success for the teams means Mr Burkitt will likely have the opportunity to defend the title again at next years event, which will be held in New Zealand.
“This was the first time in 20 years the ANZBake has happened,” he said.
“The last was in 2004 so this was the rebirth of the event, and I think the people behind it are keen to continue it from now.”
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