Silo: A Recipe For Success

Capital magazine - July/Aug 2004

Leanne Gray and Graham Hudson were living in what they describe as a “crummy” flat in England in the early 1980s, when Leanne began delving into Elizabeth David’s book, Bread and Yeast Cookery. Leanne had already discovered the joys of breadmaking while working in restaurant kitchens when she was at art school, but the book fired her passion. It also revealed the secret of fantastic bread – longer, cooler fermentation – that Leanne abides by to this day. Leanne and Graham’s Canberra bakery, Silo, is renowned for its wonderful bread and Leanne has no doubt that this technique is the reason. Just as with wine, it results in more complex flavours.

Since it opened in 1998, Silo has become a destination for locals and visitors alike. “People from out of town are always blown away by the fact that all the food on the premises except the cheese is made 10 yards from where they sit,” Graham said. “We are often asked why we don’t open seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. But Silo’s a family business and we rely on a very closely knit team of people. A lot of people think it all appears by magic.” In fact, the only magic is that Leanne manages to work the hours she does, beginning at 3 or 4am several days a week, and as the week gets busier, around 11pm or midnight.

Even so, there are times when she struggles to get the bread on to the shelves by the time the cafe opens at 7am. It’s not uncommon for a queue to be waiting outside when she opens. Using an Australian-made oven with a stone floor, Leanne makes three doughs which in turn produce six breads. She also makes croissants, savoury pastry and sweet pastry. Butter is essential for making good pastry, Leanne said, a statement which reflects her approach to food in general. She takes no shortcuts and uses locally grown organic produce wherever possible. Unlike many bakeries, she never uses pre-mixes. “Bread is just flour, sourdough or yeast, and water, and from then on it’s all about management. We make sure our product is good every day and if it’s not, we throw it out.”

While her bread and pastries are the core of the operation, Silo is a licensed café and also has a temperature- and humidity-controlled cheeseroom. Graham puts a lot of effort into the wine list, which features around 50 local, French, Spanish, American and Italian labels. Leanne designs the menu for chef Siobhan Palmer, who did her apprenticeship at Silo before travelling for a few years. Siobhan worked in various Canberra kitchens before returning to Silo late last year. Inspiration for the menu comes largely from the couple’s travels. Every January, they shut up shop for four weeks. This year they visited Mexico, last year it was Vietnam.

Leanne still remembers the black olive bread she had in Venice in the early 80s. It was experiences like that which led her to experiment at home. In 1987, she established a small wholesale business at Kambah Village. Within six months, customers were queuing for her bread, leading her to open Cornucopia in Braddon. It was a great success but by 1995 she was “burnt out”. She sold up, took a break for a couple of years and came back for seconds. “I don’t believe this business would have happened if I’d gone from England back to Sydney or Melbourne. I had these stepping stones and a loyal clientele to help me through it. Canberra’s a small town. You connect more with people here.”

© Christine Salins

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